Law Abiding Citizen

When ‘Citizen Kane’ was originally released in 1941, it gave an insight into the manipulation and distortion of the press by scrutinizing Kane’s desire to gain control. As Kane’s character is based on newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, Welles depicts Kane’s influential media control by exposing the beginning of “yellow journalism” as Kane reiterates Hearst’s famous note, “you provide the prose poems, I’ll provide the war.” Kane’s unethical abuse of media power expressed when Kane states…

Citizen Kane challenged the traditional narratives and technical elements of classic Hollywood cinema in a number of ways. The most noteworthy challenge of traditional narratives was its application of deep focus. Citizen Kane using deep focus and having everything in frame was a serious challenge of traditional narratives and technical elements because traditionally in films of the time, only the foreground was in focus. In addition to those elements, Citizen Kane used cutting edge storytelling…

Statistics do reveal to the true identity of a man. In “The Unknown Citizen,” W.H. Auden presents a Big Brother like state that knows everything about its citizens except for what really matters; this state views individuality as irrelevant and judges citizens based solely on their relation to society as a whole. The bureaucrat leaves out important emotional events involving the unknown citizen that seem vital to the judging of his character. Auden uses a speaker whose viewpoints contradict his…

abusing privileges are all elements found in both The Fisher King and Citizen Kane. The Fisher King follows the story of radio personality Jack and his struggle to rise above his superior attitude, while Citizen Kane takes viewers through Charles Foster Kane’s ultimate downfall in his quest for power. Although many years and two distinct casts separate the two films, both films share similar attributes. In both The Fisher King and Citizen Kane, the mise-en-scene and camerawork illustrate the…

Schatz has identified several noir elements in the film Citizen Kane. According to Schatz (116-117), Citizen Kane had all of the seven noir elements: 1. The majority of scenes are lit for night 2. As in German Expressionism, oblique and vertical lines are preferred to horizontal 3. The actors and setting are often given equal lighting emphasis 4. Compositional tension is preferred to physical action 5. There is an almost Freudian attachment to water 6. There is love of romantic narration 7…

Art, film and literature allow composers to express universal ideas that are significant to the society in which they live and, more importantly, transcend their own context. Orson Welles’ 1941 film Citizen Kane incorporates innovative cinematographic techniques to create a film that has enduring relevance and textual integrity. This film-a-clef draws upon the life story of William Randolph Hearst, a newspaper mogul during his time to a fictional character, Charles Foster Kane. The corrupting…

Hollywood film has been a dominant force in the world of film due to its box office success that comes through archetypical forms that appeal to the masses and allows for them to be entertained. The film industry in Latin America has had a more challenging time creating films that are as commercially successful which would allow the films in Latin American countries to be able to create a stronger national cinema identity. Though much of Latin America appears to be further underdeveloped than…

revolutionary film Citizen Kane (1941) examines the psychologically damaging effects of internal conflict brought on by parental neglect and the morally corruptive impacts of an unchecked pursuit for power and influence. While a critical analysis may provide insight into these notions, the prevailing notion posited through the film is that the subjectivity of human experiences negates an absolute holistic understanding of an individual’s self-image and position in the world. Hence, Citizen Kane…

Charlie Chaplin is most well-known for his character The Tramp, as well as writing, directing, and starring in his own films. Just as Hollywood was moving into “talkies” or films with sound, Chaplin was still going against the grain. He remained one of the last silent film stars until the release of the political satire comedy-drama The Great Dictator in 1940. Besides his singing part in Modern Times, this was the first time audiences heard Chaplin’s true voice. The Great Dictator tells the…

The movie Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, tells the story of general Maximus (played by Russell Crowe) that stands against crazy Emperor (played by Joaquiem Phoenix) is considered to be one of the best historical movies in modern history. However, as it goes in historic movies, Gladiator is showing the audience the popular recitation period and masks the real perception and the real course of government. It is true that most of the changes made in the movie could only strengthen the…