"What is it a writer says? 'Tell the story you know.'"
Director: David Fincher
Where Available: Netflix
Rating:
Summary:
1930s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.
Review:
There is something so elegant and wonderful about black and white movies. I was ready to be sent to 1930s Hollywood, a place where anything you dreamed of could come true, especially now where the only places I can go to are my room and the couch. Mank was one of my most anticipated films of 2020. In no way was I completely disappointed by the film, but it wasn't what I expected from my favorite director David Fincher. To me, it was just another good movie on Netflix, nothing monumental that I will be thinking about for Oscar nominations next year.
David Fincher is well known for his mind-bending and psychologically manipulative movies. His last feature film "Gone Girl" in 2014 is a perfect example of that. My favorite credits of Finchers are movies like Se7en, Fight Club, and Zodiac: ones that keep me on my toes and are always making me beg for more. Mank, however, is extremely playful and diverts from the usual films Fincher directs. I almost felt too relaxed watching this. If you are not the usual fan of psychological thrillers, then maybe Mank is for you. For me, on the other hand, I was waiting for a David Fincher twist that would push me through the film that never ended up happening.
Similar to The Social Network, another one of David Finchers films, the main argument in this story is over authorship. Whether it's Facebook or Citizen Kane, there will always be two sides to the story. I would almost categorize Mank as a Biopic. With the background of the Great Depression and the Second World War in the near future, Mank is meant to show how Orson Welles (actor and director in Citizen Kane that was credited for co-writing) got more writing credit than he deserved. It is clear from this perspective that Mank wrote the entire script while Orson never touched it. Mank, however, is known for not taking credit in the movies he writes. He made a deal with Orson to write Citizen Kane without any credit for the screenplay, similar to what he did with the Wizard of Oz.
An early scene gives us a disclaimer, saying that "You cannot capture a man's entire life in two hours. All you can hope is to leave the impression of one." It is nearly impossible to compress the entire life of Herman J. Mankiewicz and his partnership with Welles into a 2 hour movie, just like it was impossible to do that with the entire fictional life of Charles Foster Kane and his newspaper industry for Citizen Kane. However, after watching Citizen Kane for myself, I realized what both movies have in common: there is way too much going on. I have no issue with the confusion of Citizen Kane now that I know that was the point of the script, but if the point of Mank was to not have its information be overwhelming, then why was it? It contradicts itself when saying that it isn't trying to capture an entire man's life when it felt like one of the longest movies I have ever watched. Against a 90 day deadline and in isolation, Herman Mankiewicz wrote one of the best movies of all time. Knowing that the film Mank had a way longer time frame for creation than Citizen Kane, it felt to me like it was written in 90 days to, and not a good 90 days at that.
I recommend Mank to anyone wanting to learn a little more about the writers perspective in old Hollywood and as an escape from our world today. Cinephiles will study this film for years. Every frame will be analyzed, every line will be dissected, every technical aspect will be criticized. It is too early to tell if Mank will stand the test of time in the film world, but what I know from this movie and many others like it is that Hollywood isn't as magical as it seems, and making movies is an art form that only some have the patience to endure.
Quotes:
"What is it a writer says? 'Tell the story you know.'"
Herman Mankiewicz: "Thunder, lightning, blood, fire, religion."
David O. Selznick: "All in one film?"
Herman Mankiewicz: "That’s director-proof."
“The narrative is one big circle like a cinnamon roll. Not a straight line pointing to the nearest exit. You cannot capture a mans entire life in two hours. All you can hope is to leave the impression of one.”
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