Thoughts on Citizen Kane... So Far

I have enjoyed Citizen Kane very much as a film so far, but unfortunately, as Mr. Bennett stated, I believe that I have missed many of the symbols and filming styles because it is my first timing watching it. However, as I have been watching the film, I have tried to take notes on camera angles or dialogue that I have heard, which I wondered if it was significant or not. I personally assume that it is all important because Mr. Bennett said so, that in a good film, all dialogue is important. So, in the first hour + of the film, I have thought about:

Pages 83-142 in the book would tell the story - is there any deeper meaning behind those pages chosen and what are they. I thought it may have reflected the years of his life, but upon research, Kane was born in 1863 and died in 1941. I do believe that those pages and the fact that he had to be out of that room by 4:30 do have significant meaning but I don't believe it has been revealed yet, unless I have missed it.

When the banker is speaking with Kane's parents about the deal, while the 8-year old Kane is yelling outside because he is enjoying playing, his father goes and shuts the window on him and the sounds of Kane are no longer heard. My belief is that Welles does this to show the end of Kane's innocence because it is the last time we ever hear Kane playing, or playing as a child. It could also have symbolized the ending of his childhood or the shutting out of enjoyment from the rest of his life. It may be the last moment of Kane's life where he is truly happy before he is shut out of just being able to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Also, it could show the end of the relationship between his true parents and himself and the father just shuts the noise out, without even a thought.

Also, I forget the exact situation, unfortunately between Kane is standing in a doorway, I believe in his newspaper office and speaking to either Bernstein or Thatcher (I can't remember exactly) and the two men are arguing and they continue to get interrupted by people walking between them and stopping them from continuing their conversation because all of the people that get in their way. I believe that this is symbolic of the divide between the two characters and possibly the fact that Kane will allow many people to get in between himself and his true friends and it will make him end up alone. It may show that Kane will abandon those who were dear to him because of passing fancies.

My final thought is more of a question rather than a commentary. At the very beginning of the film as Kane is dying we hear him say "Rosebud" as he dies and drops the snowglobe to the ground and it breaks. However, by showing the camera as they did, with a closeup on Kane, himself, it appears as if he is alone in the room as he died. Therefore, I wonder how people know what his final words were if he were alone in the room as he died and no one heard him speak. The only person I saw enter the room was his housekeeper, a couple of minutes after his death where she folds his arm and covers his body. Therefore, my question is two-fold. First, if no one was in the room, how do we know that his final words were Rosebud. And secondly, if he was not alone, who informed the press of his final words and who heard him utter the words, where were they in comparsion to Kane, and why, if they were there, did Welles, decide not to show them?

More thoughts will come on this film as it continues to pique my interest and give me an enjoyable viewing experience.

My Brother

This is not completely relevant to our film class but I just wanted to tell people who are interested in film that my brother is starting to film a short movie today for his senior project at the University of Pennsylvania. The movie will be his 4th short and this one will be entitled The Curious Case of Benjamin's Button, a story based off of the University of Pennsylvania founder, Benjamin Franklin.
The short film will revolve around the fact that Benjamin Franklin completed his autobiography early in his life and what happened in the remaining years of his life, after the autobiography was completed. Much of the story will take place in 2006, specifically beginning on Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday, when a student at the school named Sarah, learns of the secret past, the significance behind the large button on the campus, and her own part to play in this unraveling plot. Her conflict becomes the centerpiece of the story.

He will begin filming today on the campus today with between 100 and 250 extras in the Hall of Flags, to film the opening scene of the film. (And no this is not a parody of the Oscar-winning picture but instead just using the name cleverly.)

I did not want to give away too much information but if anyone would like to learn more about it you can speak to me about it.

Juxtaposition

Recently, I saw the film Frost/Nixon, the 3rd Academy Award Best Picture nominee I've seen this year, (Slumdog and Curious Case are the others). I enjoyed this movie, and unlike most, hoped it delved longer and deeper into the Nixon interviews. I wished that the movie would have had more details and it made me want to watch the original interviews, something I will hope to do very soon. Of the three pictures that I have seen, the three movies were very multi-varied and almost not comparable to each other.

My favorite was Frost/Nixon because of the historical significance and the great acting that made the movie worth it. (Nixon (Langella) had some great monologues. Expect for two or three expections, I thought the movie was very strong but certainly had flaws.

Slumdog came next. It was a very new and compelling story. However, my main problem with it was its predictabilty. I felt that the story was a fresh idea but that it was slightly contrived. Overall it was a very strong picture with minor issues.

Finally, came Benjamin Button. A story that I truly cannot put my finger on whether I liked it or not. It was a movie which went beyond normal conventions and another I had ever seen before but it also felt somehow forced and boring. I felt morose watching it and felt that the actors didn't care most of the time. Still, it must be credited with some groundbreaking achievements in visual effects and a new type of story.

First Thoughts

So, as we finished our first film, All Quiet on the Western Front, I had many reactions to seeing the film for the 2nd time. Watching it through a 2nd time, I enjoyed the film once again and noticed more symbolism and film styling than I had the first time. Unlike the first time I watched the film, I no longer noticed that overacting or some bad acting or film work but instead got lost in the bigger picture, realizing that the actors were used to conveying their emotions differently. It was a very enjoyable movie and more thoughts on it will follow.