The Shadow
Alex Ross on the actor-director of “Citizen Kane” fame, and on the biographies of him.
Charles Higham's 1985 biography condensed the standard Welles story into its subtitle: "The Rise and Fall of an American Genius." The partisans disagree, citing "Chimes at Midnight" and making reference to obscure or nonexistent works: "The Fountain of Youth," "The Other Side of the Wind."