Analysis of the Film - Citizen Kane - Essay Example

Possessing several film noir features, Citizen Kane is believed to be an archetype of this genre (Schatz cited in Carringer 86) and a “chief model for all that followed” in classical film noir (Park 12). My goal in this paper is to discuss Citizen Kane’s stylistic and technical noir elements.

To achieve my goal, I have organized the paper into three sections. In the first one, I focus on the movie’s stylistic noir elements, providing examples from Citizen Kane. Secondly, I discuss its technical noir aspects like duration of shots, camera movement, optical effects, etc. Finally, I end my paper with a conclusion that sums up the discussed noir elements in Citizen Kane.

Stylistically, Citizen Kane possesses many elements typical for a classic film noir. To begin with, the movie is structured as a narrative labyrinth. Specifically, its fragmented structure includes several flashbacks, an intermix of the present and past, and diverging viewpoints of the journalist’s interviewees. Even though Citizen Kane is not a crime movie (which is known to be typical for film noir), it contains a quest for the true meaning of the word ‘Rosebud’, which may be considered as a substitute for the traditional motif of a murder movie suggesting the quest for a person who has committed a crime.

In other words, stylistically this picture is constructed very similarly to a mystery, especially if considering the role of a newsreel reporter who acts as a detective investigating some secret (Citizen Kane). Apart from this, one of the stylistic noir elements in Citizen Kane is its cynical interpretation of power as a corrupting force (Part 12). Power appears to be vain since it corrupts Kane's personality and makes him alienated from the people who surround him. This newspaper mogul, once super famous and over-ambitious, finds himself immersed in solitude and gloom at the end of his life. He cannot sacrifice and give love that leaves him lonely on his deathbed. Ironically, luxurious goods aren't able to warm the magnate's, heart.

Technically, Citizen Kane contains a lot of elements that can be found in movies of the noir genre. To specify, the compositions in Citizen Kane have frames that are split into fractions of light and darkness/shadow. Apart from this, Welles successfully employs weird, exaggerated angles that make characters appear in a distorted way. This technique is illustrative of a typical noir movie syntax. In addition, low-angle shots focus the attention on the protagonist’s physical stature, yet they contain frames that suggest restriction and confinement. For example, Kane’s placing against low ceilings seems to diminish their character and contradict his prevailing personality (Citizen Kane). All in all, this technique helps to create a sense of claustrophobia through evident visual entrapment. This is known to be characteristic of noir thrillers as well. Last but not least, the sustained shots’ duration is also a feature of the film noir genre successfully employed by Welles.

In summary, Citizen Kane (1941) possesses several stylistic and technical elements of noir films. Its fragmented structure, narrative labyrinths, sequences of flashbacks, the quest for some truth, the presence of mystery, and cynical view of power can be considered its noir stylistic aspects. Technical noir elements include unusual angles, contrasts of light and shadow, shots of sustained duration, and other techniques that help to create the sense of claustrophobia and entrapment characteristic of this genre. Read More