The Father of Film Noir

Rating: 10/10 (23 June 2012)

For over 70 years now Citizen Kane has been regarded a cinematic masterpiece. So would it shock you to learn that its immediate reception was largely negative. Of course it would. But not for reasons of legitimate value, since the films content is a mirror image of the media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who was incensed by the film, it was attacked with pitchforks by newspapers all owned by Hearst. Thankfully years later the film is appreciated for what it is. The finest work of an avant garde filmmaking genius in Welles.
Lets start with the element of mise en scene (the techniques employed to combine visual elements e.g lighting, camera movement, setting and camera techniques such as montage to parallel the on screen narrative). Firstly to create the complex and materialistic Kane, Welles puts in a first class performance a seasoned actor would be proud of. Since this was Welles' first feature film, its even more astonishing that his input stemmed top to bottom and worked to such perfection. With all this in mind it's understandable a young up and coming filmmaker would want to be expressive in his work, but its unbelievable that all works to such accord. But as stated, its the cinematic techniques and the little things we ordinarily don't place emphasis or attention to that impress.The use of extreme camera angles is noteworthy in symbolising the sway of power in exchanges; Kane is occasionally framed from extreme angles- low visually making him overpowering and mirroring the on screen events. Aside from this the use of shadow and chiaroscuro lighting parallel the on screen narration, e.g the enigmatic Kane is often filmed in shadow symbolic of the private and emotionally detached Kanes dark persona and the enigma behind 'rosebud'.
Setting is another important tool in conveying a story and Citizen Kane not only showcases the perfect settings but its inventive camera-work perfectly complements the environments to maximise their effectiveness. A good example of this is in showing Kane standing at a window when his adoptive father speaks with him. The window appears overpowering next to the minute Kane in the distance, but with just a few steps forward Kane appears overpowering to the camera framing as he speaks of his own vision for building an empire. All appear irrelevant and you may read and think I'm reading too much into these little bouts of symbolism and visual parallelling narrative in aiding the story but one thing is for certain is that these are no accidents and are absolutely deliberate.
A little about the story. Charles Foster Kane is dying and his last word uttered is 'rosebud'. Immediately the press attempt to uncover the significance of this and a reporter is sent to interview the nearest and dearest to Kane throughout different periods of his life. The narrative unfolds from the non linear technique of flashbacks and the use of montage is deployed in conveying the jumps in time at different points. One of the most interesting concepts about telling the story in this method is that its more expansive in fleshing out the protagonist Kane; since each storyteller has a different perspective of their own on Kane, each contributes to humanising and dehumanising him accordingly.
If I had to place this film into a particular Genre is would categorise it as drama, the transformation of Kane from youthful millionaire with good intentions to selfish materialistic recluse dramatic and extreme. To preach, the film takes a swipe at the rewards and benefits of capitalist America at the time, Kane quoting 'if i hadn't been rich, i might have been a great man'. Profound and innovative it is with money and power undoubtedly being the catalyst for Kanes unpleasant transformation.
Supporting performances are all top notch from Everett Sloane, Joseph Cotton etc are the icing on the cake making this film near perfect in truth. I highly recommend giving this film a go, and cannot think of any reason to dislike the film. Even if this isn't your cup of tea, nobody can deny its creative flair, such was the innovation that it spawned a whole new genre in film noir.