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"RKO 281" is an HBO film about the controversy surrounding young Orson Welles' first, and, according to the American Film Institute, greatest work, "Citizen Kane". While it's not necessary to see Kane first, I'll warn you there's a quick line of dialogue near the end where Mankowitz (John Malkovich) spoils the big Kane secret, the meaning of "rosebud" in the film, so it's probably best to see Kane beforehand.
Human beings fall into one of 4 categories:
(1) those who hate "Citizen Kane"
(2) those who aren't familiar with "Citizen Kane"
(3) those who have casually seen it once or twice
(4) those who have seen it so many times that instead of singing in the shower they find themselves quoting: "Sing Sing! Do you hear me Gettys?! SING SINGGGG!!!"
Shamefully, I fall into a category (4). But I have experienced all the others (1),(2) & (3) at different times in my life.
"RKO 281" is puzzling because I'm not sure which of the 4 categories, if any, it's aimed at. I think it tries to reach all which is an impossibility. It starts with some visual inside jokes for the cat (4) folks. For example: near the beginning there's a brief scene transition which starts on 2 stage hands sitting high up on the rafters as the camera pans down to the stage (a wink at the opera debut scene in "Citizen Kane"). So I began thinking, cool! RKO 281 is for nerds like me!
But then it suddenly shifts into a very superficial setup, where for 10-15 minutes Orson Welles and his pal Mankowitz are trying to come up with a subject for the upcoming film. This is geared at the cat (1) folks who don't know what Citizen Kane is about. The problem is it becomes a little tedious for the (2), (3) & (4)'s in the audience who are waiting to get to the "sexual blackmail", "back room dealings" and other thrills promised on the DVD box.
The rest of the film progresses in the same way, interspersing a few inside jokes while staying mostly superficial for the sake of the unfamiliar folks. The result, while not being a bad film, is a film that seems inconsistent in tone. Is it holding our hand and leading us through a tour guide's version of Citizen Kane? Or is it pricking us with subtleties, expecting us to read between the lines. I believe, for the most part, it's the guided tour. And I didn't learn anything new except for the hint at anti-Semitism coming from William Randolph Hearst and the reaction from Jewish Hollywood moguls. Nnow, that was interesting, but it didn't seem to tell us the whole story. In fact, all the thrills promised on the DVD box turn out to be a bit of a letdown. The "sexual blackmail" zooms by so fast you'd miss it if you blinked.
Still, what would have been a mediocre to sub-par production is uplifted by some tremendous acting. Melanie Griffith brings a fresh degree of humanity to this otherwise cold story about old millionaires. James Cromwell is perfect as Hearst, the cold old millionaire. John Malkovich, playing Welles' drunk sidekick Mankowitz, is always fun to watch. But for my money Liev Schrieber really knocks it out of the park as Orson Welles. He doesn't look much like Welles, but that voice! There are a few moments where you could close your eyes and you'd swear they're dubbing the real one-of-a-kind baritone of the great Orson Welles himself. And that's what kept me watching from start to finish.
"RKO 281" is not essential viewing. But if you are curious about the phenomenon of "Citizen Kane", then you should definitely see it. Of far more value, however, are the 2 audio commentaries on the Citizen Kane DVD where film critic Roger Ebert & Welles' friend Peter Bogdonovich illuminate the film in a tremendously enlightening way that will not only enhance your enjoyment of Kane, it will make you see cinema in a whole new way.
score /10
rooprect 3 December 2014
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3135016/ |
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24-2-2021 12:09:06