By Tom and Marilyn Jozwik
HE: “Mank” is the relatively long but quick-paced story of Herman Mankiewicz, who shared screenwriting credit with Orson Welles for the 1941 classic “Citizen Kane.” But “Mank” is less about its eponymous character penning “Kane” than it is a representation of Herman spouting witticisms and insults, charming lovely women (including his two-timed wife) and drinking like a severely parched trout. Gary Oldman is outstanding as Mankiewicz. David Fincher directs, from his father, Jack Fincher’s, script.
SHE: “Mank” shines a light on one of Hollywood’s most gifted writers, but it also covers some interesting periods in Tinseltown. We see MGM chief Louis B. Mayer asking his employees to take a pay cut during the Depression, and out-of-work actors; silent film stars segueing to talkies; Hollywood actors in faux political campaign interviews denouncing writer Upton Sinclair, a former Socialist Party member, in the 1934 California gubernatorial race. “Mank’s” present is 1939 as Mank is holed up at a desert location after breaking his leg in an auto accident. He is working on a script commissioned by Welles, which turns out to be for “Citizen Kane.”
In flashbacks we see Mank’s trademark sarcasm and wit on display as he interacts with Hollywood’s elite like Mayer, producer Irving Thalberg and actress Marion Davies (girlfriend of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, on whose life “Kane” is believed to be based), deftly portrayed by Amanda Seyfried. Hearst himself is, in fact, a Mank sparring partner.
HE: “Mank” flashes backwards as well as forwards, creating a little confusion in the process. Yet “Mank” manages to maintain the viewer’s attention. It was filmed in black and white, appropriate in depicting an era when B/W movies were still the norm.
The Mankiewicz name will be familiar to many readers. Herman was the father of Robert F. Kennedy’s press secretary, Frank Mankiewicz, and the grandfather of television movies host Ben Mankiewicz. Still, the question arises: How worthy a movie subject is this father-grandfather, quick-witted character or no, decades after whatever prominence he had? There are, after all, so many other stories to be told.
Grade: B
SHE: Mankiewicz was a quite a character and wit, so I think he is a worthy subject for the film. The story is told with the look of the 30s but with modern pacing to keep it moving briskly. Plus, the era in which Mank toiled was also brought into focus, giving us insights into the early days of Hollywood in this smart, sophisticated, R-rated film.
“Mank” is available on Netflix.
Grade: A-