Citizen Kane (1941) is acclaimed as one of the greatest sound films in the history of the cinema. It was cowritten by Orson Welles (1915–1985) and Herman J. Mankiewicz (1897–1953). Welles also produced and directed the film for RKO Radio Pictures in Hollywood (see entry under 1930s—Film and Theater in volume 2). At the time he created Citizen Kane, Welles was a twenty-five-year-old theater and radio (see entry under 1920s— TV and Radio in volume 2) genius who had not yet made a feature-length film. His youth and inexperience is astounding considering the complexity and accomplishment of the visual and narrative (storytelling) techniques used in the movie. In an unusual move by any Hollywood-based film studio, Welles was given complete artistic control over this production. He was able to have the final decision in every area of production. Production elements included screenplay, camera, lighting, art direction, and music. The music...