RKO 281: The OTHER Citizen Kane

Orson Welles (Liev Schreiber) & Herman Mankiewicz (John Malkovich)
toast their "success" in RKO 281. Credit: HBO Pictures.

                                     RKO 281: The OTHER Citizen Kane

                                                                by

                                                                    Jay Agan

      This is a "sequel" I watch more often than the original. Maybe 'cause it's faster moving & more amusing.

      A young Orson Welles (Liev Schreiber), following on his success/fame in the New York City show business world, goes to Hollywood & signs up with RKO Radio Pictures. After some fits & starts, he settles on doing a thinly veiled expose' of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst & his power brokering ways (This supposedly stemming from the two trading barbs at a party at the Hearst "castle". I think there had to be more to it than that.). With a treasure trove of related notes by his reluctant friend, writer Herman J. Mankiewicz (John Malkovich) he sets out to create one of cinema historys' great masterworks.

      This made for HBO film does devote some time to the making of Citizen Kane, but the main attraction is in the aftermath. Mr. Hearst was definitely not happy with the finished product & did what he could to suppress it, preassuring one & all in Hollywood. Going so far as to blackmail some of the biggest names in cinema.

      The conflict between Welles & Hearst (Two opponents not unlike one another.) is "offset" by the conflicts in front of, behind, & off camera. Melanie Griffith is great as Marion Davies counter to James Cromwells' Hearst. Schreibers' Welles is seen as a relentless prick, casually putting friends, actors & crew in danger & even resorting to violence.

      As with all "docudramas", I would not rely on this film as an historical document. The actual documentary it's based on, The Battle Over Citizen Kane would be more appropriate.

      It goes without saying, watching Citizen Kane is mandatory before seeing this film. RKO 281 is a fun watch & makes a great companion film to Kane. With this & Warners' Citizen Kane two disc special edition (With all the extras including the aforementioned documentary.), you can take an all afternoon Kaning.

      If you don't have it, grab it & put it on the shelf next to Kane.

                                     Article copyright © 7-13-2011 Jay Agan

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The Drexel North, A Place On High Street

                                  The Drexel North, A Place On High Street

                                                                by

                                                                    Jay Agan
    
      The Drexel North (Originally the Beechwold Theater then later the Camelot North.) was a "neighborhood" theater (One big screen.) that specialized in "alternative" films. Lesser knowns, foriegn, indies, etc.

      I was somewhat apprehensive in initially attending. The usual crowd was not what one would call normal. Pancake makeup, eyeshadow/lipstick all the colors of the rainbow, spandex stockings, sheer mini-skirts, tight, TIGHT, leather jeans ..... And that was just the guys! OK, I exaggerate. However, they weren't the types you'd find at your local multiplex. In spite of their strange appearance, I've found the crowds at the Drexel North to be the most well behaved of audiences I've ever encountered. They were there to SEE the movies!

      And such movies. Thanks to the Otani Film Fest I got to take in Seven Samurai & many another Kurosawa flick. Rands' We The Living. Various animation collections. Citizen Kane on the big screen! Even miscelaeneous "B" actioners from other countries. Akira rekindled a more than passing interest in anime.

      I'll always fondly remember the 1990 24 hour Sci-Fi marathon. Couldn't sleep after that one. I was up 36 hours straight!

      Sadly, the Drexel North is now a gym, its operations having been moved to Grandview. Studio 35 (On Indianola avenue.) seems to have taken its place in function in the area. Maybe I should check that one out.

                                  Article copyright © 3-8-2011 Jay Agan

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Some Cinematic Heresy Part 1

Poster Credit: RKO Pictures

                                                    Some Cinematic Heresy Part 1

                                                                         by

                                                                           Jay Agan

     Howzabout some cinematic heresy? I'm going to pan some "classic" films fans are always raving about but I don't think are so hot. A majority of fans & the critics say they're great but that doesn't always mean they really are. I know what I like.

     First up is Citizen Kane, which I do think is better than great.

     "So it's settled: Citizen Kane is the official greatest film of all time."-Roger Ebert

     I like Citizen Kane. It's in my collection. I try to watch it at least once a year. I made it a point to see it at the Drexel North in Columbus (Now, sadly, a drug store.) on the big screen. This absorbing, groundbreaking film more than made its' mark on the world of cinema. I have nothing but praise for it. But.....it's not

                                                 THE GREATEST FILM EVER MADE!

                                                (Insert echo effects/embellishments here.)

     I enjoy other films just as much. While there are points/arguements to be made for its' filmic excellence, to me

                                                 THE GREATEST FILM EVER MADE!

                                            (Insert more echo effects/embellishments here.)

is whatever I'm enjoying at the moment.

     My rating system is simple. If it's good enough for me to have in my collection, it's good enough..... period. I guess that means Plan 9 From Outer Space is right up there with the other giants.
    
     Next time, I go after Casablanca. "See" ya then!

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                                                        Article copyright © Jay Agan
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DISCLAIMER: All images used on this blog are strictly copyrights of their owners. I do not claim credit/ownership for any images used here in my blog unless stated otherwise. If I have offended anyone by posting any images on my blog, please contact me via email and I will remove specified image(s) ASAP.