RKO 281 (1999 TV Movie)
7/10
Wait 'til you hear what Rosebud was...
22 May 2006
OK, so we all know that "Citizen Kane" was probably the all-time #1 masterpiece. Not as many people know that William Randolph Hearst tried to have the movie destroyed. "RKO 281" does a really good job telling that story. I will admit that Liev Schreiber seems to be overacting a little bit as Orson Welles, but he still does a good job in the role. Hearst (James Cromwell) is actually the most intriguing character in the movie: we see how this hypocrite did business with Hitler, sought to discredit FDR (believing the 33rd president to be a Bolshevik), and had a half-his-age mistress in Marion Davies (Melanie Griffith). In my opinion, Hearst had no good qualities.

All in all, the movie's quite interesting, and I don't just mean as a part of cinematic history. What it portrays is part of Americana. Also starring John Malkovich, Brenda Blethyn and Roy Scheider.
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