Citizen Cane Questionaire

Citizen Kane Questionnaire View the movie CITIZEN KANE (1941) for discussion in class on week four and to submit week five. Be sure to view the film at least twice before workshop number four. Read the information in this syllabus about this movie. Research it online at http://www. filmsite. org/citi. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Citizen_Kane, http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0033467/, http://www. cinepad. com/reviews/kane. htm, etc. Then complete the following questionnaire A. Literary Elements (Describe in one or two sentences) 1. Structure (storytelling format

The storytelling format for this film was more of an investigation kind of way, searching for the meaning of the word rosebud. Flashbacks used throughout the film to fill in information that could lead to the meaning of the words. 2. Plot (story) The story is about a man who becomes a tycoon. While gaining riches, wives and possessions he loses his soul. He dies and some journalists want to discover the meaning of his dying words “rose bud”. 3. Theme (message) The theme message for this film is that money and power do not make a person. Not all the power and money one person may have is going to fulfill the happiness one desires. . Three moral issues in the story Power cannot buy happiness nor can it fulfill it. There were a few social issues, one of them being family and marriage issues such as divorce. Kane’s fame and wealth cannot save him from his secret relationship. B. Mise en Scene: Theatrical Elements (give two examples each, noting briefly what you have observed and where in the film) 5. Unusual Sets/Backdrops A. ) The scene where Kane and his wife were at a cafe or restaurant and the back drop was a wilderness or forest and they threw in animated birds flying through the backdrop.

B. ) Another element was enormous fireplace at Kane’s residence. 6. Historic Costuming A. ) Their costumes represented the era and their social status. B. ) Kane wore a thick, heavy fur coat that represented his status; having great deal of money. 7. Notable Makeup A) Kane’s makeup in the early stages young and youthful and at the end, it showed him 85 and old-marriage scene, young and when his second wife was leaving him, it depicted him old with a cane B) Makeup shown when his second wife dressed up to sing opera at their theatre she wore heavy makeup . Composition (vertical lines, ceiling framing) A. ) There is a ceiling frame scene, where Kane and his friend come across the reporter that had fallen asleep; on the review of wife’s performance. The camera focused on his friend using a low angle showing the corner of the ceiling his head. B. ) In the theatre, during one of the performances the camera scrolls up looking at nothing but the structure of the building. As the camera, scrolls up there were walkways or railing that went across the screen. 9. High key lighting (happy)

A) When he meets his second wife and goes to her place she is lit up and light depicting happy. B) There is high lighting used while watching the marching girls; cheering and happy music playing in background. 10. Low key Lighting (mystery) A. ) There is a face in the dark when Kane goes to meet someone for information about something. The dark shadow over the face shows that there is a secret. B. ) In the start of the film appears to be several men in a darkened room; appears mystererious, searching for answers. All men stay in the dark when that scene ends. C. Low key lighting used when fireworks launched into the sky. 11. Notable Acting (and movement) A. ) The end of the movie Kane destroys his second wife’s room, breaking glass, flipping tables over, throwing everything on the ground, showing his anger, frustration and pain. B. ) Notable acting when Kane slaps his second wife across the face when she was complaining about the reviews in the paper about her performance. C. Cinematography (give two examples each, noting briefly what you have observed and where in the film) 12. Notable camera angles (low angle, high angle, etc. A) There is an extremely low angle when the boy receives a gift. B) There is a low angle during one of the opera performances when the camera looks down at the singing coach sort of under the stage. 13. Notable Framing (two shot, three shot, four shot, foreground framing) A) There is a three shot frame when Kane is typing the review. B) The scene where in the background, through the window, a boy can be seen playing outside. C) There is foreground framing in the reflection shot from the window of Kane dancing. 14. Notable Framing (close-up)

A) The scene when Kane says, “Rosebud” with an extreme close-up of his lips. B) At the end of the movie when camera zooms in on Kane’s childhood sled focusing in on “Rosebud” 15. Notable lenses (deep focus, fish eye) A) The scene with the boy playing in the snow, seen through the window while his mother signs documents has deep focus. B) The scene where Kane’s wife is laying in the chair, the meds on the table; seen up close and the focus remains clear to the bedroom door in the distance. 16. Notable Camera Movement (crane shots, hand-held, etc. A) There is a crane shot; camera breaks through the sign and into the broken skylight into the El Rancho Nightclub B) Crane shot- Emily went to Susan’s home and going up the stairs into her home is one depicted. 17. Forced perspective A) The wedding scene of Emily and Kane are using forced perspective of the White House. B) There is a Scene showing Kane’s home, gate seen in the background on top of the hill. D. Editing—Assembly and Printing of film (give two examples each, noting briefly what you have observed and where in the film) 8. Special Effects (animation, matting) A) There is animation in two of the scenes where they show you a map WB. B) There is also picnic scene where animated birds are flying. 19. Transitions (dissolves, wipes, fades) A) Dissolving scene is when Thatcher, Bernstein, Kane are in a room, three are at a table and Kane is in the back. That letter reading shows 1929 and it dissolves. B) Earlier scene in beginning of film shows monkeys then it proceeds and you see the castle . In all that area all picture is showing dissolving.

C) The Xanadu scenes were also dissolving scenes. D) His campaign scene showing his face in the background also dissolves. 20. Montage A) The scene at the “breakfast” table shows marriage nice and sweet then shows it falling apart. B) Another scene; Thatcher calls Kane Charles at Christmas time and he opened a Christmas present. This portrayed Thatcher young, Kane young, then next scene is reading a letter from Kane, and he is aged. D. Sound (give one example each) 21. Diegetic music A) When Kane receives the trophy.

B) After the scene where Kane is typing the review. 22. Non-diagetic music A) After Kane leaves in the trophy scene thee is non- diegetic music. B) Sound transition; there was clapping going from one scene to another. 23. Notable or unusual music A) There is notable military music by the Teddy Roosevelt scene in the beginning of the film. B) The scene where you see the mannish woman there is echo and ironic music then you hear audio the audio transition and are less subtle 24. Layering A) There was voice overlay at the beginning with Thatcher and two employees.

Thatcher is upset with Him for working at the newspaper and losing money. B) When Kane was throwing his big party with dancing girls there was laughter and chaos, much vocal overlay. 25. Audio transitions A) There is an audio transition when Kane yelling transitions into the horn honking. B) Audio transition scene when Kane is giving a speech and the scene transitions through different speeches. 26. Dead screen A) There is dead screen after the montage of scenes going through the newspaper headlines the film goes into a dead screen.