Current Forum: Session 2: Film Language in Classical Hollywood Cinema	Read 6 times 	
Date: 22-Jan-2001 20:20:04	
Author: THOMPSON, GREGORY J. <gjthomps@garnet.acns.fsu.edu>	
Subject: The "Chronicle" of Sexuality in Citizen Kane 	
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       In Citizen Kane, Orson Welles has presented viewers and scholars a multitude of issues and elements to discuss. His revolutionary combination of cinematic techniques stands unsurpassed in filmmaking. Restricting oneself to an exploration of only two scenes can itself be a daunting task. 
        I agree with Aaron that Welles has presented a fragmented look at the life of this man Kane and that none of those fragments are able to add up to explain the whole man. Further, he does seem to fit the categories of white, male, heterosexual, and upper class. To explore it is necessary to explore those categories around him. 
        Two scenes strike me as being good examples of the relationship between Kane and gender--specifically feminized concern for him. The first is the scene in the Colorado boarding house where Kane's mother "signs him over" to Mr. Thatcher's care. This scene is of course is often discussed by film theorists who note the deep focus and long take of the scene. Kane is seen playing in background through as open window. His mother and Thatcher sit at the bottom right of the screen while his father stands, trying unsuccessfully to participate in his child's life. I would compare this scene with the Chronicle Report's scene at the Inquirer. In this scene it is Bernstein and Jed who sit at the bottom left of the screen and Jed expresses his concern for 
Kane. I believe we can see clearly in this scene, indications of a potentially jealous Jed who exhibits homosexual tendencies but perhaps never acts upon them. For example, in this scene he seems to take little or no interest in the dancing women, and at one point, when Kane kisses one of the women, Jed blows out his smoke with an air of disdain. He does, however, express concern for his friend, C.F. Kane. Further to accentuate the comparison between the two scenes, Kane is shown in the reflection of the window while Bernstein and Jed talk. This seems a clear recreation of the previously mentioned moment. 
       I think we clearly see the Oedipal triangle that David Simmons makes reference to from Mulvey in both these scenes. Kane is the apex of the triangle while, in the first scene, his father is to his left and his mother is to his right. In the Newspaper office scene, we see Kane again as the apex of the triangle with Jed at the left and Bernstein to the right. Furthermore, this scene exhibits two other elements of our class’ themes; race and gender. Race, at least African American, is present in this scene as the entertainment (in fact the only African Americans present in the movie are either musicians performing or servants to Kane). In this scene, the marching band is African American and at one point, as the Charley Kane song is being played, an extreme close up has the leader and three trumpets placed in a tight shot that is almost surreal. I think perhaps this maybe to indicate the surreal feeling that is occurring as Kane has transitioned from perhaps a man of principles to a man of "getting what he wants." 
       With regard to gender, clearly the dancing girls are brought in as titillating entertainment for the room full of newspaper "men." Their function is purely to serve as objects and the shot 
never allows us to see them as anything but relatively identical-looking bare legs dancing. There are no close ups. 
        Citizen Kane has remained an enigma throughout the years. Each viewing seems to bring new insight for scholars and novices. It is surely this fact that makes it such an enduring classic.