Citizen Kane Part 1

Currently in Mr. Bennetts film class, we're watching a historically significant movie, Citizen Kane. While we haven't finished watching the movie yet, at the very least, the plot is about the mystery of the death of Charles Foster Kane, a relevant newspaper magnate.

Throughout the movie, one motif has stood out to me immensely. The motif of the windows, to me, represents the revealing of more beyond the surface. Each time a window is shown, when Kane is shown bedridden with his snowglobe, or when Kane, Leeway and Berstein are discussing matters in the office, the window is always shown to reveal the inner thoughts, conscience and emotion.

For example, the first occurence of a window is when Kane is shown at the moment of his death with the snowglobe in his hand. The window is shown first, and then the camera zooms in upon Kane himself, as the window indicates the entrance of more than meets the eye.

When Kane, Leeway and Bernstein are discussing matters within the office, the camera zooms in from the window as they continue to talk amongst themselves. The motif of the window speaks true again because when we enter the scene from the window, it reveals their hidden motives, allusions, foreshadowing and so much more.

The motif of windows will surely stand out as the film continues on.