What's new

RKO 281 or THE BATTLE FOR CITIZEN KANE which should i watch first after i watch KANE? (1 Viewer)

TonyD

Who do we think I am?
Ambassador
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 1, 1999
Messages
24,241
Location
Gulf Coast
Real Name
Tony D.
So i just watched citizen kane and of course it is a great movie, maybe not the best movie but certainly one of the best.
anyway my question is which to watch first.
battle for citizen kane from the dvd or the dvd of rko 281 which seems to also be about WELLES and KANE.
popcorn.gif

------------------
 

Jeff Swindoll

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 19, 2000
Messages
505
I'd go for Battle. RKO 281 covers some of the same ground, but in a dramatized way. Some of RKO 281 is ficional, for example, I dont think that Welles ever attended a party at San Simeon. However in Battle, it's all true (to steal a title from another Welles film
wink.gif
). Cheers.
------------------
I didnt play Dungeons and Dragons all those years and not learn something about courage.
--Bernie Faulkner
 

SteveGon

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2000
Messages
12,250
Real Name
Steve Gonzales
I second the recommendation that you watch The Battle over Citizen Kane first. RKO 281 is entertaining but TBoCK is just plain riveting...
 

Gerry A

Agent
Joined
Sep 19, 2000
Messages
36
If you would like to appreciate RKO 281 and have it not spoiled for you, I'd recommend you watch it first. Because Battle Over Citizen Kane is definitely far superior and more truthful of the two. Watching RKO after this, it will appear sort of pathetic to you. RKO is really good in itself though, and you will better appreciate it if you watch it first.
Like someone already mentioned, there are many things in RKO that really didn't happen, but they're quite few. But certain scenes that were there were referenced from other sources outside of Battle.
 

andrew markworthy

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 30, 1999
Messages
4,762
I'd watch RKO first, because it's a drama, and will lose some of its impact if you see Battle first, which will give away a lot of the plot elements.
 

Ken_McAlinden

Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 20, 2001
Messages
6,241
Location
Livonia, MI USA
Real Name
Kenneth McAlinden
I don't quite undersdtand why it is OK to spoil a documentary if it is not OK to spoil a fictional film. The Battle over Citizen Kane is a well constructed documentary that would be spoiled if one had already seen the Cliffs Notes dramatization presented in RKO 281. I would say see the superior film first. In this case, I feel it is the documentary.
I remember Ebert and/or Siskel discussed a litmus test for films based on true events or real people. It went along the lines of if the film is not more interesting than a documentary on the same subject would have been, then it is an unsuccessful and unnecessary dramatization. RKO 281 is not without merits, but it is even more interesting in documentary form.
Regards,
------------------
Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Forum statistics

Threads
356,810
Messages
5,123,551
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top