Just some analysis

When you watch a movie, for the first time, you really are looking at it just at the surface, or at least that is how i feel. I try to absorb myself in the plot, and in this case, the mystery, instead of really wondering why every detail is put in a film. I tried to break this habit while watching Citizen Kane. The first thing I noticed was the No Trespassing sign we see in the first scene. This sign on the chain link fence is the first image we get in this film. It gives you an immediate feeling of alienation and loneliness. The entire first scene, where the camera is panning up over the cain link fence and giving us a glimpse at the deserted xanadu gives us a good idea that this film will end in tragedy or some kind of morbid event. 
So much can be absorbed about this film just from the first scene which has no dialouge. Although there is no dialogue, Welles gives us so much information and really sets the tone for the movie just from camera angles and lighting.


Another thing ive learned in this class is how little the picture quality matters. This movie is not in color and it is most definitely not in high definition or 3D or imax or anything similar to that. But as soon as you immerse yourself in a film, you forget about picture quality and really concentrate on content. Movies these days always have a gimmick, whether it be Avatar with its remarkable special effects or every movie coming out in 3d. These movies lack content, they concentrate less on the story and more on how cool they can make some guy getting his head chopped off by an alien helicopter. In my opinion, content is exponentially more important than effects.

Citizen Kane

The movie is growing on me as we get more and more into it. The main theme that i see in this movie is the loss of innocence due to power. As Mr. Kane becomes more and more powerful, he becomes less interested in the well being of others, as seen by his refusal to step down from running for governor. He is willing to tarnish the name of his wife and his family and his new found "love" just to win the election. Power is affecting Mr. Kane negatively, and is alienating him from all of those who have supported him in his life. It is going to be interesting to see how all of this relates back to the big mystery of why his dying words are rosebud.

Comical Dehuminization

In my opinnion, one of the more important parts of the movie that we have observed and analyzed was the scene where the men go visit the french women. The women were practically selling themselves for a few loaves of bread. This, for lack of a better term, protitution shows us how desperate people were during the war for food. This scene was very comedic on the surface but it also has a hidden deeper meaning. This scene does give us a break from the morbid trench and battle scenes by adding some comic relief along with showing some examples of dehiminzation.

Poor Franz Kemmrik?

It seems to me that the men were more interested in Kemmrik's boots than Kemmrik's well being. The boots are more important to the men than anything else in the war. Once Mueller receives the boots, his statement "My boots" it is a prime example of dehumanization. He just lost a dear friend and quickly forgets that. If you compare the characters and their emotions from the beginning of the film to now, you see a huge difference in their views of life and death.

I'm sure Mueller regrets taking those boots now...