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Availability last checked Sep 28, 2026.
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What it's about
Coming to Hollywood as a celebrated boy genius featuring a spectacular career arc in New York including his radio hoax War of the Worlds, Orson Welles is stymied on the subject for his first film. After a dinner party at Hearst Castle, during which he has a verbal altercation with William Randolph Hearst, Welles decides to do a movie about Hearst. It takes him some time to convince co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz and the studio, but Welles eventually gets the script and the green light, keeping the subject very hush-hush with the press. The movie is about an aging newspaper publisher who controlled his enemies as ruthlessly as he controlled his friends; and whose mistress was destined for fame. When a rough cut is screened, Hearst gets wind of the movie's theme and begins a campaign to see that it is not only never publicly screened, but destroyed.
Cast and crew
- Director
- Benjamin Ross
- Starring
- Liev Schreiber, James Cromwell, Melanie Griffith
Details
- Release date
- Nov 20, 1999
- Language
- English
- Country
- United Kingdom, United States
- Awards
- Won 3 Primetime Emmys. 15 wins & 28 nominations total
Where to Watch RKO 281 (1999) in Canada — common questions
- Where to watch RKO 281 in Canada?
- RKO 281 is available with a subscription in Canada. Watch the movie with a subscription on Crave (HD).
- Can I stream RKO 281 or do I have to rent it in Canada?
- Watch the movie with a subscription on Crave (HD).
- Can I watch RKO 281 for free in Canada?
- We have not confirmed a free option for RKO 281 in Canada.
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