Netflix Movie Review: Mank
By: Stephen Dalton
Tags: Movies, Filmmaking, Movie Review, Mank, Citizen Kane

A NETFLIX MOVIE REVIEW

Netflix Movie Review: Mank

I chose to watch this film, not from a desire to learn more about Citizen Kane or the character Herman Mankiewicz, but initially to learn more about my craft, writing. Stephen Dalton Dec 10, 2020·5 min read

Mank & Marion Davies from the Daily Mail Source

Though the movie is not for everyone, the writer can take a lot from the many adages or “zingers” delivered by notable writers, directors, producers, and other movie personalities portrayed in the film.

One of those is when Houseman tells Mank, “Tell the story, you know,” to which Mank replies, “I don’t know that writer.”

Coincidentally, after watching, I read Joel Eisenberg’s Why “Write What You Know” is Meaningless Advice For Content Creators. Which, by the way, was really hard to read without your brain wanting to read it in Rod Serling’s (The Twilight Zone) voice.

Another adage I found funny was, “I don’t mind the heat; it’s the humanity.”

Since reading The Storm of the Century, Stephen King’s screenplay, I’ve wanted to write one. I think it would give me a chance to “show” the audience what I am seeing.

Yeah, I’m probably a little delusional, but that’s what ran through my mind as I considered a screenplay and why I wanted to see this movie. I hoped to get a better feel for writing a movie script. It didn’t work out that way, but I enjoyed the movie.

An Introduction

If you’re not familiar with Herman Mankiewicz, he was a screenplay writer in Depression-era Hollywood. Citizen Kane was about the millionaire William Randolph Hearst, or WR as LB, Louis B. Mayer calls him in the movie.

In WR’s youth, he shared his Socialist political philosophy with Upton Sinclair, but as a grown-up, wealthy newspaper owner, his mindset is totally different.

The film’s introduction, “1930’s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing wit and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish ‘Citizen Kane.’ ”

We’re pulled into the movie by onscreen dialogue, “In 1940, at the tender age of 24, Orson Welles was lured to Hollywood by a struggling RKO Pictures with a contract befitting his formidable storytelling talent.

He was given absolute creative autonomy, would suffer no oversight, and could make any movie, about any subject, with any collaboration he wished…”

The Protagonist

The protagonist is Herman “Mank” Mankiewicz, played by Gary Oldman, a screenwriter hired by Orson Welles to “ghostwrite” a screenplay for an epic movie.

Although the terms of the contract are never stated outright, Mank gets $2500 per week to write the script within 60 days, but the credit for the writing will go to Orson Welles, which is standard for a ghostwriting contract. Nowadays, writers typically have to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA), probably because of some of what you will see in this movie.

Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) desperately needs a blockbuster movie to compete with MGM and Warner Brothers, so they gave that chore to Orson Welles, who hires Mank.

The Plot

The plot, according to Rotten Tomatoes, “Sharply written and brilliantly performed, Mank peers behind the scenes of Citizen Kane to tell an old Hollywood story that could end up being a classic in its own right.”

Mank, a trailer:

YouTube Video Source Netflix

Since it’s not mine, if you enjoy the trailer, “like” or subscribe.

John Houseman, who will produce the movie, sets Mank up in an alcohol-free house with a nurse and a stenographer, Rita, to write while he recovered from a broken leg. Rita soon sees the similarities between the character in the script and Hearst.

One of the substories is the California Governor’s race between Sinclair, a Democratic Socialist, and Frank Merriam, a Republican. MGM runs several smear ads or spots against Sinclair. Mank realizes that many of the people who get interviewed by reporters are actors reading a script, not actual voters at all.

The Characters

The characters beyond Mank include Marion Davies (Hearst’s mistress, excellently portrayed by Amanda Seyfried), William Randolph Hearst (played by Charles Dance, Lord Tywin Lannister of GoT fame), “Poor Sara” (Tuppence Middleton), who’s “back east,” Orson Welles (Tom Burke), Louis B. Mayer (Arliss Howard), Rita, the stenographer (played by Lily Jane Collins, daughter of Phil Collins), Mank’s brother Joe, and a host of others. It’s a marvelous cast of characters who play their parts very well. IMO.

My Recommendation

As I stated earlier, although I really enjoyed it, this movie is not for everyone. In fact, one YouTube trailer and review by Cinema Blend is based on that premise, Mank Review: David Fincher’s New Netflix Movie Isn’t for Everyone.

However, I think “cinephiles” and writers will like it.

And Sara Michelle Fetters, MovieFreak.com Top Critic says, “Fincher’s latest is a disappointing slice of Hollywood hooey.” But, Wenlei Ma, News.com.au Top Critic, says, “More than a magnificent technical achievement, Mank is hypnotically entertaining.” So, expect something in between these extremes.

YouTube Video Source CinemaBlend

Once again, this is not my trailer or review, so if you like it, subscribe or otherwise show your appreciation.

Mark my words, Mank will receive as many (nine) Oscar nominations as Citizen Kane, but I believe it will win more than the one (Best Original Screenplay) that Kane did.

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About the Author Photo by Jean Springs from Pexels

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Top Writer in Fiction, Short Story, VR, Design, & Creativity. Editor of Pop Off, Top Dalton’s Blog, 100WordStory, B.O.S.S., and SportsShorts100WordsOnly

You can see his portfolio here. Email thewriteresults@yahoo.com

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