Released: 4th December 2020 (Netflix)
Length: 131 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Arliss Howard, Tom Pelphrey and Charles Dance
Citizen Kane from Orson Welles is widely regarded as a revolution in filmmaking. Directed by and starring Orson Welles, it’s been discussed and critiqued many times through the decades. The latest effort from David Fincher takes a different approach; examining an individual whose story was just as intriguing as the man at the film’s centre.
Herman Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) was a talented yet often contentious individual; he wrote one of the greatest screenplays of all time but was also butting heads with both producers and executives alike. In 1940 he is confined to a house in Victorville, California with a broken leg and given the task of putting together the screenplay for Welles’s visionary classic. All the while, he’s forced to deal with his inconsiderate attitude, the onset of alcoholism and the wider social difficulties of the time. It unfolds through both the past and present tense with the latter showing the events that led the character to his isolation. While Herman deals with many different associates throughout the plot, Mank is really a character study. Heavy on both dialogue and interactions, the audience is compelled to absorb every last detail; as successful as Citizen Kane was on its release, you’ll find one of the key minds behind it was heading in the opposite direction. The film also does a fantastic job of tying itself in with the time period; the intrusion of the Great Depression and the political shifts of the time both play a key role in Mankiewicz’s choices and difficulties.
Of course, the film’s focus is squarely on the man at its centre; Gary Oldman does a fantastic job as Mankiewicz, who stands as a very multi-layered individual. He mingles with ritzy co-stars, sparks political debates and feels rather uninhibited in his comments towards others. In every aspect of his performance, Oldman is outstanding, capturing the strains Herman placed himself under at the time. This primary performance is backed up by a set of equally outstanding side characters. Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried) who would appear in Citizen Kane herself, is jubilant and sociable, often taking moments with Herman on her own. This contrasts with Louis B. Meyer’s (Arliss Howard) authoritative and approach to the film studio, generating a commanding presence. Finally, Charles Dance’s William Randolph Hearst conveys a powerful and knowledgeable persona that seamlessly fits the real-life figure. Thanks to the wide array of contexts, the film is always delivering ample opportunity for the actors to create varied tones. What the fellow cast members do is feed into Mank’s own characterisation, contributing to the character’s own writing over time. They are all distinctive in their individual characteristics and dynamically change their place in relation to others across the film’s many scenes.
And it all looks beautiful too; fully in line with both its historical trappings, Mank offers a sublime recreation of 1930s California with its black and white palette. Its commitment to representing the movie business surrounds the characters at every moment; whether the protagonist is wandering the moving film sets or attending lavish dinners. The locations and costume design are all finely detailed. But by far the film’s finest aspect is its exquisite lighting; it’s perfectly placed to set the mood and ambience for each sequence. I especially loved how the lighting was incorporated into the narrative transitions; often when one light in the scenery dims, the entire sequence fades out with it. It’s a brilliant to move between both scenes and chronologies without taking the audience out of the already absorbing setting. The music features traditional instruments and notes that would feel right at home in an older Hollywood production; like every other piece of the puzzle, it’s all excellently implemented into the full package.
Dazzlingly produced and immaculately acted, David Fincher’s Mank is an outstanding peek behind the curtain of classical Hollywood. It’s also a superb portrait of a highly flawed genius, deftly brought to life by Gary Oldman and his co-stars. This production demands the attention of everyone who embraces film beyond a simple pastime.
Rating: 5/5 Stars (Exceptional)