Transitions in the Opening Scene Sequences of Citizen Kane (1941)

Citizen Kane movie poster found on blog.phillynews.com

The transitions used in the scene sequences of the opening of Citizen Kane were truly remarkable, and many were used in such a short span of time. Firstly, Citizen Kane opens with a fade in of a close up shot of a no trespassing sign. Then, as the camera moves up the fence bordering Xanadu, Kane’s pleasure retreat, dissolves are utilized showing the various designs that were put into the fencing. The camera moves further and further up the fence until it reaches the top where it reveals Kane’s castle in the far distance. Dissolves continue to reveal long shot after long shot, showing the various plants and animals that live around Kane’s Castle at Xanadu. Then dissolves move the camera closer as it reveals a close up shot of the window of Kane’s sleeping quarters. Yet another dissolve moves the camera inside the room, and shots continue to dissolve revealing a snowy night sky followed by a fake house inside a snow globe. As the camera dissolves in and out ominous sounds are played in the background, intensifying the feeling that something unsavory is about to occur. The shots are also of the grounds and castle at night, adding to the foreboding. The scene cuts from the snow globe to Kane’s lips in a rather dramatic fashion, dramatizing the word rosebud that then issues from his lips. Cutting shots continue showing the snow globe rolling down the small set of stairs bordering Kane’s bed. Then the scene cuts to the snow globe falling off of the last stair and shattering on the ground. As the glass and water fly and land all over the floor, another cut in the shot reveals the nurse entering the room and then approaching Kane’s bed. Dissolving shots then show her picking up his blanket and raising it up over his head. The close up shot then fades out and a shot of the outside window fades in. As that shot fades out the shot of News on the March cuts in. The fade ins and outs are slightly quiet and calming as if not to reveal too much to the viewer, and then the cut in of News on the March is startling to the viewer as it is much louder than the previous scene. The words News on the March fade in and out and then numerous cuts occur as quotes about Kane and Xanadu move in and out of the shot. The cuts continue with few dissolves until the art and architecture of Xanadu is revealed. Wipes then occur from left to right as various forms of sculptures and art are revealed. Wipes continue, also from left to right, as the kinds and amounts of stone that were required to build Xanadu are explained and shown. Cuts then come into the shots as various species of animals are revealed in their confinements throughout the grounds of Xanadu. Continuous fade ins and outs of a quote lead to a cut of Kane’s funeral. The portraying of Xanadu ending as a quote about Kane fades in and out leading to the explanation of his business practices. Throughout the opening scene and the scene about Xanadu following the scene sequence employs fade-ins, fade-outs, dissolves, cuts, and wipes delivering a great deal of information about Xanadu and Kane in exquisite fashion. The transitions build up the dramatic response in the audience by being fast paced and thought provoking just as the actions and words of Charles Foster Kane.
Works Cited
"Citizen Kane (1941)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 7 May 2010. .
Citizen Kane. By Orson Welles. Dir. Orson Welles. Prod. Orson Welles. Screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz. Perf. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Everett Sloane, William Alland, Paul Stewart, George Coulouris, Nova Fortunio Bona, Gus Schilling, Zandt Philip. Van, Harry Shannon, and Alan Ladd. Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1941.
Corrigan, Timothy, and Patricia White. The Film Experience: an Introduction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. Print