Netflix becomes an Oscar: time travel for the best movie in the world

David Fincher filmed the story of making “Citizen Kane” and Netflix produced the virtuoso Tour de Force with ulterior motives.

Matthias Lerf

Published: 11/21/2020, 10:00 pm

When it comes to choosing the best movie in history, it quickly ends up with “Citizen Kane”. Production began regularly in 1941 the In the meantime, he was ousted here and there by the “godfathers” of Francis Ford Coppola. But now it could change again. David Fincher presents a film about the person who made “Citizen Kane” a masterpiecebuy.

No, not Orson Welles. The then 24-year-old child prodigy was the lead actor, director, co-writer and producer of the film. But the original script, with its innovative and erratic narrative style, came from someone else. His name is Herman J. Mankiewicz, has been but as soon as “M.ank ”he called. As Netflix production is now called.

Fincher’s father wrote the script

The streaming service fulfilled a sincere wish from David Fincher. The director of successful films like “Seven” and “Fight Club” gave it a try 30 years langto make a film with the material. The screenplay was originally written by his father, a journalist who died in 2003. As early as 1990 there were concrete plans to bring the story to the screen. But filming also failed because Hollywood studios insisted on shooting the film in color. Fincher wanted black and white. Point.

Then – much earlier #MeToo – Kevin Spacey should be actingin. With him Fincher then conceived and created “House of Cards”, one of the first hits of the series aspirant S.enders. In recent years, the director has re-worked for Netflix on the serial killer series “Mindhunter”. When discussing a possible third Season came the conversation about «Mank». And Fincher got the green light for black and white production.

Of course, this wasn’t just a friend service for a deserving employee. Ever since Netflix has been at the forefront of film production, the streaming service has been seeking recognition with all its might Gestalt an Oscar for Best Picture. “Roma”, also Juventus, was very close to the goal in 2019. For April 2021 – due to Corona, the awards ceremony has been postponed – Netflix is ​​now looking to make a number of movies with proven Hollywood greats such as Spike Lee (“From 5 Bloods”) is Meryl Streep (Musical “The Prom”) in competition to send (see box).

Hollywood loves Hollywood movies

“Mank” has a good chance. The Academy loves Hollywood movies, full of reminiscences and real characters. Fincher’s new film has almost an abundance of them. There are historical allusions and references. Plus, bon mot, jokes and tips that even a cinephile audience threatens to get too much.

But then it crystallizes in “Mank” the real story out. And it is not, as one might think at the beginning, the conflict between Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles. The two quarreled after the completion of “Citizen Kane” over who could be named as a screenwriter, Welles wanted to clear Manks’s name there. But this one won the mention. And decades later to discuss Movie buffs violently about itwhich probably contributed the most to the script.

D.Ieser ultimately, the unsolvable conflict is but only a secondary topic. Orson Welles stays in the background, it’s more about Herman J. Mankiewicz’s location in Hollywood. As a sharp-tongued partner, he has made a name for himself among the rich and powerful. The studio bosses adore him, as does the influential newspaper czar William Randolph Hearst. Mank goes in and out of all these people, and if he misbehaves, it only increases his reputation.

In bed and Hollywood at your feet

The main character is played by Gary Oldman. At 61, he is two decades older than Mankiewicz at the time. It doesn’t look like him outwardly, and unlike his Oscar-winning role as Winston Churchill, he wears no masks and little makeup to match himself. Yet he internalizes the part of the cynic, the alcoholic Writer everything. He often lies in bed, but after an accident he writes his script there. But even under the covers it seems that all of Hollywood is at his feet.

This is the fundamental conflict that David Fincher elaborates in nostalgic black and white: Mank sees himself as far-sightedr Scouts in a mendacious world. But in reality he knows he was simply being held as a court jester. His script becomes a ruthless deal with the newspaper czar and his mistress, actress Marion Davies (beautifully played by Amanda Seyfried).

The virtuous homage “Shortage” is Here because an Oscar in various categories-Kcandidate But then it was also “Citizen Kane”. But after the newspaper czar insulted by the film she used all her journalistic power to discredit the alleged portrait of him, in the end there was only one trophy. In the “Best” category, of all placesS. Script “.

Orson Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz both stayed away from the ceremony.

Published: 11/21/2020, 10:00 pm