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** A major point of contention for many critics has long been how much credit Mankiewicz deserved for writing ''Film/CitizenKane''. The film seems to take its cue from Creator/PaulineKael's infamous essay "Raising Kane", where she claimed Mankiewicz deserved most of the credit, and that Welles "did not write...one line of the shooting script." That essay was later discredited. Partisans of Creator/OrsonWelles have called Fincher's movie a distortion of how much Mankiewicz contributed to the actual movie. Research in the wake of Kael's controversial book has pretty conclusively demonstrated that Welles made extensive revisions and additions to Mankiewicz's original script.
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** A major point of contention for many critics has long been how much credit Mankiewicz deserved for writing ''Film/CitizenKane''. The film seems to take its cue from Creator/PaulineKael's infamous essay "Raising Kane", where she claimed Mankiewicz deserved most of the credit, and that Welles "did not write...one line of the shooting script." That essay was later discredited.discredited, at least in part because she never actually spoke to anyone in Welles' camp who could either dispute, confirm or clarify claims made by the people she spoke to. Partisans of Creator/OrsonWelles have called Fincher's movie a distortion of how much Mankiewicz contributed to the actual movie. Research in the wake of Kael's controversial book has pretty conclusively demonstrated that Welles made extensive revisions and additions to Mankiewicz's original script.script, with research by Robert Carringer showing that his input was being applied by the second draft and his own written additions featuring heavily from the third draft and on.
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** Marion Davies was just under a year older than Herman Mankiewicz. Gary Oldman is about 28 years older than Amanda Seyfried, changing their dynamic drastically from what it would have been in real life. They even have dialogue comparing him to the elderly Don Quixote and her to the youthful Dulcinea.
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Badass Baritone has been disambiguated
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** Creator/CharlesDance is much leaner and more handsome than the real William Randolph Hearst. Additionally, while the real Willie had a high pitched voice, Dance has a famous BadassBaritone.
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** Creator/CharlesDance is much leaner and more handsome than the real William Randolph Hearst. Additionally, while the real Willie had a high pitched voice, Dance has a famous BadassBaritone.baritone.
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** While it is true Hollywood studio heads took Upton Sinclair's gubernatorial very seriously, it's unclear how much, if any, of that affected Mankiewicz in general and his views of Hearst in particular. Also, while the studios did pay actors and a director to make fake films to show supporters of Sinclair to be communists, the director was actually a willing participant in real life, as opposed to the tortured figure in the film version.
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** While it is true Hollywood studio heads took Upton Sinclair's gubernatorial campaign very seriously, it's unclear how much, if any, of that affected Mankiewicz in general and his views of Hearst in particular. Also, while the studios did pay actors and a director to make fake films to show supporters of Sinclair to be communists, the director was actually a willing participant in real life, as opposed to the tortured figure in the film version.
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* PracticallyDifferentGenerations: Mank and his younger brother Joe. They were twelve years apart in real life, which is a pretty notable age gap, but the casting of their actors (Gary Oldman is twenty-four years older than Tom Pelphrey) makes them look much further apart.
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Also appearing are Creator/TobyLeonardMoore as David O. Selznick, Creator/TuppenceMiddleton as Mank's long-suffering wife Sara, Creator/JosephCross as Charles Lederer, and Creator/JamieMcShane as Shelley Metcalf, a fictional character.
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Also appearing are Creator/TobyLeonardMoore as David O. Selznick, Creator/TuppenceMiddleton as Mank's long-suffering wife Sara, Creator/JosephCross as Charles Lederer, Creator/FerdinandKingsley as Irving Thalberg, and Creator/JamieMcShane as Shelley Metcalf, a fictional character.
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**The writer's room scene, set in 1930, refers to both Film/Frankenstein1931 and Film/TheWolfMan1941, a year before the release of the former, and ''eleven years'' before the release of the latter. Additionally, a reference is made to cheap horror movies being Universal's thing, and their string of monster movies didn't truly begin until 1931.
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* GreedyJew: Never outright stated, but there's an undercurrent of tension with every other Jewish character and Mayer - who begs, pleads, and lies (to the point of tears) to convince everyone at MGM to take a paycut during the Great Depression... and is one of the driving forces behind Hearst's greed, such as pounding Upton Sinclire's gubernatorial run with propaganda.
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* GreedyJew: Never outright stated, but there's an undercurrent of tension with every other Jewish character and Mayer - who begs, pleads, and lies (to the point of tears) to convince everyone at MGM to take a paycut during the Great Depression... and is one of the driving forces behind Hearst's greed, such as pounding Upton Sinclire's Sinclair's gubernatorial run with propaganda.
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Up To Eleven is a defunct trope
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* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSfX-nrg-lI official trailer]] is shot in black-and-white to match the look of ''Film/CitizenKane''. The film takes this UpToEleven in that it was shot in native black-and-white rather than color.[[note]]Typically, modern black-and-white films are shot in color and converted to black-and-white in post-production, as digital sensors are designed for color and there are very few film labs that can handle black-and-white film.[[/note]]
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* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSfX-nrg-lI official trailer]] is shot in black-and-white to match the look of ''Film/CitizenKane''. The film takes this UpToEleven up to eleven in that it was shot in native black-and-white rather than color.[[note]]Typically, modern black-and-white films are shot in color and converted to black-and-white in post-production, as digital sensors are designed for color and there are very few film labs that can handle black-and-white film.[[/note]]
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** Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy appears briefly as Creator/UptonSinclair.
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** Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy appears briefly as Creator/UptonSinclair.[[Literature/TheJungle Upton Sinclair]].
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* CourtJester: The relationship between Herman Mankiewicz and William Randolph Hearst is framed like that between a medieval king and his court jester. Although Mank is a frequent guest at Hearst's mansion (which, fittingly enough, is called "Hearst Castle"), [[MirthToPower he does not shy away from criticizing Hearst and his associates in his usual blunt, sarcastic manner.]] Hearst, in turn, likes to keep Mank around because he finds his wit amusing. Toward the end of the film, Mayer outright calls Mank a "court jester" to his face.
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* TheJester: The relationship between Herman Mankiewicz and William Randolph Hearst is framed like that between a medieval king and his court jester. Although Mank is a frequent guest at Hearst's mansion (which, fittingly enough, is called "Hearst Castle"), he does not shy away from criticizing Hearst and his associates in his usual blunt, sarcastic manner. Hearst, in turn, likes to keep Mank around because he finds his wit amusing. Toward the end of the film, Mayer outright calls Mank a "court jester" to his face.
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** Between the two speeches, Louis B. Mayer dishes a briefer one out to Mank, saying he's nothing but Hearst's [[TheJester "court jester"]] and revealing that he just gave that speech to the man who pays him. Unlike Mank and Hearst's speeches, Mayer doesn't bother telling a thinly veiled story about his target, and instead bluntly tells him off.
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** Between the two speeches, Louis B. Mayer dishes a briefer one out to Mank, saying he's nothing but Hearst's [[TheJester "court jester"]] "CourtJester" and revealing that he just gave that speech to the man who pays him. Unlike Mank and Hearst's speeches, Mayer doesn't bother telling a thinly veiled story about his target, and instead bluntly tells him off.
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* FaceFramedInShadow: Orson Welles filmed with his face out of focus or partially out of view until the end of the movie.
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* FaceFramedInShadow: Orson Welles filmed with his face out of focus or partially out of view until the end of the movie.movie - a homage to Film/CitizenKane, where Kane was always shrouded in shadow.
* GreedyJew: Never outright stated, but there's an undercurrent of tension with every other Jewish character and Mayer - who begs, pleads, and lies (to the point of tears) to convince everyone at MGM to take a paycut during the Great Depression... and is one of the driving forces behind Hearst's greed, such as pounding Upton Sinclire's gubernatorial run with propaganda.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Mank's primary motivation for going after Hearst is him seeing first-hand how Hearst screwed with left-wing Upton Sinclair's attempt at bettering California. It's not clear how much of this actually had an influence on Mank's script and hatred of Hearst.
* KickTheDog: In-universe - one of the reasons Mank gets a bad rep during the build-up to ''Citizen Kane'', and stated clearly by Marion, is that it's seen as kicking Hearst while he's down. (At the time, Hearst was in dire financial straits.)
* SmallNameBigEgo: As typical of Orson Welles, Mank simply asking for ''partial'' credit sends Welles into a ''steaming mad rage'' that trashes half the room. Welles is still irritated enough that, after the Oscars, he half-jokingly tells Mank to kiss his ass. The two never worked again after that.
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* TranquilFury: William Randolph Hearst's response to Mank giving him a major TheReasonYouSuckSpeech is to calmly walk him out of his house while giving a similar dress down in a polite manner.
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* ThrowItIn: In-universe. Welles' tantrum over Mank asking for partial credit inspires the FreakOut seen at the end of Citizen Kane.
* TranquilFury: William Randolph Hearst's response to Mank giving him a major TheReasonYouSuckSpeech is to calmly walk him out of his house while giving a similardress down dress-down in a polite manner.
* TranquilFury: William Randolph Hearst's response to Mank giving him a major TheReasonYouSuckSpeech is to calmly walk him out of his house while giving a similar
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* WorthyOpponent: There's an odd variant in that Mank and Marion Davis - whose ''Citizen Kane'' counterpart is a hack who tires of Kane's constant control of her - are friends and remain so, even after Mank insults Hearst to his face and even after Marion shows up to Mank's retreat to try and persuade him to stop writing. Mank gently refuses - and Marion understands, but will continue to try to block the picture. They make it clear they're still friendly during the conversation.
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''Mank'' is a 2020 {{biopic}} film directed by Creator/DavidFincher, written by his late father Jack, starring Creator/GaryOldman, Creator/AmandaSeyfried, Creator/CharlesDance, Creator/LilyCollins, Creator/ArlissHoward, Creator/TomPelphrey, Creator/TobyLeonardMoore, Creator/TuppenceMiddleton, Creator/JosephCross and Creator/JamieMcShane.
It is about 'humble screenwriter' Herman Mankiewicz (the older brother of Creator/JosephLMankiewicz), during his time co-writing Creator/OrsonWelles' ''Film/CitizenKane''.
It was released on Creator/{{Netflix}} on December 4, 2020.
It is about 'humble screenwriter' Herman Mankiewicz (the older brother of Creator/JosephLMankiewicz), during his time co-writing Creator/OrsonWelles' ''Film/CitizenKane''.
It was released on Creator/{{Netflix}} on December 4, 2020.
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''Mank'' is a 2020 {{biopic}} film directed by Creator/DavidFincher, written by his late father Jack, starring Creator/GaryOldman, Creator/AmandaSeyfried, Creator/CharlesDance, Creator/LilyCollins, Creator/ArlissHoward, Creator/TomPelphrey, Creator/TobyLeonardMoore, Creator/TuppenceMiddleton, Jack Fincher.
It is a biopic of "humble screenwriter" Herman Mankiewicz, and it plays out in two narrative tracks. In one track, set in 1940, Mankiewicz (Creator/GaryOldman) is taken out to an isolated ranch in Victorville, so he can dry out--Mank is a raging alcoholic--and get busy writing his latest script, for the movie that will become ''Film/CitizenKane''. He scratches away at a screenplay while his secretary Rita (Creator/LilyCollins) tries to keep him sober and Creator/OrsonWelles (Creator/TomBurke) calls frequently from Los Angeles.
The other track follows Mank's earlier screenwriting career, 1930-37. He has left the New York literary world for the big money of Hollywood screenwriting, but he hates himself for it, even as the checks continue to roll in. Mank calls his brother Creator/JosephLMankiewicz (Creator/TomPelphrey) out to Hollywood only to watch Joseph become more successful than he is. Mank works for MGM head Louis B. Mayer (Creator/ArlissHoward) while having no illusions about what a cynical liar Mayer is. Mank becomes a good friend of actress Creator/MarionDavies (Creator/AmandaSeyfried) and a frequent guest of Davies's lover/MealTicket, William Randolph Hearst (Creator/CharlesDance). Eventually Mankiewicz is unable to mask his contempt for both Hearst and Mayer, leading to a decisive break with both men--but his relationship with Davies and Hearst gives Mank an idea for a movie.
Also appearing are Creator/TobyLeonardMoore as David O. Selznick, Creator/TuppenceMiddleton as Mank's long-suffering wife Sara, Creator/JosephCross as Charles Lederer, andCreator/JamieMcShane.
It is about 'humble screenwriter' Herman Mankiewicz (the older brother of Creator/JosephLMankiewicz), during his time co-writing Creator/OrsonWelles' ''Film/CitizenKane''.
ItCreator/JamieMcShane as Shelley Metcalf, a fictional character.
''Mank'' was released on Creator/{{Netflix}} on December 4, 2020.
It is a biopic of "humble screenwriter" Herman Mankiewicz, and it plays out in two narrative tracks. In one track, set in 1940, Mankiewicz (Creator/GaryOldman) is taken out to an isolated ranch in Victorville, so he can dry out--Mank is a raging alcoholic--and get busy writing his latest script, for the movie that will become ''Film/CitizenKane''. He scratches away at a screenplay while his secretary Rita (Creator/LilyCollins) tries to keep him sober and Creator/OrsonWelles (Creator/TomBurke) calls frequently from Los Angeles.
The other track follows Mank's earlier screenwriting career, 1930-37. He has left the New York literary world for the big money of Hollywood screenwriting, but he hates himself for it, even as the checks continue to roll in. Mank calls his brother Creator/JosephLMankiewicz (Creator/TomPelphrey) out to Hollywood only to watch Joseph become more successful than he is. Mank works for MGM head Louis B. Mayer (Creator/ArlissHoward) while having no illusions about what a cynical liar Mayer is. Mank becomes a good friend of actress Creator/MarionDavies (Creator/AmandaSeyfried) and a frequent guest of Davies's lover/MealTicket, William Randolph Hearst (Creator/CharlesDance). Eventually Mankiewicz is unable to mask his contempt for both Hearst and Mayer, leading to a decisive break with both men--but his relationship with Davies and Hearst gives Mank an idea for a movie.
Also appearing are Creator/TobyLeonardMoore as David O. Selznick, Creator/TuppenceMiddleton as Mank's long-suffering wife Sara, Creator/JosephCross as Charles Lederer, and
It is about 'humble screenwriter' Herman Mankiewicz (the older brother of Creator/JosephLMankiewicz), during his time co-writing Creator/OrsonWelles' ''Film/CitizenKane''.
It
''Mank'' was released on Creator/{{Netflix}} on December 4, 2020.
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* TheCameo:
** Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy appears briefly as Creator/UptonSinclair.
** Ben Mankiewicz--film critic, Creator/TurnerClassicMovies host, grandson of Joseph and grandnephew of Herman--provides the voice of the broadcaster announcing the Academy Award ceremony at the end.
** Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy appears briefly as Creator/UptonSinclair.
** Ben Mankiewicz--film critic, Creator/TurnerClassicMovies host, grandson of Joseph and grandnephew of Herman--provides the voice of the broadcaster announcing the Academy Award ceremony at the end.
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* HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight: Mank went out to Hollywood to make money but regards himself as being above the movies and is ashamed of himself for being a screenwriter. Irving Thalberg points this out to Mank directly, saying that unlike Mank, he, Thalberg, doesn't use snark to hold himself out as above it all, and that he, Thalberg, doesn't regard his work as "slumming".
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* TakeThat: InUniverse, the original script for ''Citizen Kane'' is Mankiewicz's middle finger raised towards William Randolph Hearst. The people around Mank criticize him for throwing Marion Davies under the bus along with Hearst, even as Mank implausibly denies that the character of Susan Alexander is supposed to be Davies.
