Citizen Kane: Story Review

Orson Welles's dramatic mystery, Citizen Kane, is a one of a kind of its time. Orsen Welles was the producer, writer, director, and the actor (he played Mr. Kane). Since he was involved for all these roles, the movie is his vision. The film opens with the ending of the story, with the death of Mr. Kane uttering one word... "Rosebud". Jerry Thompson a reporter with News on the March is tasked with finding out all he can about “Rosebud.” His mission it to set out to talk to those close to Mr. Kane to search for the mystery. The film is narrated my Jerry Thompson throughout the common use of flashbacks that link us to the pre-death of Mr. Kane in order to give the audience more information about the story. One interesting technique Orsen Welles used with the flashbacks was to give a look into other character perceptions, which gives more detail to the story. We see flashbacks through Walter Thatcher (Kane’s legal guardian), Mr. Bernstein (Kane’s friend/employee), Jedediah Leland (Kane’s best friend/reporter), Susan Alexander Kane (Kane’s mistress and second wife), and Raymond (Kane’s butler). The interviews Thompson has and information he gathers proves useless, as he still was unable to find out more about Mr. Kane or "Rosebud". 

Citizen Kane: Writing Critique

Citizen Kane is an original screenplay written by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orsen Welles, with additional input from John Houseman, Roger Q. Denny and Mollie Kent. This is known as Orsen's first film, and what a success it was! After the first screenplay was written by Herman J. Mankiewicz, Orsen Welles added his touches to it and did some revisions. These placed him on the map for his innovative creativity. The film began with the end of the movie and gave the audience flashbacks which allowed us to figure out and piece together what Mr. Kane meant by his symbolic dying word, "Rosebud". Starting with the end was one of many firsts for Orsen Welles, as it was something that has not been done until its time. Mr. Kane is anything but sharp with his true feelings which helps to add a sense of mystery in Citizen Kane. Other characters are more clear and open when it comes to their speech.

Shutter Island: Speech

One thing to notice in this film, which I mentioned earlier, is how the characters speak. Most characters speak a standard, “Bostonian” style, while the doctor is German, so has a German accent. The use of dialogue from the doctors appears “well educated” and “high class” compared to the two US Marshalls. Their dialogue is slightly “belittling” to the Marshalls. Whereas the Marshalls speak with authority, and speak firm. 

Shutter Island: Sound

Sound is something that no matter what has a large role in the success of a thriller film. In Shutter Island, the sound was generated by using an orchestra with both pre-recorded features and film-specific features. The sound department did a great job to keep the quality of the sound without much distortion, this goes for effects and music. For clear reasons they chose to keep the rain and storm sounds loud and clear, allowing the audience to be immersed in the sound. This loud style is very popular throughout the film. In addition, as most thrillers tend to do which this film does, is to ascend the volume of the sounds or descend the volume of the sound, depending on if the director wants to get people ready for something, or to ease them out. Thankfully, live music was used in this film versus digitally created sounds; this fits the era of the film as well.

Shutter Island: Editing

I mentioned earlier about the use of “jump cuts” that Martin Scorsese used numerous times for creating tension, and to highlight action. Cuts are very important in this film theme. As many consider this film to be a psychological thriller because it plays on your mind. The eerie landscape and location of the island; the looming lighthouse in the rough water; the jagged cliffs; the scary inmates. They all play a toll when displayed to the audience properly for the right amount of time. Cutting allows the director to create a quick “flash” to an object like when Teddy Daniels is reading Rachel Solando’s journal and the word “RUN” is clear for the audience, yet it cuts in and cuts out. These cuts where used to stimulate suspense for the audience and to keep them on their toes, like many thrillers. Those creepy movies that create a hair standing effect, yea they use these techniques as well. For emotional scenes, it cuts closer to their face and fades out. The cuts are not very noticeable to a point where it ruins the audience’s experience, as they flow and fit into the film

Shutter Island: Movement

Camera movement in Shutter Island is very constant. Martin Scorsese tends to follow a similar pattern from what is seen in his previous films. For very dramatic scenes there is minimal camera movement, as thee camera is in focus on the subject at hand. And the opposite for action scenes. He pulls the camera out further and moves along with the actors. The beginning of the film has our two US Marshalls walking with a prison guard to their side walking towards the camera as the camera moves at an equal pace. This scene is not so much an action movement but it is meant to show the landscape and the building they are entering. This is quite a common occurrence for similar scenes of the film. Our actors themselves move in a realistic manner. They walk normal pacing and run like your local mall cop (not so much a Paul Blart). These movements the camera is moving equal and glides very smoothly to prevent an interruption from our story/scene. Thankfully Martin Scorsese does not use silly animations or freeze frames. Those mechanical distortions would diminish the quality of this film for the audience. Yet, he creatively adds slow motion. It is a very minor addition nevertheless… The scene must memorable with slow motion is where Teddy is having a dream about his wife. He is clutching onto hear while she holds his arms and he is weeping. While his wife beings to become ash and dissolve in his arms, Martin Scorsese slows down the scene just enough to play out the emotional drama a tad longer. These movements really help the audience in reading the context of a scene. They encourage us if a scene is serious or important.

Shutter Island: Cinematography

The cinematography found throughout this film relate to real world in many iconic ways. The shot of the island and the shot of the prison resemble Alcatraz Island, which is very iconic and historic. The photography used produces an eerie theme. The camera man primarily keeps his target center frame. The scenes where suspense or thrill is required, we notice the camera puts the shot off to the side, pushing outside the rule of thirds. This technique works to make the audience uneasy as they are not sure if something will pop out and catch them off guard because your eyes are moved out of the center (the moments that many, including myself, cover their eyes). As for centering, it is a technique that the director uses to keep an object in the complete frame and draw importance. It was common for the action and movement scenes in Shutter Island to be centered.

Shutter Island: Mise en Scene

Above, Teddy Daniels is our man in a white jumpsuit, and the most dominant figure to first draw our eyes. The main reason for the easy visibility is due to the high contrast between the white, and the dark background. This particular scene is a long shot from far back to get a lot of the background in and using an angle to look down upon the actor. The most dominating color is blue which we see in the water and amplified to the rocks. This scene appears to be a clean shot without the use of a filter. Next to the dominant blue, the lighthouse is a great second eye-catcher. With the placement of Teddy Daniels in white and the lighthouse over the water, the rue-of-thirds is implemented. This also allows an easy open and loose framing, as the placement of all these objects suggests is continues out the frame. The characters are given plenty of room to walk around, and in this scene, there is some distance to cover to get over to the lighthouse which is far ahead of Teddy which we can tell by its depth. Teddy is facing to the right with his back towards the camera, and since he is the sole character, he doesn’t have to worry about bumping into others.

Shutter Island: Dramatization

The way Dennis Lehane wrote Shutter Island, to the screenplay adaptation by Laeta Kalogridis, the story is very visual oriented. In order for this story to be recreated for theatrical, there would be a lot of key information lost. It would not be an easy task for the staging team for creating different scenes. Just the scene of the cliff where Teddy is attempting to scale down and the camera is able to be at the top of the cliff looking down on his face so the audience can see the fear clearly expressed. This is not something a theater can recreate or something you would find at the Globe Theater. It would be difficult to say the least. The director chose that camera angle for a good reason; to show Teddy’s fear and to show the height and shape of the cliff and its dangers below. For the film in particular, numerous sets were created. I would assume they had to put in a lot of work for the asylum’s jail. The whole building was built in small scale by hand. The lighthouse scene where Teddy enters the base to view the vast amount of stairs, was actually only a portion of the stairs with a green screen on the top in order to reproduce the stairs spiraling up. The cliff when Teddy and Chuck are scouting the island, was actually about 6 feet tall next to a parking area (or concrete pad), where blue screen was laid at the base and the end of the tree line. Additionally, the costumes used were all dated 1950s attire. The US Marshall’s suits and hats, not something you see in this day of age, almost a mafia style outfit with the flat brimmed hat. For those who worked for the island, white pants and white shirts, a very common theme seen in many movies featuring an asylum (for example, One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest). The actors do retain their natural looks though, as there is very little makeup to alter their appearances.

Shutter Island: Acting Review

Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley are all professional actors and most certainly quite popular. Leonardo DiCaprio is the headlining star as we know. These actors are very important to the success of the film. They each bring their own style to the table for the director to use how he pleases. Martin Scorsese has had a connection with Leonardo for years, as you can see he plays in a number if Martin’s films. Be that as it is, Leonardo brings artistic skills which I am sure he has a say in. Throughout the film, there are a number of “jump cuts” and few cuts in which the actor didn’t finish his line or her/she made an error. These “jump cuts” however may be purposeful to create a tension effect (i.e. looking into different directions). Highlighting is clearly evident. I mean, Martin has a thing for Leonardo, so expect to see Leonardo because he is the giant head on the poster, and more realistically, he is the main character. This is quite noticeable as he has been in a number of box office hits throughout the past few years. The style of his acting is very iconic, as it doesn’t change much, if the slightest. His values always portray “the American dream” (i.e. The Great Gatsby, The Wolf of Wall Street). The idea many at a young age look to obtain. Each actor is using a 1950s stylized approach to acting, from their dialogue, to their gestures, and to their movements (body language, person-person interactions). Ben Kingsley, who portrays Dr. Crawley, actually looks like a doctor with his serious looks and smart tongue. Mark Ruffalo, who portrays Chuck Aule, maintains facial expressions well, or he always looks that way, because his face makes you wonder what is wrong with Teddy Daniels, pay attention and you’ll notice it too. 

Kick Ass: Mise En Scène

Matthew Vaughn's Kick Ass, is a classic take on action and humor with the creative use of comic styling. Kick Ass involves crime fighting "super heroes" who are trying to make a difference in their life. For this analysis, we will be looking at the Mise En Scène for this particular frame:

Mindy, aka Hit Girl, is the center of the frame. We can clearly see that she is what the director wanted eyes to focus on. The effect of the high-key lighting in the background spotlights the character by creating strong contrast of her dark outfit, while the medium shot leaves the additional dark bookshelves on the left and right sides of the frame. The camera proxemic range is social, as it appears to be roughly 10 feet away facing slightly upward from waist height. The color used is primarily black with the vibrance turned down slightly with no appearance of a filter being used with the standard lens. Our subsidiary contrasts in this frame include the 3 dead villains and the one behind the right bookshelf who is half in frame and half out frame. Also noted, the density, as there is high contrast and a lot of texture details, such as the bookshelves. The bookshelves shape the composition of the frame to be segmented into the center, creating a funnel-like directive. This suggests action and movement. The form of the frame is definitely closed, as it is unrealistically balanced for the left and right due to where the objects and figures are placed. We can see that Mindy is mid sprint charging at her enemies, and on the verge of a juke/dodge, suggesting a loose framing because there is room to move. Mindy is almost at the villain behind the bookshelf in this frame, as we can tell he is in the foreground (and closer to the camera) by the angle of his gun barrel. Mindy would technically be in the foreground, as the dead villains lay in the midground and the elevator door is the background. As for placement and positioning, which is side by side with depth, Mindy is our main character so as such she is placed right in the middle so all eyes are on her. Her head is at a slight angle to the right while her body is facing directly at the camera. Our dead villains lay on their backs sprawled out, below the horizon line at the edges of the bookshelves leaving the center clear, almost like a runway. And the one villain left, well he is all by himself at the right edge of the frame, slightly outside of it as well, facing towards Mindy with his back to the camera because he is up to no good. Our foreground characters proxemics are personal, along with our main character's slain enemies. 

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: Acting Review

"One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" directed by Milos Forman, features a man who fakes being crazy in order to leave prison and transfer to a mental institution where he can escape labor duties. R.P. McMurphy is played by Jack Nicholson, one of the stars in the movie. In addition, Louise Fletcher (playing Nurse Ratched), Danny DeVito (played Martini), and Christopher Lloyd (playing Taber). From a viewers response, it seems that the actors had much influence into the artistic collaboration of the film. The ongoing conflicts between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched is a great example of that. Jack Nicholson brings some of his own style that we have seen in other movies, such as The Shining, into his scenes. It must have been difficult for Louise Fletcher to keep a straight, serious face during those times. The director kept the stars in ensemble for many scenes without solely highlighting only one star, except for Jack Nicholson who was in a majority of the scenes.

Shutter Island: Ideology Critique

For Shutter Island, a mystery thriller directed by Martin Scorsesse, the ideology was not so simply displayed. There is essentially no good guy or bad guy. The protagonist is Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his journey is to uncover the disappearance of a missing women. Our missing women could be labeled as the "bad guy (women)" because she is claimed to be a child murderer, except we do not actually witness the conflict. In addition, we do not witness any good vs bad conflict entirely. In fact, the only real conflict seems to be inside of Daniels head, as he struggles with the haunting memories of his past. In terms of morals, the inmates of the asylum are all distinguished by their gloomy-grey outfits. The "doctors" and staff members are outfitted in bright white jackets and pants. The inmates act somewhat emotionless and "zombie-like" which fits the atmosphere of an asylum.

Blade Runner: Ideology Critique

The Sci-Fi movie Blade Runner (1982), directed by Ridley Scott, is a leap into the future if you viewed this movie back in the 80's. Otherwise today it looks like the timeline is somewhat off, as the setting is supposedly in 2019 in the city of Los Angeles. A city jam-packed full of people and large looming structures. Our protagonist, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) who is a Blade Runner, is forced to re-enter the police force to hunt down and terminate four rouge replicants that escaped on earth. The replicants are robots made to look like humans yet without emotion, and they are trying to find their creator so that they could have their lifespan extended as they are only built to last a total of four years. They are presumed as bad because they are not human, even though they are just looking to live a longer life as they are afraid to die, a human trait. The morals of the society has it set upon them that because the replicants are of inhuman nature they don't deserve a sense of equality. We see that Deckard's life is rough, and he is low on the economic scale. He lives in a crowded area of the city that is dark, dingy and not a place I would ever want to raise children. Deckard seems to undergo a change of emotion after first discovering that Rachel (Sean Young), is actually a replicant after attempting the test upon her. He begins to care about her and understand that maybe not all replicants are presumed bad as they have previously been labeled due to the other's past actions. In addition to the economic scale, it seems Ridley Scott was attempting to show the viewers how he envisions the populated city of real-life Los Angeles. As all the crowds are gathered in chaos on ground level, we see that the higher up we go, the less chaos there is, which portrays the higher economic class in addition to the "off-world" society constantly advertised across the city. The costumes for those below are worn-out, dirty and correctly represent what class they are. Then we see the costumes of higher class, such as Dr. Eldon Tyrell (Joe Turkel), a clean, well-fitting suit that looks expensive. This is a very similar representation of our current society and how we have spit into these economic classes of poor and rich. And even more-so, equality. As the replicants are disregarded. Yet it is the ending when Deckard sees the underlined emotion of replicants when his life is spared. We are hinted through the actions in the movie to cherish life and not take it for granted, so live it to the fullest just as Roy (Rutger Hauer) said he had before his time came to an end.

Shutter Island: Writing Critique

The original writing for Shutter Island is by Dennis Lehane, who wrote the novel in April 2003, and was then adapted into film by Laeta Kalogridis. Dennis Lehane's novel has been a #1 Bestseller and had been critically acclaimed for how well it has been written. As for the adapted screenplay, it was perfectly in context with the novel.

The writing is not very talky as it mainly illustrates dramatic camera scenes and actions of our characters. For the times when dialogue is present, we can understand it well as the speech is clear, concise and articulated well. There are times when dialogue is not as clear because of the nature of the speech, as in paranoia, mumbling, and sleep deprivation. Yet this helps us to uncover further details of the characters, while the nitty-gritty information comes solely from visual camera scenes, like the scene of Teddy Daniels' dead wife or him clutching to the rocks when attempting to scale a ravenous cliff. Thanks to Daniels, we view the story primarily through his eyes, if you pulled his eyes out and set them in a 360 degree motion around his head. So it is sort of a 3rd person/ alternate viewing style because we see and think what Daniels does, and yet we see, but not think, what others see and think of Daniels.

Shutter Island: Story Critique

The old-world mystery thriller, Shutter Island, written by Laeta Kalogridis and Dennis Lehane, and directed by Martin Scorsese, is a story about uncovering the mystery of madness. This is a screenplay guided by the original novel of Dennis Lehane, who also wrote the screenplay for the film.

Martin Scorsese, who is also known for great works such as Goodfellas and The Departed, digs into his style of dark and gothic to bring us this film that leaves the audience on the edge of their seats. And he did not disappoint! He created the shuddering feelings found in an audience when watching a horror film, except he leaves the shocks and screams out. Its a unique style as there is a scare with no shock.

Shutter Island, takes place in 1954 on a remote and brittle island off the coast of Boston where an old Civil War fort has been converted into a prison for the criminally insane. The setting is first interpreted from the sea as a boat guilds its way through the dense fog of the gloomy sky. This provokes emotion for viewers and sets up the theme of the story.

Our story follows two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), as they make way to investigate the disappearance of a child murderer Rachel Solando. Throughout the story we are given hints of the details of our supposed protaganist Teddy Daniels. In the beginning, we learn that something is not right about him. His seasickness and depressing memories of his lost wife tell us hes broken. Additionally, we are given longer memory flashbacks of his wife and his 2 children which appear at different times during the film when insight is needed. With everyone questioning Daniels and being "strange" around him, as an audience member, you develop intrigue for who this man is. As he obviously suffered from a devestating loss of his wife and children, he was also a WWII veteran, and had to witness many horrors when his unit liberated a Nazi concentration camp, which would play an affect on any man's mind.