12-06-2020, 07:52 AM
I was looking forward to this film as soon as it was announced. Gary Oldman stars in a David Fincher film about the making of Citizen Kane. Be still my heart.
And yet, it fell flat to me. Maybe my expectations were too high? (You could say Great, almost) I read a lot of promo on this so I knew a lot of what was coming. The film moved at a very sedate pace. There was a never a sense of great urgency although they did put a time in the middle because Mankewiecz has to get the script done in a certain amount of time.
Oldman stars as Mankiewicz, the author of the screenplay for Orson Welles. He is on his last legs as an alcoholic. And on his last leg because he broke the other. The story is told in flashback mainly about how he got to be a drunk and in this bed out in the desert. At one time, Mank was the most powerful writer in Hollywood. He worked at MGM for Louis B. Mayer during the transition from the silent era to the talkies. Mank was also friends with Marion Davies who worked at the studio. He also was friends with William Randolph Hearst as well.
Events surrounding the election of Upton Sinclair plays a major impetus for the writing of Citizen Kane and Mank's falling out with Hearst. Or does it? The turn in the relationship is based on one character. And despite all the real life characters in the film. This one was fake. He never existed. Which means if he's the basis for the bad blood, then that basis is false. So why did they fall out?
I was hoping a for a cool story about the making of Citizen Kane. Instead I watched a dissolute writer dictate a screenplay.
It does look beautiful, though. Which is what Fincher does. And I keep forgetting that. Much like Ridley Scott, he makes great looking movies that don't have a lot of story in them. I did have a fun time playing what studio lot are we filming this on. Some of it was definitely old MGM. But there is trickery for the other locations.
And yet, it fell flat to me. Maybe my expectations were too high? (You could say Great, almost) I read a lot of promo on this so I knew a lot of what was coming. The film moved at a very sedate pace. There was a never a sense of great urgency although they did put a time in the middle because Mankewiecz has to get the script done in a certain amount of time.
Oldman stars as Mankiewicz, the author of the screenplay for Orson Welles. He is on his last legs as an alcoholic. And on his last leg because he broke the other. The story is told in flashback mainly about how he got to be a drunk and in this bed out in the desert. At one time, Mank was the most powerful writer in Hollywood. He worked at MGM for Louis B. Mayer during the transition from the silent era to the talkies. Mank was also friends with Marion Davies who worked at the studio. He also was friends with William Randolph Hearst as well.
Events surrounding the election of Upton Sinclair plays a major impetus for the writing of Citizen Kane and Mank's falling out with Hearst. Or does it? The turn in the relationship is based on one character. And despite all the real life characters in the film. This one was fake. He never existed. Which means if he's the basis for the bad blood, then that basis is false. So why did they fall out?
I was hoping a for a cool story about the making of Citizen Kane. Instead I watched a dissolute writer dictate a screenplay.
It does look beautiful, though. Which is what Fincher does. And I keep forgetting that. Much like Ridley Scott, he makes great looking movies that don't have a lot of story in them. I did have a fun time playing what studio lot are we filming this on. Some of it was definitely old MGM. But there is trickery for the other locations.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm