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Citizen Kane-Narrative Perspective

            Citizen Kane, produced by Orson Welles and acclaimed as one of the greatest films of our time, was composed of many different layers. Through symbolic imagery and creative mise-en-scene, Welles sutured the audience to the film. Other notable cinematographic aspects were the use of time and the use of sound (diegetic and non-diegetic.) The one aspect of this film that stuck out to me the most was the way narrative perspective introduced a relationship of trust between the audience and the characters and affected the way the audience interpreted the story.
             An aspect of trust was introduced into the film in reference to narrative perspective. Throughout the movie, we got different accounts of certain epochs of Kane's life. The only way we could view the film was with a sense of security in the accuracy of information we received. At the beginning of the film, the audience received an outline of Charles Foster Kane's life through a newsreel. We were lead to believe that everything was cut and dry. It was only later that we found out what went on behind the scenes and the idea of who Kane really was to those around him. Here, the newsreel served as a map for the story. It guided us through the story and allowed each person who was interviewed to provide the detailed narrative of the events.
             The way the film was set up, the story of Charles Kane's life could only be told through multiple perspectives. Therefore, the film was one of a quest for characters, rather than a quest for facts. Even after the characters were found, we could not be sure how biased the information was from each source. For example, the diary of Thatcher seemed as though it would be an unbiased source, but Thatcher was one of Kane's biggest critics. He disagreed with his career moves and let it be known. Thatcher thought of himself as rescuing the young Mr. Kane and therefore could not see why he would turn down inherited money for the simple newspaper business.


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