The inquiry structure makes the perspectives of others part of Kane’s portrait. This is a fictional character study, not a documentary biography of a single newspaper owner.

A 1941 film can carry more than one valid date. The premiere and general release describe separate distribution events, which the AFI catalogue records separately.

Kane’s story is presented through people who knew different versions of him. On a first viewing, keep track of who is telling each episode and what that person could actually have witnessed. The final revelation does not automatically make the preceding accounts false or turn a complicated life into a solved equation; it gives the audience information the reporter does not have.

Gregg Toland’s deep-focus photography often keeps action at different distances legible within one frame. Watch who occupies the foreground, who is pushed into the distance and when architecture appears to dwarf a person. The technique had precedents: the American Society of Cinematographers documents earlier uses of deep focus, so describing Kane as its invention overstates the film’s achievement.

Welles’s roles as director, writer and actor can make the film sound like a solitary accomplishment. The credits also name Mankiewicz on the screenplay, Toland on photography, Robert Wise on editing and Bernard Herrmann on music. Listening to changes in sound and watching the transitions between witnesses helps make those contributions visible. Criterion’s presentation preserves the narrow 1.37:1 frame; a widescreen crop would change the relationships inside these carefully arranged compositions.