The expressive meaning of the cinematic masterpiece Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles in 1941, cannot be summed up succinctly. Within Citizen Kane, everything is significant; not a single frame is wasted or extraneous. Each separate portion of the film contributes to its overall impact as one of the greatest cinematic achievements, if not the greatest, ever. The film is, quite simply, a tour de force of film directing; cinematography; mise-en-scene; editing; sound (it is considered the best sound film ever made (Mast and Kawin; Giannetti); acting; "aesthetic realism" (Bazin, p. 43) and an amazing (even to this day) synthesis of all these elements and more. Therefore, analyzing one line, or one key scene, or even a long series of scenes from Citizen Kane and declaring any of these somehow emblematic or symbolic, of the film as a whole, is insufficient. I will analyze, first, how Citizen Kane's impact on the film industry was immediate in Europe (especially France) grudging and slow in the United States due to Hollywood's dislike of Welles himself but eventually encyclopedic worldwide; second, how Orson Welles's role as director, combined with his overall vision for, and impact on the film, gave new credence to the auteur (director as "author" of the film) theory; and third, how Citizen Kane's success, especially in Europe in the 1940's helped further popularize the dark, often gloomy cinematic sub-genre of film noir. .

             Most good films stand out for something or other: directing; film editing; acting; costumes, etc., but Citizen Kane stands out in every way. Over the long term, even if not immediately in the year it was produced, Citizen Kane revolutionized the American film industry, particularly in terms of giving much more artistic power to directors, and therefore, (eventually) new credence to the "auteur theory" (the French theory of film director as author).