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Techniques in Citizen Kane - Part 2

Kane's stepfather: "What would you like to be?"
Kane: "Everything you hate."

In Part 1 we covered a series of cinematic techniques which director George Orwell and his cinematographer Gregg Toland used for the ground-breaking movie, Citizen Kane.

In this second lesson, we'll cover flashbacks, flashforwards, transition sequences, the layered soundtrack and the film noir atmosphere.

Flashbacks / Flashfowards

The life of Charles Kane is told in a series of flashbacks and flashforwards. Flashbacks showing events in the plot which have taken in the past. Flashforwards jump to events which occur later on in the future.

A flashforward from Kane as a young child, which then jumps to 20 years later

Use of Mirrors and Reflections

The incredibly clever use of mirrors and reflections are presented in Citizen Kane. For example, one shot shows Mr. Kane as an old man passing a series of mirrors - his reflection is duplicated infinitely. This is a representation of Mr. Kane as a shattered man, a man who sees only himself, and a man drowning in loneliness. It also represents Mr. Kane's reflection on his own life.

Transition Sequences

Transition sequences are one technique which Welles and his cinematographer Toland do extremely well. Watch the opening scene of the film below and note the transitions he uses. These types of transitions are known as dissolves - the first shot fades out as the next shot fades in. First we see fences, then a main gate, then a shot of Xanadu Castle.

Layered Soundtrack

Welles pioneered a new technique for sound in the movies. He brought a lot of these methods from his previous experience in radio. One technique he created was the "lightning-mix". He took a series of related sounds or phrases to create a continuous, smooth soundtrack.

For example, there is a transition scene where Kane grows from a child into a young man in just two shots. The words "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" are spoken by the same person, except "Happy New Year" is spoken by him 15 years later. As the scene would close, the audio would help transition to the next scene before the visuals did.

He also spliced dialogue together - taking fragments from a number of a voice and putting them together. The result gave an impression of a whole town talking. Welles also liked using the layering or overlapping of dialogue. He considered it more realistic than the usual tradition of characters not stepping on each other's sentences.

Film Noir Atmosphere

Many critics argue that this movie created the "film noir" genre - a French term meaning "dark film". Film noirs are a certain type of American film, usually in detective or thriller genres. They are characterized by low lighting and a sombre, moody and fatalistic atmosphere. These films became popular in the 1940s and 50s.