The film Citizen Kane written, produced, and starring Orson Welles is the most innovative film of the Hollywood cinema era. The use of verbiage, cinematography and real life events occurring during the time of the films release encompassed a vast amount of talent in its right which led to Orson Welles win of Best Original Screenplay at the 1942 Academy Awards. In the beginning of Citizen Kane we hear voice over narration to emulate a news anchor who gives vivid detail of Charles Foster Kane and his life. This first scene opens in a dark room where a team of reporters are trying to unveil the importance of Kane’s final word on his deathbed “Rosebud”. In this scene the director uses hard light to create deeper shadows and soften borders. Throughout the film in more serious moments of monologue the actors are either fully or partially covered in shadow while speaking. To demonstrate the serious tone being set, the viewer doesn 't have lightening to show the actors emotion so it engages the viewer to want to pay closer attention to the scene. A scene …show more content…
According to film critic Roger Ebert, what added to the greatness of this film was that it gives the history of a period as well as having a story unfold. “Citizen Kane covers the rise of the penny press (here Joseph Pulitzer is the model), the Hearst-supported Spanish-American War, the birth of radio, the power of political machines, the rise of fascism, the growth of celebrity journalism.” The amount of thought given throughout the film as well as the different uses of lighting, camera angles, fading, composition, and more truly set this film apart from all the rest that were produced during the classic Hollywood cinema era. Many artists have stated they draw on personal experiences for their work, which makes one question whether Welles symbolism between Rosebud his sled and the sadness he feels about his youth is something he conjured up to seem relatable to the every man or if he knows the feeling all too