Citizen Kane - Form and Function of the Opening Sequence

Citizen Kane (1941), directed by Orson Welles has probably one of the most iconic opening sequences in the history of cinema. The film is about the investigation of the death of Charles Kane and the mystery behind his last words, which are introduced to the audience in the opening sequence of the film. The opening sequence opens with a close up shot of a sign showing “No Trespassing,” there is then a series of close up shots that pan upwards showing various fencing and stained windows, these shots are all edited to fade into each other.

A close up shot of the gates to the estate of Charles Kane then fades onto the screen with the actual castle fading in as part of the background, some more setting shots are introduced during this part of the scene. These shots are essential as apart of the mise-en-scene as they provide the audience with the setting of the film which helps create the atmosphere and is the first introduction of the film for the viewers. 

Cinematography is done extremely well in this scene, perhaps the most significant cinematography used in this scene is when there is an extreme close-up of a snow globe with the “snow falling” which gives the impression that it is snowing, although the camera then quickly zooms out and we see that it is in fact a snow globe.

The snow-globe then tumbles to the ground and shatters, the next shot is one of the most interesting in the opening sequence, the camera zooms in on part of the shattered snow globe and we can see a nurse enter the room, the effect that this shot gives is that it appears as though it has an fish-eye effect added to it.

Before this shot, there is an extreme close-up of Kane’s mouth with him saying the most recognisable and important lines in the film, “Rosebud.” This encourages the audience to think about what the line “Rosebud” could mean in relation to the rest of the plot. The nurse previously mentioned is then seen covering the mans body with a blanket which confirms to us that he has in fact died, which is a fundamental part in introducing the plot to the audience.

All throughout this scene, typical haunting music is used as non diegetic sound, this can be heard by the audience which is extremely important in revealing to us what genre the movie is and what is to be expected from the film and adds to the mystery atmosphere created in this opening scene. The music also “provides rhythm and deepens emotional response.” (Corrigan and White 195).

Welles does an extremely effective job of creating an opening scene that creates the first initial atmosphere to the audience. The main film techniques to do this are cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing and sound, they are all used adequately to establish the film and to draw the audience into watching the film.  

References:

Citizen Kane. Dir. Orson Welles. Mercury Productions, 1941. Film.

Corrigan Timothy and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. 3rd ed. Boston/New York: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2012. Print.

gyptheblood "Kane Opening." Youtube. 17 December 2007. Web video. 21 April 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=91&v=-r0b_XeRkG4.