RKO 281 (2000)

Please don't spend money on this.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Orson Welles (Liev Schreiber) comes to Hollywood at 24 hailed as a boy genius after 'World of the Worlds'. He is struggling to come up with his first feature film with RKO studio head George Schaefer (Roy Scheider) and screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (John Malkovich). He goes to a dinner party hosted by William Randolph Hearst (James Cromwell) and Marion Davies (Melanie Griffith) at Hearst Castle. He creates 'Citizen Kane'. Hearst aims to destroy the movie. This is a fascinating subject for a TV movie. Schreiber is great and quite frankly, so is everybody else in this movie. I just find it so interesting as a film fan to see an interpretation of the behind-the-scenes story.

If you are into vintage movies, vintage America and conspiracy theories, then this is an entertainment for you.Many other reviews here have outlined the strengths and weaknesses of the film re the truth about the making of Kane, and the relative attributions of credit, blame and opprobrium. I'd like to inject a good word for Roy Scheider's portrayal of RKO boss George Schaefer: His character's struggle to find the right balance between keeping his east coast money men happy, his obvious liking for Welles and the desire to make good movies is very well portrayed.Something I really enjoyed was the portrayal of Welles' and Mank's visit to the Hearst Castle at San Simeon, California. That is a fascinating place, which saw so many famous and talented people visit during Hearst's time there. There's a movie about the lifetime of that place to be made by someone, though I don't think anyone has ever attempted it? Apparently they didn't use the real location for RKO281 - a lot of it seems to have been done in London. Was that cost, or did the Hearst Castle trustees refuse....? Anyway, if you're up for a good tale woven around some known facts, but not sticking to them too tightly, take the RKO281 ride, you'll have fun. Just don't let it become your true picture of Mr Welles, Mr Hearst or (most of all) Mr Mankiewicz.

Liev Schreiber gives a great performance as Orson Welles but I am always a fan of Liev Schreiber.The story is great and based on the real story of Orson Welles directing/producing his masterpiece "Citizen Kane", innovating new ways to make the film to give it exactly the look and feel he wants. For example in one scene he keeps insisting on getting a lower angle for a camera shot until he eventually grabs an axe and chops through the floor to get the camera even lower - apparently that is a true story.The film deals with his relationships at the time, etc, and all of the actors give very good performances, but again Liev Schreiber stands out with a great turn as Orson Welles.POSSIBLE SPOILER: The film is not-so-subtly based on William Randolph Hearst, an eccentric and too-powerful newspaper magnate at the time, and Welles has to convince the board not to sell him the film (Hearst wants to buy it so he can destroy all the copies), which they agree to, apparently because they don't like Hearst and his power is starting to decline. Welles even meets Hearst and the two obviously dislike each other.In the end the film is released despite Hearst's attempts to keep it out of theatres.It's just a good film. I give it 8/10.

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 Welles 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?