10 Movies That Ripped Up The Rule Book

Not for nothing is 1941's Citizen Kane widely regarded the greatest film ever made. In his first film, 26-year old Orson Welles co-wrote, directed and produced whilst also playing the lead role of a man who ages several decades over the course of the story.

This alone is laudable, but Citizen Kane remains truly remarkable for its level of both technical and narrative innovation. For one, its non-linear structure - opening on the death of media mogul Charles Foster Kane, then jumping back and forth recounting his life - was fairly unique.

Even more striking and groundbreaking was the use of the camera. Welles and cinematographer Greg Toland pioneered the use of deep focus shots, keeping the foreground, middle-ground and background of shots in equal focus.

Citizen Kane also broke new ground with camera movement and editing, perhaps most famously its tracking shot in which the camera appears to pass through a neon sign and down a skylight window into a bar in a single motion.

In what is generally considered one of the greatest bungles in Academy Awards history, Citizen Kane missed out on the Oscars for Best Picture, Director and Cinematography, although Welles and co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz were awarded Best Original Screenplay.