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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Hbo Home Video
Salesrank: 20797
Released: April 25, 2000 |
| Our Price: $3.79 |
| Used Price: $2.98 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The Orson Welles directed RKO 281 now known as ' 'Citizen Kane' ' was loosely based on the life of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. But not so loosely that he didn't want it destroyed before the public could ever see it. The struggle that ensued and the lengths he went to - from threats to sexual bribery and more - are revealed in RKO 281: The Battle Over ' 'Citizen Kane.' 'Running Time: 87 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 026359157622
Description of RKO 281 - The Battle Over Citizen Kane:
This absorbing HBO docudrama tells the story of the making of what is considered by many to be America's greatest film, Citizen Kane. "Boy genius" Orson Welles came to Hollywood with no idea how to follow up his stage and radio success in the movie business. A dinner invitation to publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst's castle, San Simeon, inspired him to use Hearst's story as the basis for his brilliant film debut: a scathing allegory about the absolute corruptibility of power. RKO 281 demonstrates Welles's famously obsessive attention to artistic detail, which made his first movie such a masterpiece. But the film almost never made it to the screen--Hearst used his entire empire to try to destroy it. Two of the most mammoth egos in entertainment history--Hearst and Welles--were pitted against one another in the battle over Citizen Kane. Liev Schreiber has the close-to-impossible task of playing Orson Welles. He may not have Welles's monumental presence (who does?) but he does a credible job. John Malkovich turns in a powerful, understated performance as Welles's long-suffering sidekick Herman Mankiewicz, James Cromwell makes a first-rate Hearst, and Melanie Griffith is warmly sympathetic as Hearst's mistress, Marion Davies. The docudrama imparts some marvelously juicy insider lore, such as the real meaning behind the famous dying dispatch in the history of movies: "Rosebud." --Laura Mirsky
RKO 281 - The Battle Over Citizen Kane Reviews:
The Rest Of The Story 
2009-11-09 - RKO 281---(2000)Liv Schreiber, John Malkovich, James Cromwell, Melanie Griffith, Roy Scheider.
I enjoyed this movie about the "back-story" of the making of CITIZEN KANE very much. I found it very informative and, to the extent that I knew, quite factual. Malkovich was, as always, very good; Schreiber and Cromwell were also quite credible as Welles and Hearst, respectively. Once again, a big, THANK YOU!, to AVA for bringing this film to my attention. IMO, one of the best scenes in the movie is when Welles and Hearst are alone together in an elevator after the release of CITIZEN KANE. Hearst says to Welles, "My battles with the world are nearly over; yours are just beginning!" I'm sure that was an invention of the screenwriter since it's doubtful that Welles and Hearst were ever in the same elevator---and, if they were, nobody would know what they said to each other. But, it was a nice bit of "foreshadowing" in regards to Welles, who spent the rest of his life trying to live up to his billing as, "The Boy Genius".
An Excellent Film Version Of The Battle Over Citizen Kane
2009-05-31 - The battle between William Randolph Hearst and Orson Welles over the latter's classic film Citizen Kane is the stuff that film history legends are made of. And after the amazing PBS documentary on it, it doesn't seem surprising that a film version would follow it. Though this film isn't a documentary and plays many things differently then they really happened, RKO 281 is an excellent film.
The cast is first rate from Liev Schreiber's Orson Welles onwards. Schreiber might not do Welles distinct voice, but he captures the arrogance and genies of the young man. James Cromwell brings both menace and sympathy to William Randolph Hearst and for the two scenes in the film when these two are together you can feel the tension.
The rest of the cast is just as superb. Of special mention is Melanie Griffith's performance as Marion Davies, the unfortunate victim of Citizen Kane and who becomes the reason for the battle over the film. John Malkovich, Brenda Blethyn, and the late Roy Scheider bring flesh and blood to these long dead members of the battle (writer Herman J. Mankiewicz, columnist Louella Parsons, and RKO executive George Schaefer).
The production is a lavish one. The filmmakers take you to San Simon (aka Hearst Castle), the RKO sets for the film, the boardrooms of Hollwood and New York, and the homes of those involved. The effect is giving the viewer a sense of being there as film history happens. It's not of course but one gets that feeling.
And now for the writing. The film is not, and does not claim to be, a documentary though it is based on the excellent PBS documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane and the makers of that documentary are credited as advisors in the end credits. As a result, the events seen in the film are a mix of fact and fiction. The opening dinner party scene is questionable and the apparent motive for Welles to do the film is likely fictional. But many of the details and even chunks of dialog are real or based on real events. Indeed the final third of the film (apparently) happened almost exactly as it is seen in the film. While some might want to argue over this, it works in the context of the film.
In short RKO 281 is fiction based on fact. From the strong performances to the lavish production values, the fiction gives the viewer a new light on the legendary battle over a classic film and how it almost never made it to the public. If you're a fan of Welles or Citizen Kane, this is a must see. If not, prepare for a journey into the battle over Citizen Kane and how it almost brought down the Hollywood film industry.
HBO's RKO 281: The Battle Over CITIZEN KANE - a MUST for Any Film Buff! 
2008-01-12 - This sumptuously produced made-for-TV movie concerning the epic battle between 26-year-old boy wonder Orson Welles and newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst over CITIZEN KANE is totally enthralling from the opening scene to final fadeout. Hearst was highly annoyed with Welles' first movie (working title: RKO 281) because its newspaper publisher character bore a too-close-for-comfort resemblance to himself. As a result the aging publishing magnate would go to any extreme to shut the movie down. "The stuff of legend, with tales of sexual blackmail, money changing hands and threats behind closed doors." The Direction is crisp and the acting superb, with the likes of Roy Scheider, John Malkovich, James Cromwell (as Hearst), Melanie Griffith (Marion Davies) and Liev Schreiber (Welles) in the cast. Light up the arc lamps and let the fireworks begin!
RKO 281
2007-03-30 - I found this DVD entertaining, giving the behind-the-scenes look at the making of Kane. I'm a big fan of Welles and Liev Schreiber's performance of Orson was top-notch. Those of you that like story of the Battle over Citizen Kane with Orson Welles and William Randolf Hearst, this is for you. It gives a sense of how motion pictures were made in that era. I found the film to be very inspirational.
Excellent Historical Drama
2006-02-22 -
Seven years ago, I visited the Hurst Castle in San Simian, CA and was astonished by the grandure, size, and scope of the lavish lifestyle led by William Randolph Hurst. After visiting this palace, I wondered if there ever would be a great movie that was made about this larger-than-life icon. I also read some about the controversy that surrounded Hurst later in his life when Orson Welles made his debut in Hollywood with CITIZEN KANE. Director Benjamin Ross and Producers Ridley and Tony Scott have vividly captured this pivotal moment in Hollywood history that pitted two of the most prestigious men of this era against one another: Hurst, a media mogul and newspaper tycoon, and Welles, the 24 year old controversial "boy genius" of New York. Both James Cromwell and Liev Schreiber give rivoting perfomances as Hurst and Welles as they duel over the release of what would later be considered the "greatest film of all time." Schreiber embodies the young, passionately-driven and volatile Welles, while Cromwell transforms into the tyrannical and manipulative Hurst who would stop at nothing to prevent and ultimately destroy's Welle's masterpiece. This made-for-tv film received a Golden Globe for Best Picture. In addition to brilliant performances by Cromwell and Schrieber, there are also some exquisite performances given by the films supporting cast. The most impressive of these is British actress Brenda Blethyn's portrayal of Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons, who in the film acts as Hurst's vicious informant and enforcer. John Malkovich also provides a great supporting performance as Herman Mankewicz, the screenwriter for CITZEN KANE and friend of Orson Welles. In addition to Blethyn and Malkovich, British actor David Suchet ("Executive Decision"), who plays Louis B. Mayer, president and CEO of MGM Pictures, also provides a memorial appearance in adding to the underhanded deception and corruption in 1940's Hollywood over preventing CITIZEN KANE's release. Rounding out the cast is Melanie Grifitth as the charming, gullible, and attractive Marion Davies (former actress and Hurst's long-time mistress)who was the inspiration for the Susan Alexander character in CITIZEN KANE. Though there maybe some slight historical inaccurancies in the film concerning the CITIZEN KANE controversy, on the whole it is a brilliant piece of movie making that shed even more light on why the American Film Institute named CITIZEN KANE "the number one film of all time."
