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Citizen
Kane!
an
emily blunt rant
Orson
Welles was a big man not simply in stature, but as a looming force to be reckoned
with behind and in front of his camera. He is considered a paramount forefather
of film techniques and production to many. Of course, his bravado too is legendary.
When you're not afraid to say it as it is, abruptly, and demand your own
way on each project, you tend to make a myriad of enemies along the way as well
as "believers." Welles managed to alienate himself from Hollywood completely
and yet still produce some of its most memorable works. Works that to this day
inspire and amaze. His nerve and vision made him an American original surpassed
by no one, as of yet, in my opinion. Two
of his masterpieces are the instantly recognized Citizen Kane (1941) and
the love it or hate it Othello (1952) which are today regarded as just
a couple (of many) of his works to study to find a personification of an artist's
vision upon film. His work has insired and driven uncountable protégés
to pursue a career in film. Citizen
Kane and Othello are quite similar and yet decidedly different at the
very same time. Just like Welles, they are a contradiction. On one hand, the man
was a professional, almost a perfectionist bordering on militant. On the other,
his antics could be construed as wildly unprofessional and a Hollywood
no-no, risky. The man hated Hollywood but relished in its bounty. And like
Welles himself, his films seem to have split personalities. They are at once very
dark and deep, and yet brilliantly open, inviting and on display for all to dive
into. There are many small details left out of the spotlight for viewers to explore
and discover new pieces with each viewing.  The
two films are openly considered ego binges by Welles yet are still proudly revered
for their cinematic greatness. We tend to forgive Welles' colossal ego because
his work is all the better for his totalitarian control. Genius is genius after
all.
His
Othello, the classic tale from Shakespeare, has its ominous lighting effects
and vast obtrusive setting which directs the mood from the very first frame. Something's
wrong here, he says. Come join us and discover what mysteries we've come to uncover.
It also happens to be very true to they original directions for the stage. It
is very hard to successfully translate a play into film. A play loses its heart
most of the time. The actors tend to overact or the dialog seems heavy and weighted
on film. It is a very different medium switch to be sure. Othello is one
of the first, besides O'Neill's Long Days Journey Into Night (1962), to
capture the very personal pure emotions one experiences in a play's production
on film. Othello is a dark solemn story and so, too, is Welles' cinematography,
actors, set and wardrobe. In
his infamous Citizen Kane, you'll find a preserved snapshot of American
filmmaking. He reached far, experimenting fearlessly with various techniques of
filming. None particularly new, but, till then, never combined with such
seamless execution, logic and intelligence. Citizen
Kane, remember, was produced and co-written by a 26-year-old Welles. Knowledge,
certainly beyond his years, possessed him. Some of Welles' special effects on
Kane (or, perhaps better phrased, his sense of new styles) were as mundane
as the way director Welles decided to resolve into the next scene, or as
brave as his skipping the traditional roll of opening credits. By placing them
only at the very end, he gave the audience the choice to respect or walk out on
the cast's marquee. Call it faith in his work, his choice of actors, and maybe
even a little test of approval from the viewers. Not to mention he later explained
he felt the audience entered his movie less distracted by just reading actors
names, reminding one it's make believe before you.
He also used camera
angles that made you think in each. In Citizen Kane, it was his
camera visually displaying subtle metaphor after metaphor in the deceased Kane's
life. Shot in flashback format, Welles strung the scenes with the seamless stitching
Edith Head might use for a great costume. In Othello his camera snuck around
the castle like the players in the story; angles from way above, spying, and obstacles
strategically placed creating half views to give the viewer another feeling of
peeking in.
I consider both Othello and Citizen Kane a
tribute to film's ability to tickle our psyche and its visual wizardry.
Welles was obsessed with realism. Not real realism but movie realism. He
wouldn't go so far as to have real time filming but he did want to remove his
films from the sound stage; an illusion of home, in Kane's case, castle. He was
one of the first to use ceilings without losing sound  quality.
This decision could simply ruin the texture of sound from the set. But, for the
look he desired, they were necessary. Once, again, this powerhouse from the stage
and radio dared to experiment with the abilities of film, and succeeded. Othello
is very much in the same vain of do or die style. The scenes, highly dramatic,
could have been pathetic if not executed properly. He used his (now signature)
camera skews and angles to direct our emotion the Shakespeare, I'm guessing, had
originally intended; or the way Welles felt he had anyway. In
both, he orchestrates the soundtrack as a kind of musical accent to, again, direct
his desired emotion in any given scene. Not just frolicking notes oblivious to
the action and dialog they accompany, and certainly not generic chords most soundtracks
thoughtlessly attach.
As highly stylized as Welles' works are, he kept
himself in check. Stopping right before he slipped over the overindulgent cliff
into mediocrity or Art House bugaboo. Particularly these two very different story
lines with one brilliant, common element: both are displayed gloriously on film
with a master's eye for detail, dramatics and style. Is
Citizen Kane the best film ever? Is there really an answer to that question.
Films are  individual
beings. When you dissect even the worst film you find something at its core worth
a discussion. Kane is an American classic. Kane had firsts, in direction
techniques, camera techniques, daring -end-a-young-director's-career storyline
(based openly on oddball tycoon William Randolf Hearst) and a soul that still
has a sparkling life in it all these years later. If calling it the finest film
of all time continues to introduce it to a new generation then so be it.
Best
movie or not, both Citizen Kane and Othello can be viewed
many times over and each time are as fresh as the first time you discovered them.
Why? Because that's exactly what Orson Welles had intended. 
Citizen
Kane!
Othello
Here's
a few other Welles classics:
The
Stranger
The
Trial
Touch
Of Evil
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