Mank review
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Mank
Netflix
R. 131 MIN
In these most unpleasant of times as those of us who love movies are forced to watch the industry destroyed by panic technology politics Etc. there comes a film called MANK a spectacular black and white extravaganza set against the good the bad and the ugly factions of old Roosevelt era Hollywood. Herman Mankiewicz is a brilliant but troubled writer who has been tapped to write the screenplay for the Orson Welles classic Citizen Kane a film spoken of in many circles as possibly the greatest film ever made. Keep in mind the New Yorker Wells is a Hollywood outsider as well as an arrogant genius so there’s a bit of a rub right there in a world dominated by arrogant geniuses. That’s basically the core of the film but there is so much more. Other themes include the upcoming California election pitting socialist vs. Free Traders. Partially fueled by that political climate there’s a massive power struggle brewing among the gods of the industry Louie B Mayer William Randolph Hearst and the monolithic MGM and RKO Empires. All these forces fight tooth-and-nail and we are never sure if KANE will see the light of day. In part of that problem is Manks own personality flaws and alcoholism. And that would mean both he and Wells might have wound up as merely a footnote in cinema history. But we know what happened. What I didn’t know was the conflict as to whether or not Mankiewicz was to receive a writer’s credit even though I am of the opinion he did the yeoman’s work. The power brokers wanted to pay him off and send him on his way but for the first time in his life he refused the payoff had took his chances which might have led to coming up completely empty.
I love pieces about Hollywood I love the look of this film I love the acting (Gary Oldman is at least one of three of the greatest actors alive) and I love the life of firming ending. I also know Hollywood loves this kind of stuff so I’m expecting to see some big noise around Oscar time.
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