RKO 281 (1999) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Benjamin Ross

Writers (WGA):

Richard Ben Cramer (documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane) (in part) and
Thomas Lennon (documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane) (in part) ...

Release Date:

20 November 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

Orson Welles produces his greatest film, Citizen Kane, despite the opposition of the film's de facto subject, William Randolph Hearst.

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Wisconsin | Film Making | Film Industry | Anti Semitism

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Liev Schreiber	...	Orson Welles
James Cromwell	...	William Randolph Hearst
Melanie Griffith	...	Marion Davies
John Malkovich	...	Herman J. Mankiewicz
Brenda Blethyn	...	Louella Parsons
Roy Scheider	...	George Schaefer
Liam Cunningham	...	Gregg Toland
Fiona Shaw	...	Hedda Hopper
Anastasia Hille	...	Carole Lombard
Roger Allam	...	Walt Disney
Simeon Andrews	...	John Houseman
William Armstrong	...	Mr. Lewis
Jay Benedict	...	Darryl Zanuck
Ron Berglas	...	David O. Selznick
Paul Birchard	...	Top Brass #2

Also Known As:

RKO 281: The Battle Over Citizen Kane (USA) (video box title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some graphic sexual images.

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:15 | Finland:S | France:U | Norway:7 | USA:R | Spain:7

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Sign, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

In the shot of Orson cutting the Citizen Kane script, one of Kane's lines is "Who knows what lurks in the hearts of evil men? The Shadow knows!" This was the classic introduction played at the beginning of every episode of Welles' famous radio program, "The Shadow".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Just before Welles throws the drink in Mank's face and he falls into the pond, the camera angle changes, and Mank's shirt switches from neatly pressed to severely wrinkled, showing that he had already fallen into the pond in previous takes.

Quotes:

George: He shot five scenes, two with sound when he was only supposed to be doing a camera test!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 57th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Song of India

Horrible

A cheap and dishonest movie that exhibits no love for film-making or for Citizen Kane, but instead goes for an overly-dramatic story at the expense of truth and the character of the people involved. The distortions are too numerous to list, however the worst is completely missing the passion and genuine charm of Orson Welles, instead portraying him as a nasty, brutish brat. What a wasted opportunity to explore the tempestuous and amazingly creative people who produced a landmark film.