French film critic André Bazin defended the film, writing: "In this respect, the accusation of plagiarism could very well be extended to the film's use of panchromatic film or its exploitation of the properties of gelatinous silver halide." Bazin disagreed with Sadoul's comparison to Lumière's cinematography since "Citizen Kane" used more sophisticated lenses, but acknowledged that it had similarities to such previous works as "The 49th Parallel" and "The Power and the Glory". Bazin stated that "even if Welles did not invent the cinematic devices employed in "Citizen Kane", one should nevertheless credit him with the invention of their "meaning"." Bazin championed the techniques in the film for its depiction of heightened reality, but Bordwell believed that the film's use of special effects contradicted some of Bazin's theories.