Deep focus in Welles' Citizen Kane (1941)

Starts around at 0:44 = key scene from Welles' Citizen Kane to illustrate Bazin's 'forbidden montage' theory = the action takes place between planes instead of between shots separated by cuts = preserves realism (creating unity in space / time), plus democratizes the view (relying on the viewers' inferential intelligence).
Bazin isn't against montage or editing in general, only against montage which interrupts, ceases the dramaturgical space-time unity / integrity of an action: "anytime two or more objects/subjects are necessary to the construction of meaning in a scene, depth of field is preferable over editing." (1950-55)

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• visual glossary
• Welles
• Citizen Kane
• forbidden montage
• Bazin
• realism

[mikissi]

@leofilm Gregg Toland’s composition, of course is a trick, but a trick that plays with depth of field (see Robert Carringer: 'The Making of Citizen Kane', 1985), which were regarded even by Welles as “big fake” (Welles: 'This Is Orson Welles / Orson Welles and Peter Bogdanovich.' , Jonathan Rosenbaum (ed.), 1992, 79).

[leofilm]

this is actually a trick. this isn't done with the deep focus lens, but rather it was done by shooting the foreground separately. except for the projector room scene, this is actually one of the first shots of the film done. if you notice, she's NOT in focus, but the door is. there's a similar shot in the film, which actually was done with the deep focus lens.