Throughout the duration of Citizen Kane, I found myself to be detached from the film; I was not entirely sure as to what the purpose of it was. Considered as one of the most influential films of all time, I felt wrong for not enjoying or fully understanding the depth of the movie.
After concluding the film, I decided to read and watch some analytical video essays regarding the film, since I felt as if I was missing something. One of the lines that stood out most to me in one of these videos was the following:
“Though a box-office failure upon its release, Citizen Kane has been canonized as one of the most important films ever made. The name itself has become synonymous with greatness.”
1941: Citizen Kane: What Makes A Masterpiece?
After taking some time to grasp certain details about this film, I understood why so many regarded this film as such a “masterpiece.”
Citizen Kane tells the story of Charles Foster Kane, from his rise to power until his eventual doom. However, the story is told following Kane’s death, through a reporter’s investigation of the meaning of his dying word, “Rosebud.” As the film progresses, the audience learns about the meaning of this word through the final shot of the “Rosebud” sled burning, which symbolizes the loss of his childhood innocence.
However, what truly makes Citizen Kane a masterpiece is its complex narrative and nonlinear structure; the cinematography and editing was also phenomenal and ahead of its time. Orson Welles presents the story through a series of flashbacks (part of the films’ editing techniques) which piece together the different parts of Kane’s life. However, these flashbacks occur through a nonlinear structure, causing the audience to feel immersed in this mystery of finding the meaning of his dying word. This non-chronological structure was groundbreaking at its time, since most older films typically followed a linear, orderly structure.
One of the most important cinematographic aspects of the film is its renowned use of deep focus. Again, as stated in the video linked above, older films typically used “different focal lengths to separate characters from the background or to draw the audience’s eye to a particular detail.” Meanwhile, Citizen Kane presented a crystal clear image of everything occurring on the screen, showing every side of the story. Moreover, low-angle shows are used throughout the entirety of Kane’s story, seemingly portraying him as an important figure, reflecting his rise to power.
Figure 1: The use of deep-focus in this scene shows a multilayered story
- Kane’s mother filling in the paperwork that let Kane under Thatcher’s custody
- Kane’s father fighting to keep his son, though eventually giving in to it
- Kane playing outside, unaware that he was fated with the loss of his childhood innocence
Citizen Kane was also a landmark in terms of film editing, using techniques such as flashbacks, montages, and manipulations of space and time. For instance, the scene where Kane and Emily are having breakfast is portrayed through a montage, in which we see the growing distance between them over the years, shown within a few minutes. Additionally, as aforementioned, flashbacks are used throughout the duration of the film to portray Kane’s life, and these flashbacks are smoothly dissolved and transitioned, allowing the audience to understand when the film is focusing on current events, or past events within Kane’s story.
Though I did not enjoy the film from a first view, it would be impossible to not acknowledge that it truly is a masterpiece for its time. Regardless of my initial opinions, I do believe that Citizen Kane is a phenomenal film that shaped the course of cinema.