Citizen Kane Mise En Scene Analysis

Citizen Kane was released on September 5,1941. The director was Orson Welles.The film is a drama based in the the 40s about a man named Charles Foster Kane. He's a wealthy man with a troubled past. The black and white has an interesting feel to it. The film is nostalgic and hectic, the mise en scene in this film reflects this interesting appeal perfectly. A scene that shows this perfectly is one of the early scenes. The shot shows Kane's childhood. The scene opens with a long shot of young Kane as he plays in the fresh fallen snow. The director uses his action of throwing snowball to cut to a medium establishing shot of Mrs.Kane in the boarding house.We then cut back to a long shot of Kane through the window. The camera pulls back to show Mrs.Kane as she moves to the table. This medium shot doubles as a long shot using deep focus to create a strange

This high contrasting scene has an eerie feel to it because it shows the care free child and the troubled adults.There is an obvious destain between Mrs. and Mr Kane which is shown by Mrs Kane’s Positioning to the main subject while her husband is at the side lines. She Then calls in her son as the camera cuts to a medium shot of her face.This Shot reveals her concern under her cool and collected face. The camera then pulls back into a exterior shot then to a medium shot of young Kane as well as Mrs Kane at his side and Mr.Thatcher on the opposing side. This shot shows everyone involved and gives a clear understanding of space between characters and the setting.The next scene shows a close up shot as Mrs Kane shields her son, giving us a clear shot of Kane’s obvious resentment and anger