Classic Film Noir Style and its Characteristics: Citizen Kane - Essay Example

? ic Film Noir Style and its Characteristics: Moral Uncertainty, Complex Camera Shots and Scenes and Chiaroscuro Lighting in Citizen Kane (1941)Name Instructor Class 20 August 2012 Unconventional lighting that focuses on shadows and illustration of the themes of human depravity and failures are particular to film noir style, also called “black film” (Luhr 1995, p.8). The first era of film noir is called classic film noir and emerged during the early 1940s. Nino Frank coined the term film noir in 1946. Classic film noir is related to the expressionism movement, particularly German expressionism, which is characterised with an extensive use of technical devices and artistic approach, where the personality of the director is predominantly palpable (Luhr 2012, p.56). Urban modernism also affects the stylistic elements of film noir, as it focuses on contemporary urban landscape and the social influences of urban settings on human attitudes and behaviours (Luhr 2012, p.63; Grant 2007, p.24). Film scholars, however, cannot agree on any single definition of film noir. Selby believes that film noir is “perhaps the most slippery of all film categories” (Schwartz 2001, p.16). Despite doubts in defining film noir, critics agree that film noir is not an ordinary thriller because it provides quality characterisation, stylistics, and narratives (Berry-Flint 2004, p.35; Krutnik 1991, p.16). Citizen Kane (1941) is frequently described as the first or pre-noir film, due to its film noir darkness in terms of characters and plot (Krutnik 1991, p.16). Film noir has distinguishing characteristics in narrative pattern, structure, themes, and stylistic elements that are present in Citizen Kane (1941). The narrative pattern of film noir is distinguished with convoluted plots that are obsessed with flashbacks and flashforwards. Directors of film noir use flashbacks to provide a complex story to their audience (Schickel 2007, p.38). Citizen Kane (1941) is a particularly multifaceted film because reporter Thompson (William Alland) can only understand the personality and life of newspaper mogul Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) from the perspectives of different people in the latter’s life. Inevitably, since Kane is already dead, Thompson has to wade through the flashbacks of different people to explore the meaning of Rosebud. Memory is an important aspect of the narrative of film noir, because it relates to the “subjectivity of consciousness” (Menegaldo 2004, p.157). The entire story of the film is similar to the newsreel. It can only say something about Kane, but the audience understands that all of them are mere opinions of the man. In the end, no one truly knows who Kane is, which is why nobody discovered what Rosebud means to him. The reason why Kane is so difficult to understand is because he does not want to open up to other people in the first place. The “No Trespassing” sign in Kane’s Xanadu estate, which launches and ends the film, expresses how Kane felt about people. He never trusted anyone because his childhood experience taught him that to love is to be vulnerable and to be vulnerable is to experience pain and misery. He may have never understood why his mother sent him away, even if he somehow knows that she did it for his best interest. Susan Alexander Kane (Dorothy Comingore) wants her son to have the finest education and upbringing in the city that she, as a provincial mother, cannot provide him. Still, she might not have considered what Kane wanted as a child. He only wanted his mother’s love and presence, for it seems that without it, he became a cold, calculating and ruthless man- the ideal hero of classic film noir. The structure of film noir does not follow the normal three-act arrangement of many films, and instead, it showcases an intricate plot with elaborate flashbacks. Citizen Kane (1941) has patterns of repetitions through its flashbacks that create anxiety and tension that is typical of film noir (Oliver 2003, p.171). On the one hand, flashbacks are disorienting, especially in the case of Citizen Kane (1941), where a single man is “produced” through a series of flashbacks from different personalities, some of whom hate or admire him. On the other hand, flashbacks also have a stabilising effect for film noir. Oliver (2003) argues that film noir offers coherence to the story, because the audience is invited to make sense of the truth and to find the connections among the information provided to them (p.171). These flashbacks are essentially the memories of several important people in Kane’s life. Walter Parks Thatcher’s interactions with Kane are recorded in his memoirs. The coldness of the snow signifies Thatcher’s personality and this affected Kane’s own moral development. Fragmented mise-en-scenes between the adult Kane and Thatcher represent their emotional distance. Around and between them are material possessions and none represents their warmth for one another. Contrary to Thatcher’s negative memories of Kane, Mr. Bernstein has pleasant words for the newspaper tycoon. The mise-en-scene of Bernstein in the library shows his fatherly nature. His personal mementos are present in this library, which suggest his family-loving personality. Bernstein believes that Kane could have been the greatest man he could be, but Kane relinquished his ideals because he learned to love power for itself. Leland is Kane’s best friend, and yet his bitterness for Kane reverberates in the coldness of his colourless and old Manhattan retirement centre. Leland tells Thompson about the Kane he knew, who started as an idealist and champion of the masses, but transformed into the same bureaucrats, whom Kane loathed and promised to destroy. Another character despised and loved Kane. Susan remembers Kane as a cruel and domineering man. She realises that she is a mere status symbol for Kane, although they emotionally connected to some extent. These diverse and conflicting testimonies exemplify the intricacy of knowing a person. They illustrate that Kane is a true film noir hero because of his cynicism and hubris. The formal and stylistic elements of film noir are evident in its lighting and camerawork. Park (2011) expressed that night scenes and unconventional lighting are traits of film noir (p.2). Citizen Kane (1941) employs chiaroscuro, backlighting and high-contrast lighting, darkness and low-key lighting in numerous scenes. Lighting is critical to the expressionism of the film noir style, because it depicts scenes and personalities according to Welles’ viewpoint. The beginning of the film showcases its thriller and investigative aspects, as a subjective camera lurks around and enters Xanadu, despite its “No Trespassing” sign that the camera pans up. Through subsequent scenes, darkness envelops the monumental state that is almost like a theme park in area and contents. The camera shows zoo pens for exotic creatures, where spider monkeys can be seen above a cage with the mark of “'Bengal Tiger.” Two empty gondolas float, but are tied to the wooden wharf. The water shows Kane’s grand castle in dark lighting. Palm trees encircle a disintegrating gate on the deserted, cluttered grounds. The castle then comes closer through a medium shot. The camera goes closer into the room to reveal Kane in darkness. The shadows around him and these scenes emphasise his social isolation. Shadows are also critical in hiding or underscoring messages. The reporter’s face, for instance, remains hidden in the entire duration of the film because it stands for the mystery that Thompson is trying to unfurl. He is constantly in the sidelines too because Welles might be showing to the audience that even after death, Kane wants to linger as the public’s centre of attention. Lighting is central also to depicting Kane’s personality. Kane’s face or figure often has backlighting and high-contrast lighting. The impact is the dominance of his personality over others, as well as his “inner turmoil” and social isolation (Hayward 2006, p.132). Stylistic camerawork is a principal feature of film noir, where camera shots and angles can appear to disorient the audience. Different angles and shots of Susan, for example, disparage her as a person, the way Kane does, because of his dominance over her. After her opera performance, from a high angle shot, she looks smaller than the flowers given to her, which indicates she is not laudable of applause because of her poor performance. Several high angle shots of arguments between Kane and Susa also portray the position of Susan in Kane’s life. For Kane, she is another attractive statue which he can and must control, which is why he persists on her singing, even when she learns to hate it. For Kane, her glory is ultimately his too. Welles’ expressionist style exudes from several scenes, such as the breakfast montage. The breakfast montage is one of the most fascinating and symbolic scenes in “Citizen Kane.” Through a number of breakfast scenes, Welles shows how two enamoured people can fall out of love as each year passes by. For the first scene, Emily is first shown as a tempting and stylish woman. She is young and sexual in her attire, and so Welles could barely leave her side. The table is smaller and they are exceedingly close to each other. The music and shadows indicate sexuality and romance. Every year, however, the table extends and the things on it increase too. They represent the differences that become more and more evident between Emily and Kane. The music also changes from sweet waltz to the irritated sounds of disagreement. The light also increases, as it signifies how each sees another in a better light. Emily realises that Kane is callous and power-hungry, while Kane views Emily as a weak people-pleaser. Kane and Emily also physically change as the scenes progress. They act in reserved and formal ways. Emily starts wearing more conservative clothing, while Kane looks more like a businessman than a journalist. The clothing buttresses their formal conversations and arguments. They are no longer the sweet husband and wife that they started out to be. The expanse of their emotional detachment is unmistakeable, as the camera pans longer and longer from one person to another for succeeding scenes. This breakfast montage alone expresses Welles’ expressionist style in exploring the personality of his characters and the drama between them. It characterises film noir stylistic elements that focus on fragmented scenes and disorienting camera shots and angles. The theme of moral uncertainty is critical to film noir, as it intersects the themes of moral corruption and hopelessness. Harris (2003) talks about spectatorship in film noir, as the audience gain insight about their urban landscape and urban dynamics. Some of the negative messages of film noir are the absurdity of life and human existence and the ease of corrupting human beings (Sanders 2006, pp.94). Spicer (2010) stresses that film noir depict contemporary urban spaces that manifest moral decay, where characters are angst-ridden and bitter (p.xliii). Film noir has a “downbeat tone” with a “pessimistic” viewpoint of humanity (Pramaggiore and Wallis 2005, p.37). Citizen Kane reveals the direct impact of urban environments on human corruption. The environment is a critical force that destroys the hero of film noir. In Citizen Kane, the media gets a disparaging assessment. The media is shown as an unreliable source of information because it is a product of political and economic players in society (Street 1996, p.52). In addition, it can be argued that the people around Kane made choices that devastated Kane’s ability to mature emotionally. Through deep-focus shots and mise-en-scene, Welles ingeniously shows the power relations between Kane’s parents and Thatcher, and the incorruptibility of young Kane whose life is about to be changed. At the background, young Kane jovially plays in the snow- a representation of simplicity and purity. Thatcher cannot emotionally replace Kane’s parents. Indeed, he made Kane richer, but he did not actively contribute to his moral development. Kane abhorred Thatcher, but it is fascinating that because of his hate and need for retribution, he ultimately became like Thatcher- similarly arctic and even crueller to others. Kane’s tragic ending, alone and dying in the dark, supports Chapman (2003)’s belief that film noir is a black mirror that exposes post-war America’s “moral anarchy” (p.179). Kane has led a life that showcases the impact of loose morals and urban decay on human existence. Citizen Kane is an ideal example of film noir style, because it reflects the role of “alienation, anomie, solitude, and social fragmentation” in shaping a meaningless human existence (Orr 1999, p.67). Hirsch (1981) notes that film noir heroes are doomed, because of their obsessive for power and wealth (p.2). Kane learns to crave power and money, as he uses his newspaper to instigate the Spanish-American War. He also becomes adept in using people as tools for his power games. In his mind, he is God. Ironically, as God, Kane incurs immense power, but essentially, he is alone on top of his world. Lighting is critical to the disoriented narrative structure and formal of the film. The darkness of Kane’s surroundings matches the darkness of his tumultuous life. Thus, the very ending of Citizen Kane is classic film noir: human existence is absurd, when people fail to nurture their soul with lasting human relations and spiritually meaningful purposes. Reference List Berry-Flint, S., 2004. Genre. In: T. Miller and R. Stam, ed. A companion to film theory. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 25-44. Chapman, J., 2003. Cinemas of the world: film and society from 1895 to the present. London: Reaktion Books. Citizen Kane, 1941. [Film] Directed by Orson Welles. USA: Mercury Productions. Grant, B.K., 2007. Film genre: from iconography to ideology. London: Wallflower. Harris, O., 2003. 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Pramaggiore, M. and Wallis, T., 2005. Film: a critical introduction. UK: Laurence King Publishing. Sanders, S.M., 2006. Film noir and the meaning of life. In: M.T.Conard, ed. The philosophy of film noir. Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, pp.91-105. Schickel, R., 2007. Rerunning film noir. Wilson Quarterly, 31 (3), pp.36-43. Schwartz, R., 2001. Noir, now and then: film noir originals and remakes, (1944-1999). Connecticut: Greenwood. Spicer, A., 2010. Introduction. In: Historical dictionary of film noir. UK: Scarecrow. Street, S., 1996. Citizen Kane. History Today, 46 (3), 48-52. Read More