Childhood in "Citizen Kane" (1941), directed by Orson Welles

The almost noir use of shadow in the library scene, and the daringly overlapping dialogue, create a brittle, sterile, but also awe-inspiring feel. Welles then throws us back to Kane's boyhood, in one of the most indelible scenes in cinema. I know of few movie compositions more beautiful and haunting than Agnes Moorehead and her interlocutors signing away the future of little Kane, who plays alone and oblivious in the distance, imprisoned by the window frame (see below). That shot was possible because of Gregg Toland's pioneering deep-focus cinematography. The acting (especially the steely Moorehead) is strong, but the visuals are mesmerizing. I didn't like any of the rips and cuts on the Internet, so I made my own and posted it to Vimeo. P.S. Moorehead went on to play Endora in "Bewitched"!

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