Briefly explain why Welles is considered an auteur, using Citizen Kane to illustrate

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. Kane is the work of an indisputable auteur. Welles not only produced the film, he also coauthored its script, selected the cast and crew, starred in its leading role, and directed the entire production without interference.
2. The movie is also typical in that it explores a complex of characteristic Wellesian themes and is executed in a showy style that became a virtual signature of its author. Welles was always generous in his praise of his coworkers, especially actors and cinematographers, but there is no question that he was totally in command during the production of this film.
3. Citizen Kane is a masterpiece of formalism. There are some realistic elements in the film—its basis in fact, the newsreel sequence, the deep-focus photography that was so highly praised by realist critics like André Bazin. For the most part, however, it’s the bravura sequences that are most memorable in the movie.
4. Welles was one of the great lyricists of the cinema, and his stylistic rapture is best illustrated by the ornate visuals, the dazzling traveling shots, the richly textured soundtrack, the kaleidoscopic editing style, the highly fragmented narrative, and the profusion of symbolic motifs. The movie is brazen in its technical audacity.