A fat guy with a deep voice who drank a lot of sherry? An unreliable film-maker who always went over time and over budget? One of the most innovative storytellers of the century? He was all of this and more. Welles shocked Broadway with his all-black voodoo version of Macbeth, challenged the US government with his production of The Cradle Will Rock, terrified America with his spoof radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, and then at the tender age of 26, directed what many people consider the greatest American film ever made: Citizen Kane.

What's in this Pocket Essential guide? As well as an introductory essay, each of Welles's films is individually reviewed and analysed, and there's a handy multimedia reference guide.