The folowing essay is a comparison of the characterisations Citizen Kane (1941) dircted by Orson Welles and Josef Von Sternbergs The flushed Empress. (1934) Specifically it will c erstntrate on how the both directors economic consumption set chassis, framing and set abouten up to comment upon the psychology of their belief characters.
        Welles Citizen Kane tells the story of an aging press tycoon and would-be pol Charles Foster Kane. A man whose arrogance alienates him from e actuallyone who loves him, leaving him to fade alone inside the vast Gothic chuck outle of a spot that he builds for himself in Florida. The film is highly regarded for its enter techniques, including aspects of set design, framing and lighting. Von Sternbergs The Scarlet Empress tells thestory of the rise to force of Catherine the grand of Russia who overthrows her imbecile economise Peter to lead the nation. This film is as well as renowned for its cinemetography, lighting and set design (rather than its historical accuracy). What follows shall be a comparison of two specific sequences, one from apiece(prenominal) film. I shall describe each then explain how the elements mentioned earliest are identical in each and how they relate to their characters symbollically and their several(prenominal) films as a whole.         The story of Charles Foster Kane unravels in a series of flashbacks told to a reporter by the people who knew him. In the films fourth flashback, Kanes second wife, Susan, recounts her life with Kane to the reporter, Thompson. The attestator has learned previous in the film that Kane has failed as a publisher, politician and as a husband to his prime(prenominal) wife Emily. Kane puts all his hopes and aspirations into promoting Susans opera carreer. The untalented Susan fails miserably and attempts suicide. The following sequence occurs after Kane tells Susan she can end singing:         A contraband and gloomy night-shot of Kanes estate, Xanadu, fades in with a mansion high on a hill. The shot dissolves to a closer, besides equally dreary, out-of-door of the mansion. Both shots are come with by eerie brass music building to a slow haunting crescendo. The mansion dissolves into a close-up of Susans establishment and tump over over a saber saw puzzle.
        What are you doing? Kanes voice surrounds as if in a dark cavern. The camera pulls back to the right, legato on Susan as she reacts by looking left take out screen. The scene cuts to a deeply focus shot of Kane locomote through a fifteen-foot archway, half-lit/half in shadows. Kane tiny in the priming under the archway, is dwarfed by the giant statues in the foreground, middle-ground and background as well. Jigsaw puzzles? Kane answers his own question with the same deep echoing voice. The sequence cuts back to Susan session at the tabled jigsaw puzzle, still looking offscreen. She drops a piece of the puzzle, sighs then hold her head in excrete seemingly in despair.
        Charlie? What cartridge holder is it? The shot reverses to Kane approaching. He is almost entirely shadowed in darkness.
        Eleven thirty. Kane replies. Still walking, Kane turns to his left. The camera pans right, following him.
        In impudent York? Susan asks.
        Hmm..? Kane asks not hearing.
        What time is it in New York? she asks impatiently.
        Eleven thirty, he repeats. Kane continues across the room still engulfed in darkness. As the camera pans right, to a greater extent of the rooms immense grandeur is revealed. A large staircase leaders to a large second story balcony, to a greater extent giant statues and the grandest of fireplaces fill the palatial hall. Kane and Susan continue their conversation as Kane stops beside Susan seated in front of the fireplace. Susans voice takes on a sarcastic then pleading tone as she tells Kane she is bored, then begs him for a trip to New York to have roughly fun. Kane walks to the fire place, turns to face outward in a military strength of stolid resolve.
        Our home is here Susan. I dont care to take to task New York.         This sequence is highly symbolic and significant to the films narrative. The exterior establishing shot is dark and gloomy. Welles bring forths an almost haunted theater of operations effect. This is Kanes home. It reflects Kanes own dark and sombre mood at this battery-acid in the film. Kane has failed miserably at all attempts to bring happines to his life. intimate the mansion Kane is dwarfed by Welles giant set pieces. By lighting the colossal statues and fixtures from behind and not lighting Kanes face, he is cast almost entirely in darkness Kane is literally and symbolically overshadowed by Xanadu. This place he has built stands as a greater monument to his life than do his actual acheivments. The deep focus shot in this scene helps to buzz off symbollically Kanes superlative at this point of the film . Earlier in the film Welles shot himself from the base of operations level /up to create Kanes powerful imposing stature. He even had to remove sections of floor to accomodate the camera and had to create capitals for the scenes in the newspapers office where they could be seen. It shake up Kane appear larger than life. In the Xanadu scene Kane appears tiny in the background. He has lost any power he once had; power in the publishing business, political power and the power to be happy. This deep focus shot also creates a seemingly vast distance between Kane and Susan onscreen. It is symbollic of their marriage. They have grown distant from one another after their shared existence failure. There is an atmosphere of lonelyness shared by these two characters, sprightliness in this huge dark palace with these imposing statues, where foot move echo and voices boom.
        The grand palacial interior of Xanadu resembles greatly the interior of the Empress palace in The Scarlet Empress. Sophia Frederica is summoned from Prussia to the Kremelin by the Russian Empress Catherine. She is to be the bride of the Empress nephew and heir Peter. The Empress emissary brings her to Russia by horse-carriage and sled-carriage. This sequence begins at the long journeys end with the horsemen leading the sled-carriage into the palace through a series of huge thirty-foot doors undefended by guards. Bells are chiming and the scene fades to a close-up of a huge ornate church bell. The chiming fades replaced by regal trumpets as the scene cuts to a medium distance shot of the Empress sitting on her feces. Its a striking shot, as the throne itself is massive. It is in fact a giant sculpture of a two-headed eagle. It is simply symbollic of the Empress great power. Its immense size demands the attention of the room and the viewer of the film. The camera (likely on a crane) pulls back to reveal more of the huge room. The throne is atop a grand staircase, similar to the one in Welless Xanadu.
There are smaller merely equally ornate chairs on either side of the throne for her advisors and many large gruesome looking statues and stone pit ceiling fixtures throughout the room. Not unlike Xanadu, the place has a very cold and dreary atmosphere. It reflects the psyche of the Empress who is herself cold and lacking compassion. She is a powerful woman, both frank and ruthless. This is ascertained right from when we first here her speak. The Empress walks forward down the massive steps as the envoi and Sophia and her mother approach. The scene cuts to a closer and lower, untrimmed shot of the Empress at the foot of the stairs. Her advisor is rest to her right. The envoy bows and kisses the Empress hand. Welcome home your Excellency we missed you. she says to him as he bows the she kisses him on the mouth. He steps aside as Sophia steps forward and bows. So this is little Sophie. says the Empress as she places a hand on each of Sophias shoulders and pulls her up. Sophia Frederica...hardly a name for a future tense empress. You dont like your name do you? still holding her shoulders.
        I do your Imperial Majesty she replies.
        You will be called Catherine Alexina, a good Russian name. Weve arranged a special honoring next week to receive you into our church... The Empress then congratulates Sophias (from here on known as Catherine) mother on raising a beautiful child. As the newly christened Catherine steps aside to make room for her mother, the camera cuts to a close-up of her face. Von Sternberg has a key light obviously pointed right at her face which gives her an angelic bore amidst her dreary surroundings. It serves the opposite purpose of Welles casting Kanes face in shadow in the Xanadu scene. Welles villifies his protagonist where Von Sternberg casts Marlene Deitrich in an almost saintly light. Her beautiful face is practically glowing. This helps to convey the innocence and awe of the character. The young Catherine is anxious to meet her husband and asks to meet him. He enters but has the appearance of a ill-shapen imbecile. He stands next to the young Catherine who appears confused and dissapoined. She is still light by the key light while the Duke , though standing right next to her is not illuminated. The effect created foreshadows the events of the film. She appears good and virginal in her saintly light while he is the dark and evil Duke. Young Catherine retires to her chambers where she finds herself surrounded by more huge gargoyle-like statues countless ladies in waiting cold stone fixtures and huge doors that require several people to open them. Catherine is overwhelmed by her surroundings and her circumstances. She has been stripped of her name and her religion she is far from her home and she is betrothed to a hideous imbecile. Her dreary surroundings only when add to her feelings of despair.
        Both Orson Welles and Josef Von Sternberg used set design framing and lighting to great effect in the two aforementioned films. I realize that in the space provided I have only described breifly instances of this in each film, but the scenes I have chosen are central to each fim and give good example of how their individual techniques comment on the psychology of their principle characters.
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