Visual Effects and Symbolism in "Citizen Kane"

900 Words2 Pages

"Citizen Kane" is one of the best critically acclaimed films of all time. It is everything a lot of the movies now a day only dream of being. This film is way ahead of it's time in all senses. It uses a non linear approach to the story telling, which is something we've been seeing a lot of recently but was rarely found in films from the forties. The visual and audio elements of this movie are also unbelievable. With all the technology we have now, it's hard to image how Welle's pulled it off in 1941. "Citizen Kane" is definitely a film that proves how a movie can be great with little to no technology available.

The visual aspects of this film are truly amazing. One of things that really caught my eye was the set of Xanadu. When Susan left Kane and she was walking away, the camera caught a great shot that portrayed the massiveness and beauty of the estate. Another part of the film that caught my attention was when the reporters were going through Kane's things in Xanadu and they showed all the things and statues that Kane owned. It was amazing how they were able to show all the stuff Kane had in his estate. The lighting was also a big part of this film. They used a lot of shadowing. For instance, when Kane and Susan were arguing, Kane's shadow completely covered Susan. To me, the use of shadowing in this scene portrayed how much stronger and more important Kane was than Susan. At the beginning of the movie, they also used fishbowl lens. The first scene in the movie where Kane was found dead, most of it was filmed with a fishbowl lens. It gave the introduction of the film a very unique look. I also noticed that they used mirrors in the scene where Kane was walking away from all his servants and guests that witnessed his anger ou...

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...a great contemporary movie that I would put close to "Citizen Kane." I also believe that "Forest Gump" was a great American movie that could be up there with "Citizen Kane."

In conclusion, I thought "Citizen Kane" was great film and I learned a lot from it. It is a great film to watch, especially for those who don't really appreciate classical film. This film was definitely a film that opened doors for current filmmakers and showed how one can make a masterpiece like this one without using all the technology we have now a days. I believe the best films aren't the ones with the graphics and sound effects, I believe they are the ones with heart and spirit. The ones that a person can relate to and feel for the characters. "Citizen Kane" was and will always be a classical masterpiece and should definitely be watched by all that are interested in media in general.

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