It was not until it was rereleased and reappraised in the 1950s that “Citizen Kane” came to be regarded as the classic it is today, thanks in part to Gregg Toland’s cinematography, which made unconventional use of techniques like low-angle shots and deep focus. Orson Welles broke from cinema tradition and had sets constructed with ceilings to allow for those shots. From a smashed snow globe to a burning sled, he and Toland conceived a series of indelible images that would go on to influence numerous filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, who noted how “Kane” opened up a new frontier for camera positioning, and Steven Spielberg, who praised the “audacity” of Welles’ approach.

By his own admission, Kane doesn’t know how to run a newspaper; he just tries “everything he can think of,” and the same could be said of Welles as a first-time filmmaker. As Sidney Pollack observed: “Every shot [in ‘Citizen Kane’] has an idea. There’s a concept being executed at every second.” The film also heralded a new narrative style whereby the meaning of Kane’s life and his final word, “Rosebud” (a secret the audience alone is privy to), comes together piecemeal through flashbacks, newsreels, and multiple perspectives, as opposed to the standard omniscient third-person point of view.

Although Hearst made a concerted effort to bury the film, and succeeded in the short term, “Citizen Kane” eventually found its audience, leaving it vindicated by time. It continued to attract controversy, however, with the publication of Pauline Kael’s 1971 New Yorker essay “Raising Kane,” which renewed debate over the question of the film’s true authorship. In 2020, Gary Oldman, Charles Dance, and Tom Burke portrayed Mankiewicz, Hearst, and Welles, respectively, in David Fincher’s Oscar-nominated biopic, “Mank,” and by then, “Citizen Kane” was well-established as a classic.