The Making of Citizen Kane by Robert L. Carringer

A cliche of film criticism since Andre Bazin is that Citizen Kane is a, if not the, supreme example of photographic realism.  It seems to me more to the point to recognize the film for the masterpiece of subtle illusionism that it is.  In a sense, it is a kind of ultimate realization of Welles's magic act.

--Robert L. Carringer, The Making of Citizen Kane (U. of California Press, 1985, updated 1996)

This is a fascinating and detailed book about the making of Citizen Kane, including another rebutting of Pauline Kael's dubious suggestion that the script was entirely written by Herman Mankiewicz; Carringer examines the original script and follows it through the changes that Welles made.  Carringer follows Welles from his beginning at RKO with a script for The Heart of Darkness (it was too expensive to make), through Citizen Kane, to the troubles with The Magnificent Ambersons and the axing of Welles from RKO after studio head George Schaefer was fired.

Welles said, "Collaborators make contributions, but only a director can make a film."  But Welles, who had no experience making films before Citizen Kane, chose collaborators who, as Carringer says, were "ideally suited to his temperament and working methods and capable of performing at his level of ambition."  These collaborators included composer Bernard Herrmann, cinematographer Gregg Toland, and art director Perry Ferguson, the latter something of an unsung hero for his contribution to the look of Citizen Kane, especially after its budget was reduced from $1,000,000 to $700,000.

Carringer's book is filled with drawings, photographs, schedules and budgets, providing details of the productions and changes that were made during the filming, though some are printed as too dark.  Nothing can compare, of course, to actually viewing the film in 35 mm. in a theater.  It is a stunning achievement.