The Role Of Narration In Citizen Kane
“Sometimes, I think that I would prefer a rival of flesh and blood.”
In 1946, Ruth Warrick spoke these powerful words as Emily Monroe Norton Kane in the film Citizen Kane. The setting for her line is a full breakfast table that she shares with her husband Charles Kane (Orson Welles) at the beginning of their day. Warrick is referring to Welles’ character being out late the night before while working on his newspaper. We know this part of the narrative to be aptly spoken for the timing of the film, because it reflects the lack of commitment that Kane has shown to his wife during the early months of their marriage. We can pick out that the setting, context, and timing are all intricate parts in this scene of film, but what do these parts mean to the whole of the film? According to Richard Barsam and David Monahan, the authors of the work Looking at …show more content…
They explain that the narrative can be broken down into the narration and the narrator, and that they have specific jobs: “Narration is the act of telling the story. The Narrator is who or what tells the story” (122). When they join together though, they form a new meaning, “In other words, the narrator delivers the narration that conveys the narrative” (122). These are the basic element of narration and how they work. But, how does that impact our view of Citizen Kane and Orson Welles’ vision as a director? Since each director is taught these basic principles for the presentation of their story, there is a framework that they can follow while using their artistic interpretation for their story: “Filmmakers employ different approaches to the concept of narrator (who or what tells the story) and narration (how that story is told) to shape the viewer’s experience of the narrative (the story itself)” (123). For Orson Welles’, Citizen Kane challenged the way that Hollywood viewed their traditional narrative because Welles’ chose
In 1946, Ruth Warrick spoke these powerful words as Emily Monroe Norton Kane in the film Citizen Kane. The setting for her line is a full breakfast table that she shares with her husband Charles Kane (Orson Welles) at the beginning of their day. Warrick is referring to Welles’ character being out late the night before while working on his newspaper. We know this part of the narrative to be aptly spoken for the timing of the film, because it reflects the lack of commitment that Kane has shown to his wife during the early months of their marriage. We can pick out that the setting, context, and timing are all intricate parts in this scene of film, but what do these parts mean to the whole of the film? According to Richard Barsam and David Monahan, the authors of the work Looking at …show more content…
They explain that the narrative can be broken down into the narration and the narrator, and that they have specific jobs: “Narration is the act of telling the story. The Narrator is who or what tells the story” (122). When they join together though, they form a new meaning, “In other words, the narrator delivers the narration that conveys the narrative” (122). These are the basic element of narration and how they work. But, how does that impact our view of Citizen Kane and Orson Welles’ vision as a director? Since each director is taught these basic principles for the presentation of their story, there is a framework that they can follow while using their artistic interpretation for their story: “Filmmakers employ different approaches to the concept of narrator (who or what tells the story) and narration (how that story is told) to shape the viewer’s experience of the narrative (the story itself)” (123). For Orson Welles’, Citizen Kane challenged the way that Hollywood viewed their traditional narrative because Welles’ chose