Mise en Scene
Victoria Barajas
Dr. Valarie Zapata FST 1 25 September 2013 RP #2 Mise-en-scène in Citizen Kane Orson Welles’ 1941 film, Citizen Kane, is a prime example of French Poetic Realism style because of its use of mise-en-scène.Although extremely important, that isn’t the only factor that defines the French Poetic Realism style. Most great films in this style concentrated on the confrontation between individuals and society. According to Film, “French Poetic Realism films depicted characters whose fates are determined by their social milieu” (Pramaggmiore 122-123). In the film, it is clear that the protagonist, Charles Foster Kane, is thrust into a social environment that ends up being the source of his misery and demise. Welles uses mise-en-scène to depict this underlying theme in the film with great detail. He uses the four major components of mise-en-scène: setting, the human figure, lighting, and composition. However, he pays special attention to setting and the human figure to show the theme of the story; love cannot be bought. Setting can play a huge role in portraying the film’s themes. In order to fulfill the film’s plot, the diegisis had to be created with the story in mind. Kane took over the New York Inquirer and ran for governor of New York. He also dated the president’s daughter and built an opera house for his second wife, Susan Alexander. Welles had to choose a setting where all of these events could realistically take place. Therefore, he chose New York. A vast contrast to the small town of Little Salem, Colorado that Kane was born in. It represents Kane’s transformation from innocent young boy to a wealthy selfish man. Another great example of how the setting portrays the theme is Kane’s estate Xanadu. After Susan’s attempted suicide, Kane and Susan retired to Xanadu for many years. The mere size of this estate was so grand that not even all of Kane’s lavish material goods could fill it up. In the interior scenes of the Xanadu there is a lot of open space. In some cases open space can mean freedom, which is what Kane originally wanted out of building Xanadu, freedom from outside opinion and dictation. However, in this case, it ends up serving as the site of loneliness. The human figure is one of the most important elements in mise-en-scène. Without actors a film would just be a script on a set. According to Film, “Casting (the selection of actors), acting style, and the placement and movement of figures influence the viewer’s response to fictional characters, their strength and weaknesses, and their hopes and fears” (Pramaggiore 97). Casting, the visual representation of an actor and the acting style can determine whether a film is believable or not. The actors that star in lead roles are usually well known. Therefore, the actor who played Charles Foster Kane had to be someone that would attract an audience. Orson Welles, himself, plays Kane in the film. Although he had not acted in much before the making of the film, Welles was well known for one particular event just three years earlier. He did have a successful radio program that shook the nation with his Halloween prank of a War of The Worlds radio performance. The fact that he fooled the nation proved that he was a believable actor. The mere placement of actors within a scene can represent underlying themes in the film as well. The textbook for the class gives a great example of this method in Citizen Kane. It explains that Kane’s placement between the authoritative characters represents his powerlessness as a young boy. Throughout his adult life, Kane attempts to be in a position of power in order to make up for the previous scene stated. The scene where Kane has to decide whether to drop out of the political race or expose his secret love affair is another constant reminder that Kane cannot always be in power; no matter how much he wants it. In the scene he shows that he has control over the situation by choosing to expose his affair. Throughout the rest of the film it is visible that Kane is almost always the position of power in a scene. When Susan tells Kane that he doesn’t lover her, that he wants her to love him such he is standing over Susan. It is shot from a low angle to show the dominance Kane has over Susan. It makes him look superior and Susan look inferior. Costumes and props are also important elements that enhance the mise-en-scène. Costumes help define a character and personality. The stark difference between the wardrobes worn by Kane, as a young boy in Colorado and a young boy in New York, show changes in the story. It shows the wealth he has acquired. Similarly, when Kane had a sled in Colorado it was made of wood and was very simple and when he was in New York with Thatcher, his new ward, he received a higher end sled. According to Film, “…sometimes a prop holds tremendous importance and may embody or reinforce a film’s thesis” (Pramaggiore 106). The entire story in Citizen Kane is centered around that sled, even though the audience doesn’t know it until the end. It represents the origin of his downfall, the moment when he was taken from his parents and the lack of real love after that. Kane’s constant spending on statues and priceless objects also shows that he doesn’t care about wealth, what he really wants is the love lost when he was taken from his parents. The amount of props that where in Xanadu in the last scene visually enhance Kane’s dilemma. All throughout his life, Kane struggles with his struggle with his social environment and wanting everybody to love him. He attempts to buy everyone’s love by giving them what they want as long they love. Orson Welles used mise-en-scène to portray Kane’s struggles. He especially uses setting and the human figure in order to do so. His problems begin with the change of setting in Kane’s life and they end on his death bed when he speaks his last word Rosebud. |
Directed by:
Orson Welles Written by: Herman J. Mankiewicz (original screenplay) & Orson Welles (original screenplay) Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore |
Citizen Kane (1941)
Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance. -IMDb