1941: Citizen Kane: What Makes A Masterpiece?

Summary

The video explores the groundbreaking nature of Orson Welles' 'Citizen Kane,' delving into its revolutionary impact on cinema. Originally a box-office failure, the film is now regarded as a masterpiece for its innovative use of deep focus, complex camera movements, and nonlinear storytelling. By utilizing visual techniques that pushed cinematic boundaries, Welles and cinematographer Gregg Toland redefined how films convey narrative and emotion. The analysis highlights how 'Citizen Kane' still influences modern filmmakers, while also reflecting on its themes of ambition, loss, and the duality of success and failure.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The term 'masterpiece' originally referred to a work created by an apprentice to prove their skill, but it now represents any great work of art.
• 🎥 Orson Welles was only 25 years old when he made 'Citizen Kane,' which is considered one of the most important films ever, despite being a box-office failure.
• 📽️ 'Citizen Kane' revolutionized cinema with its visual innovations, including the use of deep focus, which allowed the entire scene to be in sharp detail.
• 👁️‍🗨️ The deep focus technique let viewers absorb all aspects of a scene simultaneously, enhancing storytelling through layers of visual information.
• 📸 Gregg Toland's cinematography contributed to 'Citizen Kane’s' visual mastery, including low-angle shots, tracking shots, and complex camera movements.
• 🖼️ The film borrowed and expanded upon techniques from earlier films, such as deep focus and chiaroscuro lighting, and incorporated them into its storytelling.
• 🎭 The narrative of 'Citizen Kane' was groundbreaking, using flashbacks and multiple perspectives to present a non-linear, fragmented storytelling approach.
• 💔 The film explores themes of failure, loneliness, and the complexities of relationships, offering an ambiguous portrayal of its protagonist, Charles Foster Kane.
• 🧩 'Citizen Kane' forces the audience to piece together the story, breaking away from traditional linear narratives and paving the way for films like 'Rashomon' and 'Memento'.
• 🌹 Kane's last word, 'Rosebud,' symbolizes lost innocence and childhood, reflecting a deep yearning within the character for a simpler, happier time.

Q & A

What is the original meaning of the term 'masterpiece'?

Originally, 'masterpiece' referred to the work that an apprentice would present before becoming a member of a guild, showcasing their mastery of a skill. It later evolved to mean any great work of art.

Why is 'Citizen Kane' considered revolutionary in cinema?

'Citizen Kane' is considered revolutionary because of its innovative visual techniques, non-linear narrative, and its ability to profoundly shape the evolution of cinema. Its radical use of deep focus, complex camera movements, and storytelling techniques changed filmmaking.

What is deep focus, and how did 'Citizen Kane' use it?

Deep focus refers to a technique where everything in a scene, from the foreground to the background, is in sharp focus. 'Citizen Kane' used this technique to allow viewers to observe multiple layers of action within a scene, enhancing the storytelling by presenting all elements at once.

How did the camera movements in 'Citizen Kane' contribute to its storytelling?

The camera movements in 'Citizen Kane,' such as tracking shots and low-angle shots, were used to emphasize the power dynamics between characters and to provide the audience with an omnipotent perspective. These movements helped convey deeper emotional and narrative meaning.

What is the significance of the 'Rosebud' motif in 'Citizen Kane'?

The 'Rosebud' motif symbolizes Kane's lost childhood and the innocence he left behind as he rose to power and wealth. It serves as a metaphor for his longing for simpler, happier times before being thrust into the complexities of adulthood and success.

How did 'Citizen Kane' influence later films with its visual techniques?

'Citizen Kane' influenced later films with its use of deep focus, low-angle shots, and complex camera movements. These techniques were adopted by directors like Alfred Hitchcock and David Fincher, and became staples of modern filmmaking.

What narrative structure does 'Citizen Kane' employ, and why is it unique?

'Citizen Kane' employs a non-linear, fragmented narrative structure, where the story is told through flashbacks and different perspectives. This was revolutionary for its time, as it allowed the audience to piece together the story from multiple viewpoints rather than following a straightforward, linear plot.

How does 'Citizen Kane' challenge traditional character portrayals in films?

'Citizen Kane' challenges traditional character portrayals by presenting Charles Foster Kane as a complex, morally ambiguous figure. The audience is not directed to feel one way or another about him, and different characters’ perspectives on him reveal both his virtues and flaws, leaving interpretation open to the viewer.

What role did Gregg Toland play in shaping the visual style of 'Citizen Kane'?

Gregg Toland, the cinematographer, played a crucial role in shaping the visual style of 'Citizen Kane.' He brought technical innovations like deep focus and chiaroscuro lighting, helping create the film’s distinctive, revolutionary look.

What makes the ending of 'Citizen Kane' significant in terms of its message?

The ending of 'Citizen Kane' is significant because it reveals the meaning of Kane's final word, 'Rosebud,' to the audience but not to the characters within the film. It suggests that no single word or event can fully explain a person's life, reinforcing the film's theme of the complexity and ambiguity of human experience.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Origins and Evolution of the Word 'Masterpiece'

This paragraph explores the etymology of the word 'masterpiece,' tracing its roots to the work presented by an apprentice to become a guild master. It then transitions into discussing Orson Welles, who at 25, created his own masterpiece, *Citizen Kane*. Initially a box-office failure, *Citizen Kane* became one of the most revered films in cinema, synonymous with greatness. The narrator introduces the concept of cinematic evolution and hints that certain films, like *Citizen Kane*, bring such radical ideas that they push the art form forward significantly.

05:02

🎥 Visual Innovations of *Citizen Kane*

The paragraph highlights *Citizen Kane's* visual innovations, particularly deep focus, which allowed the entire scene to be in sharp focus, offering a new way for audiences to interpret layered storytelling. While techniques like deep focus were used before, *Citizen Kane* popularized them in cinema. The scene where a young Kane plays in the snow while his fate is decided in the background exemplifies how deep focus brings emotional and narrative depth. The paragraph further emphasizes how *Citizen Kane* influenced visual storytelling by allowing multiple layers of meaning to be captured simultaneously.

10:02

📸 Camera Movements and Emotional Depth in *Citizen Kane*

This paragraph discusses *Citizen Kane’s* groundbreaking use of camera movements, such as the 'floating camera,' which adds an omnipotent, godlike perspective. The film's complex tracking shots are praised for their role in enhancing character development. Examples include the introduction of Kane’s second wife, where lighting and camera angles provide insight into her emotional state. *Citizen Kane*'s visual techniques, like low-angle shots and chiaroscuro lighting, contributed to genres such as film noir, further cementing its influence in cinema.

📽️ Visual Storytelling Techniques Influencing Future Cinema

The paragraph explores how *Citizen Kane*'s visual techniques, such as low-angle shots and extreme close-ups, influenced the way filmmakers portray character dynamics and emotional states. Welles and Toland employed transitions, superimpositions, and montage to push visual storytelling further. The low-angle shots were particularly significant in emphasizing power dynamics between characters. The visual mastery of the film not only advanced storytelling but also influenced future directors like Alfred Hitchcock and David Fincher.

🔄 Narrative Innovations and Nonlinear Storytelling

This paragraph focuses on the narrative innovation in *Citizen Kane*, which introduced a fragmented, nonlinear structure. The story, presented through multiple perspectives and flashbacks, allows audiences to form their own interpretations of Kane's life. The film's use of an omnipotent observer and newsreel segments contrasts with subjective viewpoints, showcasing its revolutionary approach to narrative structure. This nonlinear style paved the way for other films that challenge traditional storytelling.

🌹 The Enigmatic 'Rosebud' and the Meaning of *Citizen Kane*

The final paragraph centers on the symbolism of 'Rosebud,' the childhood sleigh that represents lost innocence and yearning for a simpler time in Kane’s life. This revelation, reserved only for the audience, adds a poignant layer to the film's narrative. The paragraph also reflects on Orson Welles' connection to his character and how Kane’s rise to greatness mirrored Welles’ own journey. The emotional complexity of Kane’s life—his success, failures, and dissatisfaction—is a testament to *Citizen Kane*'s depth and lasting impact on cinema.

Keywords

💡Masterpiece

Originally, a 'masterpiece' referred to the work an apprentice would present to a guild to demonstrate their full mastery of a skill. In the video, it is used to describe 'Citizen Kane' as Orson Welles' defining work of art, highlighting its revolutionary impact on film and its lasting legacy in cinema history.

💡Deep Focus

Deep focus is a cinematographic technique where the entire scene, from the foreground to the background, remains in sharp focus. In 'Citizen Kane', deep focus allowed the audience to perceive multiple layers of action at once, enhancing storytelling by presenting complex relationships and situations visually, such as the famous scene where young Kane plays in the snow while his fate is being decided.

💡Omnipotent Perspective

This refers to a camera technique that provides a 'godlike' viewpoint, allowing the audience to see everything happening in a scene. In 'Citizen Kane', this is used to give viewers a unique perspective, as seen when the camera seemingly moves through objects and offers a visual omniscience, reinforcing the themes of control and observation.

💡Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro is a lighting technique that emphasizes the contrast between light and shadow. In 'Citizen Kane', this effect is used to highlight the emotional states of characters, deepening the psychological complexity of scenes. It draws from German expressionism and became a significant influence on the film noir genre.

💡Low-Angle Shots

Low-angle shots are used to make characters appear more powerful or dominant. In 'Citizen Kane', they are employed to emphasize the significance and authority of Charles Foster Kane, often making him appear larger than life and stressing the dynamics of power in his relationships, such as when Kane takes control of his destiny.

💡Non-linear Narrative

This storytelling technique involves presenting events out of chronological order. In 'Citizen Kane', the story is told through flashbacks and multiple perspectives, breaking traditional narrative structure. This fragmented approach challenges viewers to piece together Kane’s life, influencing future films like 'Rashomon' and 'Memento'.

💡Montage

Montage refers to the editing technique of combining several shots to condense time or emphasize a sequence of events. In 'Citizen Kane', this technique is used to portray the deterioration of Kane’s marriage, condensing years of tension into just a few moments, highlighting the emotional distance between the characters.

💡Superimposition

Superimposition is a visual technique where multiple images are layered on top of each other to convey complex ideas or emotions. In 'Citizen Kane', this is used to project a character's mental state onto the physical world, such as Kane’s sense of isolation and loss, furthering the film’s psychological depth.

💡Rosebud

In 'Citizen Kane', 'Rosebud' is the enigmatic last word of Charles Foster Kane and serves as a metaphor for his lost childhood and the innocence he yearned for throughout his life. It symbolizes the emotional void and unfulfilled desires that marked Kane’s otherwise successful but hollow existence.

💡Expressionist Cinema

Expressionist cinema, particularly from the Weimar Republic, is known for its dramatic use of light and shadow and exaggerated visual style to convey emotions. 'Citizen Kane' draws from this tradition, especially in its use of chiaroscuro lighting, which heightens the emotional tension of scenes and contributes to its visual mastery.

Highlights

The word 'masterpiece' originally referred to the work an apprentice would present to become a guild member, showcasing their mastery over their craft.

Orson Welles was only 25 when he completed 'Citizen Kane,' which is now regarded as one of the most important films in history despite being a box-office failure upon release.

'Citizen Kane' is considered revolutionary due to its radical new ideas that significantly advanced the evolution of cinema.

One of the film's most famous visual innovations was the use of deep focus, allowing the entire scene to be in sharp focus, enhancing storytelling by showing multiple elements at once.

The film’s use of deep focus was pioneered by cinematographer Gregg Toland, whose small aperture technique allowed each layer of the scene to add to the narrative.

A significant scene shows young Kane playing in the snow, unaware that inside, his fate is being decided, with all three characters visible in one frame due to deep focus.

The use of a 'floating camera' in 'Citizen Kane' allowed for fluid movement, giving the audience a godlike, omnipotent perspective.

The film utilized innovative tracking shots and dissolves, such as the shot introducing Kane’s second wife, revealing her emotional depth in just 30 seconds.

'Citizen Kane' borrowed visual techniques from other films but implemented them in a way that advanced American cinema, such as chiaroscuro lighting, which influenced the film noir genre.

The film’s low-angle shots, revealing ceilings, emphasized character power dynamics and became a widely used technique in cinema.

The fragmented narrative structure, using flashbacks and multiple points of view, was revolutionary and influenced later films like 'Rashomon' and 'Memento.'

Welles combined visual tricks such as superimposition and extreme close-ups to project characters' inner worlds and emotions.

'Citizen Kane' departed from the typical Hollywood narrative by presenting a story of moral ambivalence, allowing the audience to form their own judgments about the character of Kane.

The meaning of Kane's final word, 'Rosebud,' was revealed only to the audience, symbolizing his lost childhood and yearning for simpler times before his rise to greatness.

The film pioneered new storytelling methods, making the audience work to piece together the fragmented narrative, which was unlike anything previously seen in cinema.

Transcripts

the word masterpiece has an interesting

etymology now it means any great work of

art but originally it referred to the

work that an apprentice would present

before becoming the member of a guild a

piece of work that displayed the full

command of their skill over their art a

piece of work for which they would be

worthy of being called a master Orson

Welles was only 25 years old when he

completed his masterpiece 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 but why what makes this

film tower above all others hello and

welcome to a hundred years of cinema

we'll be taking a look at at least one

film each year from 1915 onwards to

track the evolution of film over the

last century the evolution of cinema is

a slow process occasionally a film

breaks out with a radical new idea

that shakes the median to its

foundations before being adopted by the

mainstream slowly over the decades each

new idea each spark of ingenuity and

experimentation pushes the form just a

little further and very occasionally a

film will emerge so radical so packed

with new ideas that the evolution of

cinema itself seems to skip 10 years

almost overnight Citizen Kane was one of

those films it can be hard now to see

Citizen Kane for the revolution that it

was its impact on cinema was so profound

and its techniques became so ubiquitous

that it's once radical ideas now seem

commonplace as innovation gave way to

the imitators the film now seems to

stand in the shadow of its own greatness

some of the ideas that are credited to

the film like the use of deep focus or

extreme low angled shots

do you actually originate from earlier

films but it was in Orson Welles and

cinematographer Greg tollens utilization

of these techniques as well as many

other innovations of their own right

that turned Citizen Kane into something

revolutionary let's talk first about the

visual innovations that came brought to

cinema

exactly who brought what to the table

and who deserves the credit between

Orson Welles and Gregg Toland has long

been the subject of debate

but it's indisputable that that combined

efforts helped create one of the most

visually rich and engaging films made up

until that point somewhere between tones

technical genius and Welles command over

his image and new vocabulary was added

to the language of cinema the most

famous visual innovation from Citizen

Kane was its use of deep focus whereas

earlier filmmakers had used different

focal lengths to separate the characters

from the background or to draw the

audience's eye to a particular detail

Citizen Kane had the whole scene in

crisp focus this was accomplished by the

use of an incredibly small aperture the

smaller the aperture the more of the

image the Tipene focus at one time Gregg

Toland had used similar techniques one

year prior in the John four film the

long voyage home but it was citizen

Kane's application of this technique

that was truly something new the

composition of the scene allowed the

audience to read the whole frame at once

much in the same way that one would read

a painting each layer adding an element

to the story in the foreground a

businesslike mrs. Kane arranges the

paperwork they would see her son taken

into the custody of mr. Thatcher for a

proper education in the mid distance we

see Kane's father fighting to keep his

son and eventually giving in to his

greed and in the background a young Kane

plays in the snow with childhood

abandoned unaware that inside his fate

is being decided for him and what

traditional film would have had these

three elements shot separately divided

Eater by cuts or by changes in focus but

Kane gives us all of these components at

the same time the significance of the

moment in a young Kane's life is

heightened by the audience's ability to

perceive each conspiring element in

unison shots allowing the audience the

ability to perceive every detail in a

scene a filmmakers a new concise way of

presenting complex ideas or

relationships using framing and blocking

alone moving on from Citizen Kane we

would see the use of this again and

again throughout cinema though the use

of deep focus is Kane's most famous

innovation Welles and Toland had plenty

of other tricks up their sleeve like the

use of their Rove

floating camera that seemed to move in

possibly through objects giving the

audience an omnipotent almost godlike

perspective on events the use of

tracking shots wasn't new but what was

new was the complexity and the amounts

of these shots and how they worked to

give the audience a deeper understanding

of the events and characters take the

shot introducing Kane's second wife we

see a face illuminated by lightning

later revealed to be Susan Cain a

nightclub singer at the El Rancho a

sneaky dissolve helps the camera pass

through a plane of glass and susan sits

alone drunk and distraught in seemingly

one movement and all of 30 seconds we

know who her character is what she does

and the depth at which the death of her

former husband has wounded her we see a

young cane in the snow slowly becoming

isolated in the frame as his parents

signed the paperwork they would see him

cast out of the family home this same

sentiment and camera movement is

reversed when years later Cain takes

control of his destiny shot from below

literally larger than life this kind of

visual storytelling through camera

movements would become a staple of

cinema borrowed by filmmakers as diverse

as Alfred Hitchcock and David Fincher

though the full list of visual tricks

that Welles and Tolan brought to Citizen

Kane may not have been wholly original

the effect and implementation pushed

them into mainstream American cinema the

chiaroscuro effect that Olin brought to

the lighting of the film was lifted

directly from expressionist cinema of

the Vimal Republic but he's used to

highlight the emotional states of

characters would be a direct influence

on film noir

that would emerge a few years later the

use of low angle shots that reveal the

ceiling had already been used by

stagecoach but Wells had the technique

influenced how the audience reads a

scene emphasizing the importance of a

character and the power dynamic in a

relationship its use of extreme

close-ups to isolate and amplify a

character's expression its use of

montage to condense the growing strain

of a 16-year marriage into a few short

minutes it's use of wipes and

transitions to take us from one scene to

the net

without breaking the dramatic tension

the use of superimposition layering

images on images to project a

character's mental state into the real

world

what Late Citizen Kane such a visual

masterpiece is there every little trick

every camera movement every dramatic

low-angle is there for more than just

appearances it's there to drive the

story forward and allow us a window into

the minds of the characters however the

rich complex visuals would have been

wasted if they didn't work in the

service of a story worth telling and

equally revolutionary in its approach to

how a film looks with citizen Kane's

approach to the kind of story that films

tell and how they tell it what separated

Citizen Kane from the kind of films that

preceded it was the overall ambivalence

of its tone it's a film about one of the

wealthiest most successful man in the

world and yet permeating the entire film

is the gloom of failure Kane is an

idealist standing up for the rights of

the downtrodden and vulnerable and yet

we see him compromise these ideals near

constantly it's a film about the love

and friendships in a great man's life

and how that greatness strained those

relationships until no love remained we

as the audience are not directed in our

feelings one way or the other were

simply given the facts of a man's life

and forced to come to our own

conclusions whether we love Kane or hate

him is entirely up to us and our

feelings are likely to change as we make

our way down the winding path that is

the film at its most basic the story of

Citizen Kane can be boiled down to this

after the death of a prominent newspaper

editor a group of reporters attempt to

pin down the significance of his

enigmatic last word however to get us

from point A to point B the film takes

us through a labyrinth of flashbacks and

different points of view a series an

incomplete subjective and occasionally

contradictory glimpses into a man's life

from the people who knew him best

throughout the film we take on multiple

perspectives the first being that of a

typical Hollywood film at the time an

omnipotent observer that glides through

the window of a sounder new mansion to

hear Kane's final words mo

only the audience is privy to the

artificiality of this perspective is

compounded by the use of superimposed

snow immediately after Kane's death were

given our second perspective that if the

news camera the news real quickly and

concisely lists off every major events

of Kane's life and therefore exactly

what's going to happen in the remaining

hour and 45 minutes of the film from

this point on the audience already knows

every major plot point of the film but

Citizen Kane isn't really a film about

the events that take place it's about

why these events take place how they

shaped the characters in the film and

how the characters shaped the world

around them it's about how greed and

ambition and uncontrollable

circumstances can transform a young

idealist into a jaded old man we're

given the actual events of the film

through the newsreel but the corrupting

forces that shape Kane into who he

becomes are explained through a series

of flashbacks of the five people closest

to him each one revealing a new piece of

the jigsaw that makes a per month life

this narrative technique was unlike

anything else seen in cinema it was a

radical approach to storytelling that

completely shattered the audience's

expectation of the linear narrative they

would receive when going to see a film

now all of a sudden and then you've

already seen could be rewritten or given

new meaning and it paved the way for

films like Kurosawa's Rashomon last year

at Marienbad or memento its fragmented

nature forces the audience to pick up

the pieces and rearrange them in a way

that most make sense to them by the end

of the film the reporters have failed in

their mission to uncover the meaning of

Kane's last words but as Thompson points

out I don't think any word can explain a

man's life it's only after this do we

return to the same omnipotent

perspective that opened the film as the

camera glides over the real labyrinth of

treasures that are now all that remain

of Kane's life its reveal to us the

audience and only the audience the

meaning of Keynes final words the name

of his childhood sleigh rosebud is a

metaphor for the loss of childhood a

yearning for a time before being thrust

into greatness and at the age of 25

having created one of the most

influential and celebrated films ever

made it's possible to Orson had many of

the same feelings if the legends are to

be believed Wells only saw the film once

in its entirety when it was first

completed six months before it was

released and then almost one or the time

and its premiere but he chose to leave

the cinema before it ended one has to

wonder whether the pain of Charles

Foster Kane his life letting equal parts

success and failure a man who had

everything in the world but still found

himself wanting whose greatness brought

him only misery cut just a little too

deep for a man who would become one of

America's greatest filmmakers hey thanks

for watching 100 years of cinema my name

is Charlie I want to say a massive thank

you to all the people that support me on

patreon including my new supporter Maxim

Sam I love Citizen Kane for all of the

reasons listed above but also just

because it's so fun and it moves so fast

so if you haven't seen the film or it's

been a while check it out and let me

know what you think in the comments

below

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next time when we'll be talking about a

film from 1942 and not to give too much

away but it is literally my favorite

film ever made

you