Citizen Kane might seem quaint or basic by today's standards, but it's astounding what they were able to accomplish by basically saying "why not?" when trying new techniques.
Absolutely! I personally think it’s still amazing. I had to rewatch it to make this video and I still was blown away by some of the tricks they pulled. So much to learn from it!
Another really good video! I think what makes Citizen Kane so good is that all the technical advances were in service of telling the story effectively. Every bit of style had a strong storytelling reason for being there. I shot a black and white feature film years ago (I can post a RU-vid link to it if anyone cares to see it) where Toland's photography was in the back of mine and the other filmmakers' minds. Our film ended up looking a more like conventional Hollywood films, but in the end, that made more sense for the story we were telling. Anyway, Citizen Kane has always been a great inspiration for both my film making and still photography.
Thanks for sharing that Lars, do share a link to your movie here :) it would be nice for people to check it out, thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts!
Fantastic, thought-provoking video. It makes me want to eschew the contemporary focus on sharpness and saturation and play around with shadow, low key lighting, and grain. Thanks for all you to do to guide us to think about our photography.
In the modern era I would recommend as a must view for photographers is the final season of Better Call Saul. You can watch it with the sound off and see absolutely incredible work from beginning to end. I can’t stress this enough. It’s legendary for its work with wide angle, hard shadows, etc, etc. etc.
Every film school begins by dissecting Kane. Even film buffs can discuss the way it changed cinematography and filmmaking as we know it. Glad to see photographers learning from this as well.
I think all creatives benefit from it, if you’re a writer it’s storytelling and structure. If you’re a painter, a photographer, a filmmaker, the composition of different shots, lighting, perspective … for filmmakers still the editing. I think overall it’s still a masterclass these days on many creative aspects (in my opinion) :) thanks for watching!
There is also, in these two films, the slight and occasional use of "Dutch Tilt" as used in Fritz Lang's later films. If used properly "Dutch Tilt" (or, more properly, "Deutsch" tilt), it adds a bit of optical disorientation for the viewer that adds drama and often a surreal effect. It's a great effect for still photography if not carried too far.
Well, superb, as always. Love that you mentioned the then recent technical advances that Toland explored so he could better tell the story from Welles's and his own standpoint. Also fascinating to know that he wanted to learn about other aspects of filmmaking so he could better enhance and incorporate them into his visual narrative. BTW, watched The Dark Angel after I saw your post about this video and loved it. Then watched These Three, which coincidentally also stars Merle Oberon, who was in The Dark Angel and Wuthering Heights. These Three is not as visually stunning as Toland's other work, but I love the sense of intimacy and how it captures the desperation and consequences of lies told with malicious intent to harm, even if those lies are told by a child. Interesting note: These Three was directed by William Wyler, who in 1961 remade the film but more closely based on the original play by Lillian Hellman, who penned The Little Foxes, which Toland was also DP on and was also a William Wyler film. And yes, I've watched both These Three and The Children's Hour way more times than I can count. Oh, and Miriam Hopkins stars in both These Three and The Children's Hour, in, of course, different roles. It is sad that Gregg Toland died so young. And love that quote by him you used to close this. Thank you.
Hi Fernando! Thanks so much for watching and I’m glad you watched them, I personally preferred Dark Angel over These Three. I also watched Long Voyage recently and it was pretty good!
@@TatianaHopper I can't recall The Long Voyage Home, but it reminds me of Voyage of the Damned, and with Toland, John Ford, and its cast, it is now on my list.
@@fernandosocorro4175for sure! I love John Ford and I’ve watched so many of his movies (I love Westerns as well which helps). My darling clementine is one of my favourites!
Love this. Everything is built on the work of previous generations - I'm relieved that we have channels like this continuing to tell the story of how we got here. Learned some new things today. Also, love the quote at the end.
Excellent video Tatiana, your technical and creative knowledge of cinematography as well as photography never ceases to amaze me. I certainly would love to see more of these types of videos. Very well done my friend! 😎❤
Such a great video! 😍❤ I enjoyed it a lot! Since I re-watched my favorite 2 Orson Welles movies "Citizen Kane" & "The Trial" last week. BTW, if you want, try adding their names in the video title maybe between brackets! I'm sure it will help you get more views when somone sarches by typing either of ttheir names (Orson Welles & Gregg Toland). All the bes!❤🙏
I love how much I learn from your videos. You ask about other filmmakers. I always felt every scene in Scorcese's "Raging Bull" could be a beautiful still frame.
Thanks so much for this. Some great insights and reflections. Your presentations are always a great learning experience. You are very thorough with your research and presentation. Impressive. Well done.
Great vid! Welles was literally a genius. He had an IQ of 185 and was only 25 when he made C. Kane....quite remarkable. He once made a flippant remark in a Dick Cavett interview (on RU-vid) that filmmaking was not that difficult and anyone can learn it in a day and half. Truly a great actor, filmmaker, director, producer and Hollywood character. ... and he married Rita Hayworth!😎
I also think he must’ve had a great IQ, his Shakespearean adaptions really blew me away, particularly Macbeth! And yes that’s correct he married her but I think his life really took a turn after the magnificent ambersons !
I remember seeing Wells on a talk show many years ago and he said that the only good roles he ever had were those that he wrote for himself. He would liked to have played Don Corleone in The Godfather but was never asked.
First time I saw Citizen Kane it was clear to me it was a photographer's movie, but in the American way. Not as artistic as Antonioni's movies, but in a more commercial way. I was impressed and could only imagine tha impact it had at the time. Amazing! Welles was a very special mind, that pushed many boundaries. The result of their union couldn't be anything less than Citizen Kane!
Absolutely I often wonder if the studios had given them the freedom he wanted. And he and Toland continued to work together the amazing achievements they would accomplish and the innovation. But still Citizen Kane was a great gift! Thanks for watching Jose!
I recall a Welles interview, in which he said (paraphrasing here), "Preparing for Kane, I told Gregg I was new to film directing and didn't know what was possible or not possible. Gregg assured me that I could dream up any shot I wanted and he would at least give it his best try. He encouraged me to be as creative as I wished. This was the key to the visual success of Kane. I would tell Gregg I wanted something most cinematographers would say is impossible, but Gregg took on the challenge and made these new kinds of shots not only possible, but artistically successful. I owe Kane, in large part, to Gregg Toland."
Hello Tatiana!! I hope all is well with you! I just caught this video and it dawned on me, I've not seen you in my feed for awhile....ugh, RU-vid. I'll make sure and go back to see what I've missed recently. Anyway, what a great presentation!! I've been a HUGE Hitchcock fan for both story, movie but also for getting stills ideas. Believe it or not, I've not see Citizen Kane yet although I've recorded it a number of times on TCM. I'm not as familiar with Wells.....and I see I need to watch a lot of him! With this being the US Thanksgiving long holiday weekend, I'm going to try to give this a watch for sure and look at the cinematography and what you commented on!!! I'll explore Wells other works too. I can't remember if you've done much in depth on Hitchcock, but if not he might be at least a 2-3 parter....I saw one study that was fascinating about how he used camera position and actor postings changing in one long scene to show the flow of "power" and control between the characters over time....something that does hit you on a subconscious level... Stuff like that. Anyway, I"m rambling, again....so happy to see you again, I really love your work. Take care, CC
Very interesting and very well done. I’m not into cinema or video, but enjoy the techniques shown in your video that can be applied to photography. Thank you for this! ✌️🌹
Thank you yet another great video. One of the most "photographic" films I have seen is The Party (2017). I would love to see you include it in a future video.
Another great mini documentary about a photographer/cinematographer who contributed so much with filmmaking. Because of his attention to detail, his willingness to study and experiment with filmmaking, Toland changed the course of cinematography. Provide some background, Gregg Toland worked on some 68 films during his brief career. He not only worked on Citizen Kane, but Dead End (1937), Wuthering Heights (1939), Kidnapped (1938), The Westerner (1940), The Outlaw (1943) actress Jane Russell's first #film, Song of the South (1946) (because of the #film's racial stereotypes, it's unavailable for viewing), The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947) and directed the short film December 7th about the attack on Pearl Harbor. All this before dying in his sleep from coronary thrombosis on 28th September 1948. However, his work on those great #films continues to be inspiration for many of today's new filmmakers.
He was a GREAT MOTION PICTURE GIANT! Sadly he was very depressed & obese and struggled to make his spectacular vision the way he wanted in his movies later on…very sad life. Hollywood and his lifestyle killed him. The man left his family for his Gf…who sadly even gave out his editing blueprint’s to Oliver Stone while trying to fund “The Other Side of the Wind” Oliver Stone being a smart man, knew the film would never see the light of day & stole the editing and implemented it into JFK. Tragic. The Other Side of the Wind is a great example of how to edit a moving picture.
If I remember well, Welles insisted that he was going to share the end credits with Tolland. I think it's the only time that a director shared the frame with someone else.
That’s correct, however I also discovered during the making of this video that other directors shared the credits with Tolland, if I’m not mistaken John Ford was one of them. From what I read Toland was the only cinematographer who had that happening back in the day. Thanks for watching!
OK... GREAT REVIEW OF CITIZEN KANE! I don't remember CK looking SO SHARP! I remember a lot of SOFT focus... I have the Warner 70th Anniversary Blu-Ray set... Not the 4K though. Are your stills from the 4K disks? I suppose I need to re-watch these disks! IMHO
Very well done. Would love to see you explore the work and expertise of Alexander MacKendrick. I--and many others--had the distinct privilege and pleasure of learning from "Sandy" at California Institute of the Arts...where he was the visionary head of Film Department. A number of his former students have distinguished themselves as exceptional/celebrated Filmmakers.
I’m glad you enjoyed and learn something new in this video, if you have a chance give some of his other movies a watch, it’s worth it, photographically speaking :)
@@aes53 somewhere along the comment section someone commented some biographical details about him, it’s worth it if you find that comment for a short summary :)
Your best one yet !🥰 ( Although there is nothing wrong with the others ...!) Have a look at 'The tragedy of Mac Beth " (2021) ! You will be jumping in your seat ! ( Do like your ring )
Really interesting video … sadly I gave up as I got hit by your ad algorithm at the crucial points … also if I may make a slight observation, your white font and size were challenging to read … especially for some of us more age challenged viewers! 😂
When Bogie talks to the military priest in Dead Reckoning, like your thumbnail, his face is in the shadows. A Toland borrow? You know Alain Resnais wanted Kodak to make a batch of film that didn't suppress the halo quality silent films had where the whites would bleed, for Last Year In Marienbad. Kodak didn't. Which is fine with me. Resnais was a nut for the silent and comic books.
If Too Much Johnson can be discovered, why can’t Welles’s original cut of Magnificent Ambersons be found? The print that was sent to Brazil and not sent back. Oh the cruelty! 😩
@@ackamack101 I think back in the 80s or late 70s somewhere in Canada some people found in their backyard a hole with loads of film cans from classic Hollywood movies. I don’t really remember the name but this event had a named and they uncovered movies from the 30s etc .. so maybe this will happen again. One can only hope ✨
Poured my favourite libation, settled back and made myself comfy to watch another of your excellent video’s! Now I know what I’ll be watching this evening after having poured myself another! Ta very much! 📷🥃🎬🎥🙂
Really enjoyed that one and love the synergies between movies & photography. Would like to recommend the Spielberg/Slocombe combo in Raiders of the Lost Ark (discussed here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ItbCLh4Auoo.htmlsi=LhbACpuuIL9ma2ur) and also the Mendez/Deakins genius of 1917 (Roger Deakins also dabbles in photography - his books are well worth a look). The Soderberg cut of Raiders removing the soundtrack & colour really allows focus on blocking and staging and reveals just how good this film was even without dialogue/music/colour.
