CIN201Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Citizen Kane, Nuclear Family
Mar. 3, 2017
CIN201 TUTORIAL 2.7
• During the War, Roosevelt is very liberal
• After the war, the Republican government is very conservative
• U.S. had allied with Russia during the war and they had been fighting fascism together
“The Best Years of Our Lives”
- Film was considered an issue by HUAC
- Propaganda capitalism = people come back from the war and can't get jobs,
- Argument with guy that ends with him being thrown into the glass the guy is a Patriot,
against the Communists, but also questions the government sending people to fight the
war that wasn’t theirs, argues that they were also on the wrong side (later on, this would
have been seen as Communist) Right-Wing re-imagining of the war
- Equality in the war, but then they come home and are clearly in three separate classes
- Re-integration of men calls into question the role of the banks, marriage (the nuclear
family), etc.
One couple has been together for a while but has overcome issues, one woman
chooses to stay regardless, the other divorces and then there is a bridge between
the classes with the new relationship breakdown of relationships, examining
different kinds of relationships, difference between social norms before and after
the war, women have more choice, etc.
REPRESENTATIVE OF BAZINIAN REALISM
• Bazin sees documentary ethos arrival at the beginning, daily city life, Fred touring
the airplane graveyard (documentary aesthetic)
- Also an element of documentary realism in the casting of Homer (he actually was
a WW11 vet, takes the hooks off and the audience sees that he actually has no
hands) violence to the body during the war is showcased by this character
throughout
• Walls of set sometimes had to be removed to get depth of field that the director wanted
• Realist elements (from the three elements outlined in Bazin’s perspective on Renoir)
deep focus (mainly), camera movements (somewhat), also a focus on longer takes
(eliminated cutting more than a typical Hollywood film
“The Best Years of Our Lives”: Break-Up Scene in the Bar
- Multiple planes of action (all 3 planes can be seen equally clearly)
- Third plane of action is the most important, and that’s highlighted by Al looking at Fred
for most of the scene (the piano playing isn’t as significant to the narrative, even though
it’s a part of Homer’s storyline)
- Realism in deep focus
Toland’s mise-en-scène is defined by its absence
It focuses entirely on the actors, flattens the planes of field for a more realistic
view (compares to Wells’ Citizen Kane and Rules of the Game)
Wyler’s request was to create neutral/honest lighting manipulated the aesthetic a
lot
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