Welles proved them wrong with Kane

RKO 281 (1999)

Reviewed By Jerry Saravia

It is suitably ironic that Orson Welles was largely ignored by Hollywood after "Citizen Kane" and "Touch of Evil" - they wanted no part of him. Now, Welles is afforded more unauthorized biographies and film books than probably any other director. His film noir classic "Touch of Evil" was recently restored to the director's original specifications and editing strategies, forty years after the fact. His reigning "Kane" won its place in the AFI list in 1998 as the greatest American film ever made. His rejected screenplay for "The Cradle Will Rock" has been made into a film by director Tim Robbins. Now we have the story of Welles' s battle over "Citizen Kane" called "RKO 281," a supremely entertaining film with ball-of-fire performances and authentic period detail.

This lush biography stars the well-cast Liev Schreiber as the 25-year-old boy wonder who took Broadway by storm, and conquered the airwaves with his infamous "War of the Worlds" broadcast. He is given the opportunity to make a film about "War of the Worlds" but convinces a studio boss (Roy Scheider) to give him support to make a film called "Citizen Kane." "Kane" is of course based on the pioneering news tycoon William Randolph Hearst (grandly played by James Cromwell), and once the insiders in Hollywood catch wind of this, all hell breaks loose. "Kane" is of course Welles's first attempt to act and direct a film, and this causes pressure for him and his crew, including telling his cinematographer to make holes in the floorboards so he can get a real low-angle shot! But once Hearst and his young wife (Melanie Griffith) hear that their life story will be a Hollywood movie, he makes demands on all the studios to burn all existing prints of the film.

"RKO 281" maintains a tight focus on Welles and his battle over having complete control over his project - this was of course his own downfall since he was never afforded that control again in Hollywood. The film shows him to be a genius and a manipulator, and there are the highs and lows of his relationship with screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (John Malkovich) - the controversy existed about how much of Welles's input ended up in the screenplay.

Schreiber is perfect for the role, and even looks a little bit like Welles - his intense outbursts are particularly good. His relationship with Malkovich is also well-presented, and through them we see that making a film, no matter how passionate or personal it is, is an arduous chore - what collaborations aren't?

"RKO 281" has many extraordinarily shot sequences, such as Hearst's dinner party or the behind-the-scenes filming of "Kane" - at one point, a camera falls off a crane as it is tracking in for a close-up! I also like the moment when Welles is inspired by Hearst's house or the puzzle pieces on the floor. If nothing else, "RKO 281" could have been longer. There are no references to the actors who worked on "Kane" (except for Joseph Cotten) - where's Ruth Warrick or Agnes Moorehead or Ray Collins in all this? How about the specific lighting design of "Kane" with all those memorable shafts of light?

Minor carps overall, "RKO 281" is a splendid recreation of an era in Hollywood not so different from today's - when big bucks and box-office revenues accounted for more than artistic integrity. Thank God that Orson Welles proved them wrong.