At the beginning of the viewing, the viewer is shown titles that reflect the background of the historical plot. The action takes place in 1940. RKO Pictures manages to lure young and ambitious director Orson Welles, who at the age of 24 has managed to gain weight and popularity in Hollywood. The terms of the signed contract are interesting: Wells is given complete and unprecedented independence in his actions. The director himself can choose the theme of the film project, solve issues with visual design, select the film crew, in short – everything that the young genius of the genre required.
The first scene is the crippled screenwriter Mankiewicz being brought to Victorville’s guest ranch. After the latter lies down on the bed, the viewer is introduced to two secondary characters – a nurse and a maid. The patient is intelligibly explained the task – to write a script for a new film in just 90 days; Moreover, the desired period is 2 months. Thus, the very original prehistory of the future cinematic masterpiece called “Mr. Kane” is indicated.
The director of the film “Mank” – David Fincher – used the script of his late father Jack for the work. The project, planned for a long time, is released by Fincher for the first time since 2014 – then Gone Girl was his last film.
Starring Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried. Initially, the cast was planned differently, but this couple played so masterfully that the film “Mank” became one of the leaders of 2020 in terms of the speed of gaining popularity rating. It is not surprising – the picture has its own unique charm, atmosphere and historical connection give the film a unique look.
The action of the film tells us about the process of writing the script for the future “Citizen Kane” (the future according to the plot – the picture was born in 1940), screenwriter Mankiewicz got down to business, friends and acquaintances call him Mank. The film describes 2 times: the unshakable 60 days of writing the script, that is, “reality”, and Mankiewicz’s background, the story of his career and the success of the film industry, that is, the “past”.
The main essence of the film is to convey to the viewer the process of filming in the 1930s and 1940s, to dedicate it a little to the “inner kitchen” of the film industry. In order for the audience to be fully imbued with the atmosphere of the time, David Fincher went on an unprecedented move – he shot a film in black and white. At first, such a unique solution even stuns the modern film enthusiast a little, but after the first 5-10 minutes of viewing, the feeling of discomfort, if any, goes away. The focus is on the unfolding events.
It is possible that many of the audience did not catch the grandiose in its fame film, which gained incredible popularity in the last century – “Citizen Kane”. After watching Fincher’s Mank, there is a desire to see the film itself, around which all the events of our release revolve. Mankiewicz throughout the film is in its own way dramatic tense relationship with all the key characters. Until the very end, the events of the film captivate and keep in concentration.
The meaning of the ending of the movie “Mank” 2020.
At the end of the film, the director presented a rather ambiguous climax, which not only gave the audience both joyful and sad emotions, but also left many questions. Let’s try to explain what its meaning is.
The main idea of the film is as follows: cinema cannot convey the life of a person by fully telling about him. For 2 hours of rental, you can only get a general impression of the character’s life, his character and passions, weaknesses and strengths.
The first question is who is Mankiewicz from the inside? The events that led him and his talent to work on Citizen Kane are shown at the very end. However, ignoring the sadness of the atmosphere, the question is closed by the main idea of the film – looking at the work of a person, we do not know his essence thoroughly.
At the same time, with everything, the general theme of the picture can be caught almost immediately – Fincher impregnates all the scenes of the film with sincere love for the old cinema. By not comparing the 1940s with the trends of the modern film industry, the director pays tribute to the origins and recognizes the breadth of thought of the filmmakers of that time.
