Another scene that built on the role of male dominance was the breakfast scene in Citizen Kane. From a formal standpoint, a major part of the breakfast scene was the emphasis of mise-en-scene. The first clip of the montage has Kane and his wife sitting close together at breakfast. This shows the viewer that they love each other and wants to be with each other when they can. The second clip of the montage has Kane and his wife sitting on opposite sides of the table, and a bouquet of flowers as the centerpiece. The distance is symbolic to the couple separating emotionally and foreshadows their eventual divorce later in the film. Kane begins to fill his lack of love with a desire for power as well. Although the centerpiece is full of pretty blossoming …show more content…
flowers, the flowers and their relationship will die. By the third clip of the montage, the centerpiece is of wilted flowers. The dying flowers are symbolic of their relationship. By the fourth clip, the centerpiece is full of iron pieces, representing the coldness of Mr. and Mrs. Kane’s relationship. The centerpiece can also be interpreted as Mr. Kane’s work at the newspaper company, and how it is blocking the two from being in love. Kane is trying so hard to gain power, and by doing so is neglecting his duties as a husband. By the sixth and final clip, the two are pictured in a final shot like how they started, except now they are sitting across from each other on a long table, silently reading a newspaper after glaring each other in the eyes. The separation between the two has gotten so large that there is nothing worth fighting or talking about anymore because the battle has already been lost. Kane has become a power-driven man, and since he has no love life, Welles foreshadows that Kane would eventually try to find another lover. Instead of rekindling his relationship with his wife, Kane betrays her for the love of a singer, getting distracted by her charm. Much Like Gilda, Citizen Kane shows how easily men can be manipulated by a good-looking woman. Without this concept, Charles may never have left his wife and the story would have been significantly different. The dialogue is yet another key device used by Welles to show the couple’s separation.
The first clip has Charles telling his wife that she is beautiful and that he adores her. Emily says that she wishes he didn’t spend as much time at work, foreshadowing the obstacle in their relationship that will eventually be their demise. She says this in a loving manner, showing that she wishes Charles would spend more time with her while understanding that work is important. Charles schedules his appointment later in the day just to spend some time with her. As the montage progresses, however, Charles begins to do less for her, and more for the company. He prioritizes things that he wants and sacrifices less, establishing his dominance over her. Welles uses this opportunity to not only show the fall of the relationship, but the change in Charles’ character. Charles becomes more power-hungry and less romantic as each clip spirals onto the next. By the fifth clip, Charles embodies a Hitler persona when he tells his wife that he will “tell the people what to think.” Charles is not actually becoming Hitler, but rather acting like a dictator and making all of the decisions by himself. On the sixth and final clip of the montage, Charles and Emily are sitting at the breakfast table in silence. This silence speaks louder than words. Kane has established his dominance over his wife, but at the cost of their love. Although he never truly found love, Kane tried searching for it many times in …show more content…
different woman and acts of life such as collecting art and having a large estate. Kane goes on throughout his life trying to be the one in power in order to cope this lost love, and it is a tragic paradox. The emptiness of the relationship leads Kane to find a new love interest, yet even that will not fill his empty pit of happiness that was taken from him as a child. Another scene in Gilda that exposes a change of male dominance is when Gilda gets back from a night out with a man while she is still married to Ballin.
Johnny is strictly in charge to keep an eye on Gilda, and when she gets back from her date he makes sure to get her inside as quick as he can so Ballin does not find out. However, Ballin is out waiting, and he questions where the two of them were. Now, looking at this scene from a formal standpoint, Vidor shoots this scene in extremely low-key lighting, especially when it is a low angle shot of Ballin questioning where they have been. This lighting imposes a sense of power of the two, making Ballin seem frightening as well. This is important because Ballin is showing off an insecurity that he has subliminally which is that Gilda is cheating on him with either Johnny or some other man. A recurring element that the director used was the executive choice of mise en scene. Mise en scene is used to display the three characters in yet another love triangle. This love triangle has Gilda in control of every man once again. Johnny is forced to make a fake story up about swimming, and Gilda sits back pretty, going along with everything. The love triangle is important because it shows the power dynamic between the three is not balanced, with Gilda leading the men and their actions. Although this scene was very abrupt and fast paced, it was well-needed to display the power that Gilda has over her
puppets. Citizen Kane and Gilda both demonstrate signs of male dominance, yet one shows it at its pinnacle and the other shows it at its demise. Citizen Kane had classic examples of men dominating women whereas Gilda had a woman controlling men. The woman in Citizen Kane simply take a backseat and have little control. This was common for most films in that era, and is part of the reason why Gilda was so extraordinary. Gilda was far from the norm, and Gilda was in control of her men during the entire film. The love triangle that Vidor put Johnny, Gilda, and Ballin in several times exploited Gilda’s control very clearly, making it obvious to the viewer who was running the show. In a formal context, several cinematic devices were used to execute the social impact on a much deeper level than the surface. Without the use of these techniques, the film would have far less depth and meaning. Overall, both films excelled in the formal and social aspects described. While both films had a center theme around male dominance, Citizen Kane kept tradition and Gilda explored the unknown, both succeeding in the purpose of their films.
As I mentioned earlier, the clutter in the Gunderson’s home does speak volumes about who they are as people. Well very proud and honest people, they are very flawed and blue collar. This clutter is continued on in the kitchen. The shelf behind the kitchen table is filled with pictures and other nick-nacks. This clutter is eerily reminiscent of the middle class household portrayed by the MacGuff’s in the film Juno. These families both are not going to make sure everything in their home is pristine, but their way of life is really not too uncommon. It really does embody a lot of blue collar America. Another good use of mise en scene in this sequence was the very gray and desolate skyline during the murder investigation. Murder obviously is not a light topic, so the dark atmosphere in the sky very much fits into the theme of this scene. The last thing I’d like to mention about mise en scene and staging takes me back to the opening zoom of this sequence. Along with the visual theatrics zoom, the sudden appearance of nondiegetic music also insinuates this is quite an important scene in the film. Once we hear the dramatic strings, we know something dramatic is about to happen, especially because the music is clearly not coming from something on the screen. This nondiegetic sound can be a useful tool to setting a scene and properly utilizing mise en scene and at the end of day, setting the scene is key in a naturalistic
This scene is used to emphasise the danger that Dave and The Sapphires are in very real and very lethal danger, the mixture of sinister camera angles to emphasise the visual danger that the characters are in to the inhospitable sounds portrayed by the scene to highlight the explosive danger that the characters are in. The lighting used features the darkness and the difficulty to see due to the night sky. The mise en scene highlights the military background that the characters are in. All in all, this scene is a highly emotional scene highlighting the mortal danger that confronts Dave and The
Elements of mise-en-scene in Wendy and Lucy help to convey aspects of the story that are never explicitly expressed in the narrative of the film. Wendy and Lucy does not present a large amount of background story information, for instance, the scene where Wendy calls her brother may cause some viewers to wonder about their strained relationship and his role in Wendy’s current financial situation. Moreover, Wendy’s financial situation is never truly discussed in the film, only implied, yet the viewer is still aware of it. Facets of mise-en-scene helps to convey the information that fills the gaps left in the story. Kolker defines the concept of mise-en-scene as a way to “explain how images, through composition, camera movement, lighting, focus and colour, generate narrative event and guide our perception through a film” (Kolker 1998, p.17). An essential element of mise-en-scene is setting and sets. Wendy and Lucy is presented in an entirely naturalistic setting. The small town Wendy is passing through gives the fi...
Mise-en-scène, cinematography and editing are used in all forms of cinema. Within the “Declaration of Principles” scene of Citizen Kane, lighting, blocking and panning are three of the main sub aspects that work in unison to consistently demonstrate important aspects of the film. Welles uses these attributes to portray to the audience how this younger Kane is an important newspaper owner, with an even more important document. He creates a scene that has a heavy emphasis on panning to continuously preserve a frame that centers Kane while also lighting the document so viewers can constantly see the important plot and characters of the movie.
Essay #2: Citizen Kane Review Orson Welles’ production of Citizen Kane revolutionized filmmaking by mastering the art of using cutting edge techniques to make it one of the most revolutionary and groundbreaking films in the history of movies. Citizen Kane, released in 1941, is thought to be the single most revolutionary and groundbreaking film in the history of movies (Rotten Tomatoes). Welles used many techniques in the production of the film that were never even thought of before that point. In this way, the film Citizen Kane is an extremely innovative film and definitely pushes the limits of its genre at the time. Welles completely changed the course of the production of film by introducing a completely new way of writing, directing, and through his use of techniques.
Citizen Kane has earned the prestigious honor of being regarded as the number one movie of all time because of Welles’ groundbreaking narrative and plot structures that paved a path for the future of the film industry. Though critics have viewed the film with such prestige over the years, a present day viewer might encounter a great amount of confusion or difficulty as to why Citizen Kane is the number one movie on the American Film Institute’s top 100 movies of all time. Especially considering the modern day film industry, Welles’ production does not measure up to the amount of thrill and entertainment audiences experience today. Not even considering the possibilities with special effects and technology, Citizen Kane seems to lack an exciting plot that might involve some action or twists instead of the gossip of a man’s life that we no longer appreciate. In 1941, the general public could greatly appreciate the connections between Kane and William Randolph Hearst unlike young adults watching the film now.
Mise-e-scène is one of the most recognizable conventions in filmmaking. It translates literally from the French to “staging” or “to put in the scene” in English. When applied to film studies, mise-en-scène refers to all the visual elements within a particular shot or sequence. Mise-en-scène consists of 5 distinct categories which assist in the development of a film’s visual narrative: Setting and Design, Costume and Make-up, Lighting, Acting and Movement, and Framing. These elements together and separately help to inform the viewer by giving them visual cues as to the nuances of meaning within a film’s structural form. Mise-en-scène may gives the viewer insight into the nature of a film’s characters and their subsequent state of mind, the time and place in which events are occurring, the mood and meaning intended by a particular scene, and also help the viewer to form expectations based upon the filmmaker’s interpretive point of view. In the film, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Director Michael Gondry utilizes mise-en-scène to denote the complex temporal relationships between his characters, their circumstances, and a fragmented plot structure which progresses through elliptical patterns between memory and reality. In fact, the use of mise-en-scène in Spotless Mind is central to understanding the inner construct of Joel (Jim Carey) and Clementine’s (Kate Winslet) personalities and personal motives, as well as the antagonistic mechanism at play in their relationship.
How can you be a man to your family when you are poor and black? Killer of Sheep poses this question over and over again, and the tension between masculinity, blackness and poverty is central to the movie. The film seems to provide Stan with several choices, all of which are directly related to his masculinity. He can accept the advances of the white woman, which offers him both a way out of a miserable job at the slaughterhouse and a boost to his “manliness” in the form of a tryst with a woman of a higher status. This is immediately unpalatable to him, a fact that is emphasized by the uncomfortable close-on of her hand rubbing his wrist and followed by her sideways smirk. Although he promises to think about her “warm proposition,” the movie never again explores this possibility. Alternately, he can buy the engine, which serves both as an assertion of masculinity and—as his friend notes—as a signifier of class. While he opts to try this, the entire plan is ill-fated; the scene where he picks up the engine contains some of the most imbalanced sequences in the entire movie, and the extreme and off-putting diagonal of the street effectively communicates
There are four crucial scenes of this film in which Hitchcock shows a change in perspective and identity through the mise-en-scène. Hitchcock’s signature motifs, style, and themes are conveyed through the mise-en-scène.
The mise-en-scene that is first seen in the sequence is Welles 's use of lighting. Throughout the film
Also, Welles furthers the image of how demanding Kane is of Susan and many others. Mr. Welles conveys the message that Kane has suffered a hard life, and will continue until death. Welles conveys many stylistic features as well as fundamentals of cinematography through use of light and darkness, staging and proxemics, personal theme development and materialism within the film, Citizen Kane. Welles prominently portrays his figures with a specific amount of light or darkness, stunningly affecting whole scenes stylistically. The scene at Xanadu establishes Mr. Kane as an overbearing, controlling character.
...this scene an enraged Alonzo yells at a group of locals in a neighborhood in which he was once well respected and had power over everyone there. To his surprise the crown of people betray him by refusing to comply with his orders. Every element of the mise-en-scene work in harmony and well meticulously placed. The dark lighting, Alonzo frantic movements, the fact that Alonzo was in the center of crowd, and even the scene being set in the middle of a worn down project complex all play their parts in the mise-en-scene and presenting the filmmakers vision.
The American black comedy The Wolf of Wall Street directed by Martin Scorsese was released December 25, 2013 and stars the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie. While on face value The Wolf of Wall Street looks like a film about excessive cocaine binges, long evenings filled with men with cigarettes, large portions of alcoholic consumption, having many sexual escapades with various women and even dwarf tossing from time to time, the film is deeply rooted in perception gender within the genre of The Wolf of Wall Street. The word ‘genre’ is rooted into a similar category as
“It is said that analyzing pleasure, or beauty, destroys it” written by artist-historian, Laura Mulvey, she discusses the issues that arise when studying beauty. Examining and focusing on feminine beauty to the point of destroying it, has been a constant theme in cinema for decades. Director, Alfred Hitchcock’s has created 65 films in his 50-year long career, Hitchcock is now a common household name, being one of the most widely influential directors of the 20th century. Nicknamed “The Master of Suspense,” he made a name for himself by his incredible ability to visualize his subconscious fears and desires and turn them into a masterpiece. Throughout Hitchcock’s successful career, his films have a common theme of objectifying women through the
video camera, of a young teenage girl. The narration reveals that she wants her father dead. The image portrayed around her is constructed as an evil, unaffectionate youth. The next scene is of a high angle shot, with a voice-over narration. The voice-over goes to explain that this is Lester Burnham’s speaking and he is already dead and the following is a construction of the relevant events. This scene holds relevance for two reasons. First it constructs an image that the young teenager in the previous scene is the killer. And as we will learn by the end of the film this image is not all that it appeared to be. This is a reoccurring theme throughout the film, that these are constructed images, and to notice that there is more to the story then what appears on the surface. The high angle spanning shot of Lester’s street also holds significance for the spectator. This opening shot is quite similar to that of Alfred Hitchcock’s opening scene in Psycho. The similar themes is the spectators being the voyeurs. In each we are looking into the private sphere of the character. However, in American Beauty our voyeuristic nature is not shameful.