Citizen Kane’s narrative combines flashbacks, which, although commonplace now, was a bold attempt in Hollywood at the time. The film begins and ends with shots of the distant view of Xanadu. The opening shot features a “no trespassing” sign, and the closing shot echoes this with another “no trespassing” sign, forming a circular structure that mirrors the film’s beginning and end. Despite these two sets of shots not occurring at the same time within the narrative – one preceding Kane’s death and the other following the burning of his remains – this circular structure has influenced many films, such as ‘Pulp Fiction.’

In the movie, we follow a reporter’s perspective as he interviews five characters connected to Kane’s life. The film narrates the story through their recollections. These memories are not presented chronologically but are slowly revealed to the audience like walking out of a maze. There are overlapping elements in each person’s memory of Kane. However, examining the same event from different perspectives is a significant innovation in Citizen Kane’s storytelling. For instance, there were two disastrous opera premieres featuring Susan in the film, the first portrayed from the viewpoint of Leland. We see a chaos background as Susan stands in the center of the stage. After singing the first line, the film transitions to the next scene, suggesting that Leland totally lost interest after hearing the initial sentence. From Susan’s perspective, the camera shifts behind her, presenting the stage with less chaotic. As we already know that the opera will a disaster, it gains a tragic dimension, and the stage performance appears more complete. The camera captures the serious Kane, the furious opera teacher, and the distracted Leland. Although the events are the same, they convey different meanings through distinct perspectives. While the scene may repeat, the significance of each shot is not redundant.

In a similar vein, Citizen Kane’s arrangement of flashbacks may appear to follow the reporter’s perspective without a clear logic, but the internal logic always keeps the audience intrigued. In the film, “The New York Inquirer” and Susan’s opera “Salammbo” serve as pivotal elements in the first and second parts of the film, respectively. “The New York Inquirer’s”success propelled Kane to fame and led him to marry the niece of the U.S. President as a step towards a political career. On the other hand, “Salammbo” exposed Kane’s affair with Susan, causing his political aspirations to crumble and his relationship with Leland to disintegrate. Kane, who subsequently invested everything in his marriage with Susan, did not receive the expected returns.

Citizen Kane’s narrative is both rigorous and efficient, yet it manages to be free and tightly woven. While many films have since adopted similar techniques to surpass Citizen Kane in storytelling, Citizen Kane, as a pioneer in employing flashbacks and other narrative techniques, rightfully holds a significant place in the history of cinema.