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Rashomon And Citizen Kane Analysis

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Two films, although created years apart yet have a lot in common, including their content of it’s narrative techniques. Both films, even though black and white with strokes of genius of cinema offer a vast stretch for study. I will be looking at Sir Orson Welles “Citizen Kane” (1941) and Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” (1950). We see in Citizen Kane he values for the American life. The three abstract themes that constantly follow through Citizen Kane are Wealth, Power and Love. However, in the movie “Rashomon” it displays the pursuit of the truth. The use of narratives allows them to take both the films to interesting directions. In Citizen Kane the narratives tell the viewers the insignificant part of life of an American Newspaperman Mr. Charles Foster Kane. In Rashomon the viewer gets a totally different perspective. We also notice that in Citizen Kane Well’s has used a lot of black techniques and its techniques and in Rashomon on the other hand is more a day lit film. In this essay I will be comparing the themes and the narrative techniques used in both films.
Starting off with the film “Citizen Kane” as mentioned it is a story of a millionaire, Charles Foster Kane. It begins with Kane’s death and speaks a single word: “Rosebud”. The reporters in the hunt to know …show more content…

This is when we find out that the news was screened in a room. Shadowed images are seen in the room. With what is said in the room we get to know that these men are very manipulative and want to know what is meant by Kane’s last word “Rosebud”. Sir Thompson is chosen to reveal to the audience the secrecy behind this word. If we were to view this very carefully, we see that Sir Thompson is indirectly the audience to whom all the facts about Kane is revealed to. He is not shown clearly and mostly shown in shadows that display the reality. He is very manipulative and Mr. Kane’s personal live does not have any effect on

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