On TCM 9/5/16- the masterpiece Citizen Kane (1941) – When Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) breaks his “Declaration of Principles”, admirer Jedediah Leland (played brilliantly by Joseph Cotten) changes his mind about Kane-the scene where the Leland/Kane friendship explodes is creatively staged by Welles and filmed by master cinematographer Gregg Toland with the upset Kane in close up at a typewriter in the foreground and Leland still dressed in evening wear screen right with an empty late night office focused in the background-a perfect example (and there are many in Kane) of utilizing deep focus for dramatic effect and great composition. Catch the way Welles and Toland establish that Joseph Cotton as the older Leland is in a nursing home (with other residents in soft focus) asking: “Could you get me a cigar?”
