Citizen Kane

If you were to ask one hundred critics what they thought the best movie in the world was. . . they'd definitely give different responses. However, some of them might have the same opinion and say that, the greatest movie of all time is 'Citizen Kane'. While you're able to agree o disagree, there's no doubt about it that Kane brought forth cinematic elements that were ahead of it's time.

One of these key film elements that is utilized quite well is the lighting. Orson Welles definitely thought everything through when he was creating his masterpiece. The most notable example was how the main reporter, Thompson, is mostly kept in the shadows. Throughout the entire film all we can really see is his silhouette. Orson Welles used this technique as a way to make sure the audience doesn't perceive Thompson as our main focus. Thompson at the very least is the audiences eyes and ears. We learn about the main focus, Kane, through him.

Another scene in the film that is visually striking is after his wife performs terribly in the opera. Kane then stands up and claps his hands. Again the use of shadow is very significant. At first he claps his hands like everyone else out of respect to the performer but when he stands up and continues clapping, he’s alone and covered in a shadow. The use of shadow here is very expressive in that it shows that Kane’s standing ovation does not matter for he is alone when it comes to his opinion.

One scene, however, that doesn't work with the lighting is the scene where Kane's fiance has decided to divorce him and leave. Kane is then alone in her bedroom when all of a sudden he has a huge fit of rage. The scene seemed too bright and blaring. I think it need to be dimmed down and put in the shadows more. It would've made the seem appear more dramatic and distraught.

The lighting in this was heavily to portray dominance from other characters. Often times, the shadow of one person was used to overcast a weaker character or the more dominant character would be shadowed to give him more mystery. Throughout the film we used the lighting to indicate the moods. All the sets of Xanadu are shot very shadowy to emphasize its empty state and large scale.