Abstract This paper looks at the contributions of Luis Bunuel, director of the Surrealist film "Un Chien Andalou"; (An Andalusian Dog) and Orson Welles, director of the American classic film, "Citizen Kane". It shows how both directors have given significant input to the history of film that are currently and still in practice.
From the Paper "Luis Bunuel is a Spanish director who was known primarily for his contribution the Surrealist movement that emerged along with the French Impressionist movement during the latter part of 1920s. "Un Chien Andalou" (An Andalusian Dog), which was produced in the year 1928, marked the beginning of the use of surrealism in films. During this time period, surrealism is fast becoming a popular movement, and is prevalent in the visual arts, such as the paintings of Andre Breton and Salvador Dali. Incidentally, Dali is influential in Bunuel's works because his works include those of Dali's paintings, one of which was shown in ?Un Chien Andalou.? The Surrealist movement is characterized to be the anti-thesis of the normative formula of most films. Instead of adapting a narrative form and style, Surrealist films are antinarrative, and appeals mainly to the subconscious thoughts of people. Surrealist works are also devoid of logic, as can be seen in Bunuel's portrayal of a woman sucking the toes of a statue, and the popular scene wherein Bunuel himself cut with a razor the eyeballs of a woman. These scenes are evidently devoid of any logic, and in fact, surrealist films do not aim to explain at all whatever message (if there is a message) a film has."
Tags: Chien, Andalou, Citizen, Kane, Surrealist, movie
Abstract This paper examines the signature film in Orson Welles' directorial career - "Citizen Kane". The paper explores how Welles constructs his narrative, how his fairly elegant style as a director is on full display in the film and how he builds the character of Charles Foster Kane via introducing the recollections of others (by using superbly-rendered visual images). The paper also discusses how Citizen Kane shows Welles' ability to take the film-making art of his time and elevate it to a new level of sophistication never before seen in American cinema, by making images on the screen act with a metaphorical power and vividness. The paper looks at Gregg Toland's (cinematographer of "Citizen Cane") artful use of cinematographic tools that were far more advanced than anything which had been attempted up to that time.
From the Paper "In Citizen Kane, Welles' extraordinary ability to create a storyline that is simultaneously complex yet (fairly) easy-to-follow is on display. The noted American film critic Roger Ebert has written that the film is circular, adding more depth each and every time it returns to the life of the Kane character. Ebert also adds that the decision on the part of Welles' to open his 1941 opus with a scene featuring newsreel obituary footage is intended to be both portentous (obviously) and is also meant to serve as an anchor that will keep the thoughtful audience member oriented as the screenplay moves seemingly haphazardly from one memory to another of the man as recalled by those who knew him."
Abstract This paper discuses the premise that alterations made in film adaptations of literary sources are a conscious effort to market the film to a contemporary audience. In particular, the paper looks at how Orson Welles' "Othello" and Tim Blake Nelson's "O", two famous film adaptations of "Othello", exemplify this premise and how the alterations made in the films signify social approaches towards the literary status of the play. The paper further examines how Tim Blake Nelson's "O", released in 2001, is intended to make Shakespeare more appealing to a contemporary, young audience. The paper also looks at how, although Orson Welles originally aimed his adaptation at a 1950s audience, with its restoration in 1992, it was then re-marketed, and its 'relevance' changed.
From the Paper "Unlike O, however, Orson Welles' Othello makes very few changes to Shakespeare's language. He does, however, leave out certain lines. For example, in the scene where Iago and Roderigo incite Brabantio, the screenplay jumps from Roderigo's line, 'signor, is all your family within?' to 'transported, with no worse or better guard but with a knave of common hire, a gondolier, to the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor' . In this small section alone, Welles skips thirty nine lines of the play. Among the lines omitted are Iago's racist taunts about Othello, for example, 'an old black ram is tupping your white ewe' (I.i.89-90). A reference to Desdemona as a possession - 'look to your house, your daughter, and your bags' (I.i.81) - is also excluded. "
Abstract This paper examines Orson Well's classical film "Citizen Kane". It illustrates how Wells made the camera an active part of the dialogue and plot through photographic and cinematographic methods. The author claims that the integration of sound and camera work make the story first person as seen through the eyes of the viewer. The paper describes how this revolutionary film brought the viewer out of the theater seat and onto the screen.
From the Paper "Citizen Kane represented a breakthrough in cinematography at the time of its release. Filmed in 1941, it launched the career of Orson Wells. It helped to define Orson Well's unique style, which later became his trademark. Orson Wells collaborated with Herman J. Mankiewicz on the script. However, it was the cinematography of Gregg Toland that made the film a memorable masterpiece. Until this time, the use of shadows, camera angle, depth of shot and focus presented characters in a non-personal way. The camera stayed in one place and the actors moved in front of it. In" Citizen Kane", Orson Wells made the camera an active part of the dialogue and plot. In this way the photography in "Citizen Kane" became an integral part of the artistry in the movie. The photography in Citizen Kane could be viewed as stand?alone art. The use of the camera in Citizen Kane makes the audience a participant in the film, not a mere observer. They become a character in the film themselves through the camera."
Abstract "This paper is a discussion of the works of five of the greatest directors in international cinema. D. W. Griffith, John Ford, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ingmar Bergman have each had enormous influence in their art because of their individual vision and striking approach to filmmaking.
From the Paper "This paper is a discussion of the works of five of the greatest directors in international cinema. D. W. Griffith, John Ford, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ingmar Bergman have each had enormous influence in their art because of their individual vision and striking approach to filmmaking. Their visual concerns have been dramatically different, but the commitment of each has led them to create powerful, effective films that continue to affect the work of filmmakers in every genre and every nation today. All five have made significant contributions toward turning filmmaking into an art, while developing different aspects of cinema and varying genres, and all five can be considered great artists.
David Wark Griffith was born in Kentucky on January 22, 1875. He began his career as an actor in small touring ..."
Abstract This paper examines the Orson Welles' film, "Citizen Kane". It focuses on the opening scene featuring a 'News on the March' newsreel outlining the life of Charles Foster Kane. It relates this montage to the film as a whole both thematically and cinematically.
Abstract Looks at the themes of metamorphoses and transformation in Russel Hoban's "Riddley Walker" and Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game". The paper compares the characters and plots of the two novels and how the theme of transformation and metamorphoses runs through both stories.
From the Paper "Metamorphoses and transformation is a common theme in science fiction, particularly since its speculative nature may make it that much easier to consider novel scenarios and changes unlikely in more traditional fiction. This theme is dealt with in a relatively practical fashion in the two science fiction classics Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. In their process of developing from childhood into adulthood, the protagonists of both these stories stand at a cusp of vital change, and essentially live the death of an entire way of life and being. Each reacts to this loss by recreating themselves anew from a synthesis of old and new, paradoxically coming into their own and overcoming their enemies by melding with them to form new, stronger selves."
This paper discusses the similarities in the lives of journalist William Randolph Hearst and filmmaker Orson Welles, known for his masterpiece, "Citizen Kane".
Abstract This paper explains that Welles's controversial film, "Citizen Kane", cast a negative light on the way Hearst operated his newspaper franchises, creating a struggle in which Hearst tried and succeeded in blocking the film from the public for many years. The author points out that William Randolph Hearst is commonly known as the originator of "yellow journalism", a type of news that distorts facts or makes them up to catch people's attention. The paper relates that Orson Welles also broke into prominence and became very well-known, just like Hearst. He was seen by many people to be a 'boy genius', and his dramatic skills as a public persona who could publicize himself were a lot like Hearst?s.
From the Paper "Hearst acquired his fortunes by ruthlessly competing with other newspapers until they folded under his pressure. No tactic was too low for him: if a newspaper had a popular comic-strip, he would steal the artist. He even stole being recognized by the term ?yellow journalism,? which was originally used to describe one of Hearst's competitors,
Joseph Pulitzer. "Though the term was originally coined to describe the journalistic practices of Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst proved himself worthy of the title". Hearst and Pulitzer competed mercilessly: "in 1895, William Hearst purchased the New York Morning Journal and entered into a head-to-head circulation war with this former mentor, Joseph Pulitzer, owner of the New York World"."
Tags: yellow, controversial, newspapers, genius, persona
Abstract This paper presents an analysis of the famous opening sequence of Orson Welles's film noir, "A Touch of Evil". The paper focuses on the cinematography and the long tracking shot that begins the film.
From the Paper "Orson Welles is widely considered to be one of the masters of modern cinema. His work on films, though originally considered a diversion to raise money for his theater projects and marred by clashes with the Hollywood studio system, created some of the greatest American films. Though not as acclaimed as his masterpiece Citizen Kane, Welles's film noir Touch of Evil is a remarkable piece of cinema in its own right, especially the striking opening sequence."
Abstract This paper discusses the book, "Horatio Alger: Gender and Success in the Gilded Age," by Charles Orson Cook, which chronicles the image of Horatio Alger. The paper examines how it evolves through the writings of Alger, first through an introduction to the author and the age, and then an edited version of two of Alger's most famous creations, "Ragged Dick" and "Tattered Tom". The paper contends that these two works were specifically chosen to be compared and contrasted in the book because they featured a characteristic Alger boy and an uncharacteristic Alger girl street-heroine.
From the Paper "When Alger's Ragged Dick put himself forward for hire as a guide for a rich boy who is visiting the city, the boy's businessman uncle hesitated to entrust his nephew to him. But after reflection the older man decided that although Dick "isn't exactly the sort of guide I would have picked out...he looks honest. He has an open face, and I think he can be depended upon "(55). Thus, although Alger believed that private generosity and charity alone were necessary to remedy the evils of capitalism, he knew no one could truly succeed alone. Dick's contact with the rich boy Frank because of Dick's shining honesty resulted in his becoming a young gentleman, not just because Dick was a hard worker. And, in the story of Tom, the street tomboy, rather than rise to prosperity through her labor, Tom became the genteel 'Jane Lindsay' at the end of the tale, once again in her wealthy mother's custody, as a result of a series of plot twists, not her success selling newspapers like a boy. Like a fairy princess, Tom/Jane found she was not a street urchin at all, despite her success in the capitalist endeavors she shines in like a young, potentially prosperous boy."
Abstract The film "Citizen Kane" by Orson Welles, creates its deep inner meaning by displaying its characters in numerous interrogations and situations from the past. Not only are we presented with an excellent use of lighting, cuts, and angles, but also a great use of the technique of time distortion. This paper looks at how the word "rosebud" is interwoven throughout several scenes by describing the scene and the meaning behind the word. The paper includes many quotes from scenes in the movie.
From the Paper "Rosebud is used to show how Kane had an unsatisfying childhood that lead to an adult life filled with sadness due to his inability to love or be loved. The film uses this symbol to pronounce that wealth and power cannot create everything we need to get by. Kane is never loved, nor can he show love. He never learns these key elements of life because he is always given material items to purchase his happiness."
Abstract This paper discusses the essay by John Berger, "Ways of Seeing" and the video by Orson Welles, "F for Fake". The paper discusses the history of art and how it has changed over the years. It discusses forgeries and how paintings can be viewed by people using their senses, as opposed to just what they physically see on the canvas. The paper concludes that we need art from the past in order to guide us how to act in the present.
From the Paper "Berger demonstrates the change of perception to a particular image to his reader through the painting by Van Gogh. In this painting we have a peaceful outlook which is misrepresented by words into a most violent scenario when we read that this was the last work that Van Gogh painted before he ended his life. In some way words and paintings can never exist in complete harmony and nevertheless we can not have one without the other. Berger is also worried of that fact that when we see images, we often be likely to mystify them with the usage of money-oriented or acquisitive objects."
An examination of the use of lighting, camera angles and props to symbolize the changing characters of Othello and Iago in Orson Welles' film version of William Shakespeare's "Othello".
Abstract This paper discusses how, in his play "Othello", Shakespeare establishes Iago as a manipulative character who brings chaos and pain to Othello's world of order and respect. Iago's influence on Othello is seen in the text as Othello's lines become progressively shorter and more violent, and Othello loses everything he loves. The paper then looks at how Welles, in his 1952 adaptation of the play, brings these men's opposing styles, chaos and order, to film through the use of visuals and how he emphasizes Othello's loss of power and order at the hands of Iago with the use of lighting, props and confining sets.
From the Paper "In his play Othello, Shakespeare establishes Iago as a manipulative character who brings chaos and pain to Othello's world of order and respect. Iago's influence on Othello is seen in the text as Othello's lines become progressively shorter and more violent, and Othello loses everything he loves. Welles brings these men's opposing styles, chaos and order, to film through the use of visuals. In his 1952 adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, Orson Welles emphasizes Othello's loss of power and order at the hands of Iago with the use of lighting, props, and confining sets."
An analysis of the four minute boarding house scene in the film, "Citizen Kane" and what this scene reveals about the style of the director, Orson Welles.
Abstract This paper analyzes Orson Welles' film, "Citizen Kane", and describes the plot of the story and the personality of the main character in the film. The paper specifically focuses on Mrs. Kane's boarding house scene and how it affected the childhood of Charlie Kane, the main character in the film. The paper then describes how this four-minute scene displays Welles' artistic talent in an exceptional manner.
From the Paper "Orson Welles created a masterpiece in his film Citizen Kane and the four-minute scene of Mrs. Kane's Boarding House displays Welles' artistic talent in an exceptional manner while creating the image of Charles Kane as a happy, playful boy that becomes raged at everything about his new guardian, and leads to Kane being in a lifelong search of what he lost that day. Welles painted a canvas that showed how inspiring Charlie's mother was to Kane and that Charles was committed to being in control of his environment just as his mother was. The love and affection that was lost as boy from Kane's mother was sought after by the radiance that Charles demanded from his empire. Welles' depiction of Kane's childhood showed what Charles wanted to replace in his life as an adult by the wealth and empowerment gained. Through the uses of camera angles, character placement, sounds, and symbolism, Welles brought about the undiminished story of Charles Kane's life in this one scene. As Charlie's sled of security and love of his childhood lay alone, cold, and lifeless in the snow, he had much wealth and many people with him as his journey with Thatcher began. As Kane died an old man, he also was alone, cold and lifeless with great wealth and many people."
Abstract The paper discusses the film "Citizen Kane" by Orson Welles and analyzes its style and structure. The paper shows how the various elements used in telling this story contribute to its symbolism while centering on the mystery of the nature of Kane's character.
From the Paper "Citizen Kane is a rich film in which one can find a wide variety of American values reflected or subverted in the actions of Kane and others in the film. The film also reflects a sense of the history of this country in the first four decades of this century, a period of change in the economic and political realms embodied in the changes in Charles Foster Kane himself. He begins as an idealist in the American mold, a man who wants his newspaper not merely to report the news but to provide a forum for the truth. However, this entails the accumulation of a good deal of power, and the growth of this power becomes a rationale for trying not merely to report the news but to make it."
