Instead of doing a film review for Citizen Kane, watch the film, look up articles about Citizen Kane, and compare and contrast Citizen Kane to Casablanca.
Instead of doing a film review for Citizen Kane, watch the film, look up articles about Citizen Kane, and compare and contrast Citizen Kane to Casablanca.
Below are the guidelines for the paper.
• 5-6 pages
• Double-spaced
• 12 Pt using Times New Roman, Calibri, or Courier New
• 3-5 Sources Peer reviewed sources
• Cite sources in the paper using parenthetical citations
• Reference page in MLA or APA format
Example article: The Guardian Online article written by Peter Bradshaw Citizen Kane and the meaning of Rosebud https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/25/citizen-kane-rosebud (Links to an external site.)
Tip: Spend part of the paper (1-2 pages) talking about Citizen Kane based on the articles you read. Spend part of the paper (1-2 pages) talking about the film you chose to compare to Citizen Kane. Spend the remainder of the paper comparing and contrasting Citizen Kane to the other film using terminology from our book. (Example: plot, theme, shots, color, camera angles, lighting, mise-en-scene, directing, etc.)
Below are Discussion Questions you could also incorporate:
Citizen Kane is filmed as a series of long takes, composed in-depth to eliminate the necessity for narrative cutting within major dramatic scenes. The film uses very little shot/counter-shot. Why is this so important to the way we experience the film visually?
Why is this important to the content of the film?
Do the multiple perspectives bring us closer to or further away from the truth?
Do the individual narratives distinctively differ? Are they all Welles/Toland’s visions or do they show individual narrators’ perspectives?
Do the perspectives of the individual narrators always make sense? That is, would Susan know the content of her own narrative? Would Jed have access to the information in his narrative?
Do the narratives work with each other or contradict each other?
Do the more subjective narratives support or refute the newsreel?
Does the answer to Rosebud tell us anything? everything? nothing?
Why don’t we get to see the reporters’ faces?
How is the film prophetic? Does it shed any light on the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, for instance?
Can you see the influence of Citizen Kane on the films we’ve seen this semester, particularly Sunset Blvd.?
What other films do you know that have been influenced by Citizen Kane?
How are windows used in the film?
How would you describe the acting in the film?
