Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Jigsaw Narrative
Multiple narrators tell he story of Charles Foster Kane's life. We see his life in a newsreel format, in Thatcher's memoirs, and as told by Bernstein, Leland, Susan Alexander, and even Raymond, the butler. What is the point of telling the story in this way? Does each narrator give a specific "spin" or have a particular bias? Does each see a distinctive aspect of Kane's personality? Is each section told in a different way, utilizing different techniques of filming (such as camera angles, deep focus, lighting, or even choice of music)? What" bang for our buck" do we get from this jigsaw narration? Is it equal to or greater than the sum of its parts?
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In the film, Citizen Kane, there are multiple narrators that tell the story of Charles Foster Kane’s life which proves that there were many different opinions and perspectives of Kane’s character and not just one set stereotype. The many diverse narrators switch multiple times during the film. The storyteller’s include a news reel, Thatcher, Kane’s business manager – Bernstein, Jedediah Leland, Kane’s second wife – Susan Alexander, and his butler – Raymond. Each raconteur sees a distinctive aspect of Kane’s personality, and gives a specific spin on Kane’s life. Many were fans of Kane like Bernstein whose love for Kane is demonstrated by the enormous painting of Kane hanging on his wall. However, some, like Susan Alexander, disliked Kane. Alexander described Kane only as an abusive husband who never gave her what she wanted. He trapped her in his overwhelming dark mansion with nothing but a jigsaw puzzle to amuse herself. He also forced her to sing even though she did not want too, but he refused to be embarrassed. The jigsaw narration provides a more insightful view into the mysterious and interesting word of Charles Foster Kane. The different perspectives pieced together create a new understanding of Kane’s life rather than if the story was just told from his perspective. The jigsaw narration is greater than the sum of its parts because the story allows the audience to have their own perspective on Kane instead of printing in their heads an idea of how they should think of him.
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