Citizen Kane: Composition

One of the biggest factors contributing to Orson Welles' Citizen Kane status as the one of the best films ever made is the shot composition. The film was blessed to have brilliant cinematographer Gregg Toland working on the film who provided us with some of the most recognizable shots in Cinema i.e. Rosebud. Two particular segments of the film that caught my attention in terms of Cinematography were the election scene and his marriage to Susan.
In the election scene, we see Kane at his most powerful which makes sense as he is closest to achieving his goal of love from the people. He is shown at a low angle huge image of himself, possibly mirroring his self-admiration. He talks about the wrongdoing of BOSS JIM GETTYS!!!! and how he'll stop all the greedy businessman amid the cheers of his supporters. It then takes an interesting turn as it flashed to Gettys in the box above Kane staring down, at a more insignificant Kane, with deep space composition. This series of shots is interesting and intriguing because it really paints a portrait of a the situation faced by Kane and shows varying degrees of power between the characters.
The other notable segment is when Kane is when, after his wife left him, Kane walks past a mirror with an infinite amount of reflections "mirroring" the many incarnations of Kane we've seen so far and relates to "a word can't describe a man's life" message at the end of the film. Kane ,in the shot, also seems to be highly reflective as he has lost what he loved just like so many times before and how his wealth has gotten him nothing "real". This shot is particularly effective because of its vast importance to the themes of the film and the character of Kane himself ,as this is his last stop in a life "well-lived".
The place where Toland seemed to compose the shots poorly was the shot where Kane typed the rest of the review for Susan's debut performance with deep space composition. Kane is a t the front with Leland in mid ground and Bernstien in the background. The reason this could be better is because Kane is letting his desire to be seen a certain way is at its strongest  and you could make the argument that this actually makes him weaker rather than vice versa. A different shot that ironically highlights the idealism of Kane would serve the scene better.
The composition is similar and likely inspired the later work of Stanley Kubrick paticularly the film Clockwork orange which also consist of various longshots with intense deeper meaning of themes and the characters.

1935 film proect

The Booze Baron of the Bronx!

History: In 1935 the American people forgot about the troubles of the depression by turning to the movies and one thing they were particularly infatuated with was the concept of gangsters from the Prohibition era. This film will come after the runaway success of  1932's Scarface but will instead follow two  New York cops trying to stop the "the booze baron" and portraying him and his cronies as morally bankrupt dregs of society in order to comply with the hays code. The film will fit right to other exciting films like Mutiny on the Bounty or the 39 steps which also came out that year.

The Studio: I will be going with Warner Brothers as they are the studio most experienced with the "gangster" genre, are good at deconstructing American society and cater to the working class audience who would most enjoy this picture as it distracts them from the toil of their everyday lives. The first cop will be an Irish immigrant played by George Brent that doesn't back down from a fight and his partner played by who thinks everything through portrayed by Paul Muni. The "booze Baron" will be played by James Cagney.

Story:The story is based off the story of Arthur Simon Flegenheimer AKA Dutch Schultz (he was still alive at the time so a likeness will be used instead). The story revolves around two cops who seek to take down the powerful mobster after one of their own is killed in the crossfire of a gangland dispute. They destroy and shut down several of his brewing operations, leaving the mobster very angry. so angry he bribes He bribes the corrupt police brass to take our two heroes off the force. Downtrodden and defeated, they leave their badges only to find out about the corruption and be reinstated. they finally get the Booze baron on corruption charges and lock him away for good.

The cast/crew:

Director:Howard Hawks

Starring: James Cagney, Paul Muni, and Geroge Brent

Cinematographor: Tony Gaudio

Technology/industry:The hays code severely limits the amount of violence and debauchary the film can show compared to previous ones which is why a good cinematographer is so essential to this film's success. The film will be in black and white as it better fits the tone of the film than color would and would be reminisecent  of the popular, earlier gangster films.

   

MYST 1: American History X

What could be more American than racism?

 This nation has historically been the site of intense racial prejudice and spectacular 1998 film American History X seeks to paint a picture about the state of racism today, (or a least in the last 20 years).This film is one of those movies that flashes between the past and the present day, represented by black-and-white and color, respectively. The transitions from past to present, however, are extremely smooth and help convey the development of the main character.  The story revolves around a young man: Derrick, played by Edward Norton in one of the best performances of his career, and his brother Danny, played by Edward Furlong. Derrick is a notorious former neo-nazi skinhead who has recently been released from prison for the murder of an African-American and has become disillusioned to the white power movement while in prison.

 This film turns out to be as good as it is shocking, just as any politically charged film with controversial subject matter, and displays scenes of intense violence and racism. A good drinking game(if you're 21) for this movie would be to take a shot every time you see a swastika because there are a lot along with other racist images, slurs, and symbols and when these come together  it produces some of the most moving shots in cinema history. For example after coming home Derrick, is just getting out of the shower. He looks in the mirror in a medium shot and lays his hand upon the huge swastika on his chest realizing that the symbol and what it represents have not caused his life to get better and it is to blame for all for his time in prison.

While Derrick was incarcerated Danny has become more and more involved with the movement. The film brilliantly uses Derrick's past to portray the evolution and eventual metamorphosis of a racist and how Danny seems to be heading down the same path. This connects to a theme that really captures modern racism within the film which is how easily the hate and anger present in so many people of all races and creeds can be exploited and how impressionable they can be, this is especially present in Danny as we see how all the people in his life are seeking to make him think a certain way.

This film is very interesting in its portrayal of modern racism as it generally unbiased as it shows that contrary to what the skinheads and most people think about it, it's not all black and white. (this is likely why the parts of the film in the past are in Black-And-White) Rather racism is shown as a complex gray area with points on both sides this is true in one scene where Derrick and his family discuss the recent events

All in All American History X succeeds in painting a portrait of racism today that both you and your secretly racist Grandfather can appreciate. It has remained relevant throughout the, admittedly through circumstance rather than choice, but that doesn't change the fact that this film is for this generation a beacon of tolerance and understanding. I'd like to end the review with a quote from the movie which is truly the most timeless element of the film: "Hate is baggage, life is too short to be pissed off all the time, it's just not worth it." I rate this film a 9.75/10