RKO 281 (2000)
In 1939, boy-wonder Orson Welles leaves New York, where he has succeeded in radio and theater, and, hired by RKO Pictures, moves to Hollywood with the purpose of making his first film.
- Benjamin Ross
- Heather Storr
- Toby Ford
- Jo Schotting
- David Daniels
- John Logan
- Thomas Lennon
- Richard Ben Cramer
- Michael Epstein
Rating: 6.4/10 by 89 users
Alternative Title:
Die Legende — Der Kampf um Citizen Kane - DE
RKO 281: The Battle Over Citizen Kane - US
ザ・ディレクター[市民ケーン]の真実 - JP
Country:
United States of America
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 24 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: cinema on cinema, yellow press, movie business, biography, anti-semitism, filmmaking, movie star, based on movie, 1940s, aspiring director
RKO 281 is a very underrated movie I haven't seen alot of people talking about. It's based in part upon the real-life story of the behind the scenes of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, and in part of the documentary The Battle over Citizen Kane that made as a part of The American Experience. Orson Welles (Liev Schreiber) has been offered a carte blanche-contract with RKO after his legendary War of the Worlds broadcast, however he has troubles coming up with a picture, and he lacks inspiration. One night, at a party hosted by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst (James Cromwell) he finds the inspiration. He wants to make a movie about this powerful man. He and writer Herman Mankeweizc (John Malkovich) starts writing the screenplay and Citizen Kane gets into production. When the movie is near completion, Hearst gets the information that Citizen Kane is about him (and not the most flattering portrait either) so he is determined to have the film destroyed. He blackmails the studio-bosses in Hollywood to buy the filmnegative... and burn it... Honestly, I find this movie much more interesting and BETTER than Citizen Kane itself. Although I love that movie, I find this so much better! A compelling, well-written film (with a kind of downbeat ending) that keeps your (atleast my) attention all the way through. The highlight of the film for me is when Welles is filming Kane! Great re-creation of the sets in Kane, the details are just right! The actors do a good job at portraying their characters and it's well-directed. To fully appreciate this movie, you have to watch Citizen Kane first. If you have already seen Citizen Kane, then go right ahead and watch RKO 281! Highly recommended! I give it a 10/10
