Citizen Kane
Just watched it, and as far as I can remember, I’ve never seen it before. What a depressing movie!
First, in trying to figure out why this is considered such a great film—if not the greatest—I found that when asked how he got the confidence as a first-time director to create such a radically different film from other movies of that time, Welles responded, "[From] ignorance...sheer ignorance. There is no confidence to equal it. It's only when you know something about a profession that you are timid or careful."
Second, it seems like a lot of Welles’ innovations are rather technical in nature, and now primarily historical footnotes for film buffs, including camera focus and angle, special effects, makeup (especially showing Kane age), soundtrack, and, which I'm sure is why I was told to watch it, the storytelling techniques of unreliable, multiple narrators using overlapping flashbacks that cover an entire lifetime, as well as montages that collapse long periods of time into a single scene, the best of which is the breakfast scene(s) that condense the breakdown of a marriage over 16 years into 2 minutes—masterful (and such an eerie echo of my own)!
Third, its only Academy of Award, for best writing, targets the movie’s greatest strength. OMG, are there dozens and dozens of such classic, profound, and stark sound bites—what brilliant linguistic density!
Opening (and final) Image: No Trespassing (at Xanadu).
Primal Conflict: “more newsworthy than his own news,” “he had no conviction but himself,” “all he wanted out of life was love,” but in the end “my reasons satisfy me, Susan.” Absolute power corrupts absolutely….
Catalyst/Call to Adventure: At just around the appointed 12 minutes (a "beat" that Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" says every movie makes), they start the search for Rosebud. So I guess that’s a metaphor for what prompted Kane to put power over all else: a childhood scar that set up a life-long struggle to stop rich people from manipulating his life.
Break into two: [warning, spoiler alert!] Young Kane hits Thatcher with Rosebud.
Wow, is this deconstructing exercise laborious and time consuming! I get why it’s useful for aspiring screenwriters, but I also have always followed Welles’ advice above, sticking as closely to a need-to-know-only approach to technical expertise. That approach has served me well in multiple fields. In fact, once I master something, I often lose interest and move onto the next thing. Anyway, I definitely haven’t come close to mastering this art yet. Maybe the hardest part: it feels so strange watching movies during work hours, even if this IS work for a screenwriter!
Final thought: When I read the synopsis of CK on IMDb, I can’t imagine anyone buying—or following—it either!
Just watched it, and as far as I can remember, I’ve never seen it before. What a depressing movie!
What I learned about screenplays:
First, in trying to figure out why this is considered such a great film—if not the greatest—I found that when asked how he got the confidence as a first-time director to create such a radically different film from other movies of that time, Welles responded, "[From] ignorance...sheer ignorance. There is no confidence to equal it. It's only when you know something about a profession that you are timid or careful."
Second, it seems like a lot of Welles’ innovations are rather technical in nature, and now primarily historical footnotes for film buffs, including camera focus and angle, special effects, makeup (especially showing Kane age), soundtrack, and, which I'm sure is why I was told to watch it, the storytelling techniques of unreliable, multiple narrators using overlapping flashbacks that cover an entire lifetime, as well as montages that collapse long periods of time into a single scene, the best of which is the breakfast scene(s) that condense the breakdown of a marriage over 16 years into 2 minutes—masterful (and such an eerie echo of my own)!
Third, its only Academy of Award, for best writing, targets the movie’s greatest strength. OMG, are there dozens and dozens of such classic, profound, and stark sound bites—what brilliant linguistic density!
Opening (and final) Image: No Trespassing (at Xanadu).
Primal Conflict: “more newsworthy than his own news,” “he had no conviction but himself,” “all he wanted out of life was love,” but in the end “my reasons satisfy me, Susan.” Absolute power corrupts absolutely….
Catalyst/Call to Adventure: At just around the appointed 12 minutes (a "beat" that Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" says every movie makes), they start the search for Rosebud. So I guess that’s a metaphor for what prompted Kane to put power over all else: a childhood scar that set up a life-long struggle to stop rich people from manipulating his life.
Break into two: [warning, spoiler alert!] Young Kane hits Thatcher with Rosebud.
Wow, is this deconstructing exercise laborious and time consuming! I get why it’s useful for aspiring screenwriters, but I also have always followed Welles’ advice above, sticking as closely to a need-to-know-only approach to technical expertise. That approach has served me well in multiple fields. In fact, once I master something, I often lose interest and move onto the next thing. Anyway, I definitely haven’t come close to mastering this art yet. Maybe the hardest part: it feels so strange watching movies during work hours, even if this IS work for a screenwriter!
Final thought: When I read the synopsis of CK on IMDb, I can’t imagine anyone buying—or following—it either!
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