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RKO 281

Play trailer Poster for RKO 281 R,  1999,  1h 23m,  Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 92% 13 Reviews Tomatometer 75% 2,500+ Ratings Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Orson Welles (Liev Schreiber), all charisma and stubborn vision, is signed to direct films for RKO Pictures with a startling amount of creative freedom. Welles decides to make production number 281 a disguised biopic of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst (James Cromwell), a film which would come to be known as Citizen Kane. But Welles doesn't understand just how much clout Hearst yields. When he gets word of the unflattering production, Hearst does everything in his power to stop it.

Critics Reviews

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John Leonard New York Magazine/Vulture Feb 6, 2018
I'm not saying that RKO 281 is any sort of Citizen Kane, but it's got the same appealing insouciance, plus a much more satisfying and dirty-minded explanation of the true meaning of Rosebud. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Aug 11, 2005
2/5
Emily Blunt Blunt Review Apr 8, 2005
4/5
This hardly seen film is a great watch for ANY Welles fan. Go to Full Review
James Sanford Kalamazoo Gazette Mar 11, 2005
4/5
entertaining; Schreiber is excellent Go to Full Review
Bob Bloom Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN) Oct 19, 2004
3/5
Wonderful TV movie about the pressures and ego clashes and politics surrounding the making of Citizen Kane. Go to Full Review
Mike McGranaghan Aisle Seat Aug 3, 2003
4/5
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Audience Reviews

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Harry P Nov 28, 2008 Wonderful TV movie about the pressures and ego clashes and politics surrounding the making of Citizen Kane.
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RKO 281

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Benjamin Ross

Director

Liev Schreiber

Orson Welles

James Cromwell

William Randolph Hearst

Melanie Griffith

Marion Davies

John Malkovich

Herman Mankiewicz

Brenda Blethyn

Louella Parsons

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RKO 281

RKO 281 (1999) RKO 281 (1999) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Orson Welles (Liev Schreiber), all charisma and stubborn vision, is signed to direct films for RKO Pictures with a startling amount of creative freedom. Welles decides to make production number 281 a disguised biopic of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst (James Cromwell), a film which would come to be known as Citizen Kane. But Welles doesn't understand just how much clout Hearst yields. When he gets word of the unflattering production, Hearst does everything in his power to stop it.
Director
Benjamin Ross
Producer
Su Armstrong
Screenwriter
John Logan
Production Co
WGBH, HBO Pictures, Scott Free Productions
Rating
R, TV-MA
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 24, 2021
Runtime
1h 23m
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