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:

The title refers to the production number given by RKO to Citzen Kane.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Welles is shown crossing out dialogue in the "Citizen Kane" script, he is actually marking up pages from the "RKO 281" script!

Quotes:

Orson Welles: Everything I am, everything I could be is in that picture.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You

fascinating film for fans of Welles, who of course will tear it to shreds

Very interesting movie about the battle to get Citizen Kane made has carved out a tricky niche for itself; the movie is going to be most interesting to fans of Wells and Kane, and those people are going to have such specific expectations about what the movie should be that they can't be satisfied. I see a number of reviews here complaining that this movie doesn't show why Kane was a great movie, but that's not the movie that was being made. It is a short movie about a specific struggle, with brief glimpses into the filming, and unless it had been titled, "RKO 281: the making of Citizen Kane," you can't fault it for not spending an hour on Welles innovations. The film is entertaining, Schreiber is a good Welles and Malkovitch is also quite good. I note people also complain that the movie isn't all that accurate. I do wish the film had done a better job with Marian Davies, as one hears her described as fantastically charming and loved by Hollywood (it has been said that Welles' flaying of Davies did more to bring out the knives of the Hollywood press than his portrayal of Hearst). But come on, how can one complain about liberties taking with reality in a movie made about Welles, who loved taking liberties with reality?