Mank

Mank
Starring Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Charles Dance
Directed by David Fincher

"Citizen Kane" is hailed as cinema's biggest masterpiece, a true work of art that's withstood the test of time and is epic in scale, scope, and storytelling, especially coming from Hollywood before its "Golden Era" transformed the film landscape forever.  While the finished product appears to be a flash of pure genius from the legendary Orson Welles, behind the scenes it was anything but magical.  The politics of Hollywood muddied the waters and the underlying tension between Orson Welles, fellow screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, famed newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, and famed producer Louis B. Mayer became the stuff of legend, and the inspiration for "Mank," centering on the almost-unaccredited co-writer of cinema's most iconic work.

Orson Welles (Tom Burke) was gifted by RKO Pictures with a contract that gave him absolute creative autonomy, no creative oversight, and could make any movie about any subject with any collaborator he wanted.  He chose Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) to co-write his project "Citizen Kane," and Herman agreed to not receive credit for the work.  Having been bedridden due to a broken leg, he dictates the story to his secretary Rita Alexander (Lily Collins), who's quick to realize that the story Herman is concocting is actually the story of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance), a powerful man with huge influence. 

In several flashbacks, we see Herman first meeting Hearst and his mistress, comedic actress Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried), with whom Herman struck up a close friendship with.  As Herman spent more time with Hearst and Davies at his palatial castle - discussing politics, the rise of Nazi Germany, and a smear campaign against a Democratic gubernatorial candidate - Herman becomes more and more jaded and alcoholic, leading to a tense confrontation at a Hearst dinner party consisting of several high-profile guests including producer Louis B. Mayer (Arliss Howard), in which Herman practically spells out his idea for "Citizen Kane" being a mostly-autobiographical film about Hearst.

Back in 1940, Herman finishes his draft of "Citizen Kane," which leads to a tense confrontation with Orson Welles after Herman reneges on his agreement to not take credit for his work, claiming it's the best thing he's ever written.

"Mank" is truly a family affair, as the film was directed by "Gone Girl" director David Fincher, and was written by his father Jack Fincher before his death in 2003.  The film itself is seemingly a love letter to classic Hollywood, but is anything but: in fact, it's more a look at the seedier, darker aspects of filmmaking in the late 1930s-early 1940s, but delivered with a polished feel that gives off the appearance of appreciation.

"Mank" - much like "Citizen Kane" itself - was shot using a RED Monstrochrome 8K camera, meaning that there's no color version of the film available, but rather just the polished black-and-white feel that'll transport you back to the classic era of cinema itself.  Not only that, but the film also utilized a "monaural sound mix, similar to what films had before the stereophonic sound system that was introduced in the mid-20th century.  This means that instead of multiple soundtracks dedicated to dialogue, music, and other sound effects, all of the aforementioned were shared on one single track" (imdb.com).  Again, this helped in giving the feel that you were watching a film from 1940, thanks in large part to a wide behind-the-scenes talent of cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, editor Kirk Baxter, production designer Donald Graham Burt, sound supervisor Ren Klyce, and frequent Fincher composers Atticus Ross and Trent "Nine Inch Nails" Reznor.  The film is a technical marvel, and also a performance-heavy epic with a solid script and fantastic performances.

Gary Oldman once again proves why he's one of today's most prolific actors as he transforms himself into Herman Mankiewicz, although not using the prosthetics that he's known for that makes him completely unrecognizable.  You can tell this is Oldman, but all you see is Herman, as he tells his side of the story in the writing of "Citizen Kane" and the disillusionment of the Hollywood bourgeoisie, which will easily earn him another award nomination.  Likewise, Amanda Seyfried gives her best performance to date as Marion Davies, who exudes classic Hollywood glamor and sophistication, and whose makeup and costume designs are above reproach.  Charles Dance gives a strong William Randolph Hearst, Arliss Howard plays producer Louis B. Mayer (future founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), and Tom Burke gives his best Orson Wells impersonation to round out a strong supporting cast as well.

"Mank" is a marvel in every sense of the word, from the in-depth script to the dedicated performances and the technical wonders behind the scenes, along with the unique sound score and costume designs that transport the viewer entirely to the classic Hollywood era of the 30s and 40s.

The Score: A+