Fincher’s “Mank” – a film about films!

3rd December 2020

David Fincher – one of the modern cinema’s greatest directors who gave us ‘Se7en’, ‘Fight Club’, ‘Zodiac’, ‘The Social Network’, ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ – made us wait a long time for his next feature.

It’s been 6 long years since his successful adaptation of ‘Gone Girl’ (based on the book of the same name) premiered at the cinemas, both to critical and commercial success. Sure, in between, he still gave us ‘The Mindhunter’ on Netflix, but the man himself was not made for the TV Series, but cinemas – and now, he is back with a full force. Fincher’s newest movie, ‘Mank’, is a passion project of his that is based on the screenplay of his late father, Jack Fincher. Dealing with the life of a great screenwriter, Hermann Mankiewicz, the movie is a love letter to both cinema and his dad, who made David fall for the films.

For anyone thinking, ‘Perhaps this isn’t a movie for everyone’ – don’t worry, even if it isn’t, it explains itself enough for everyone to appreciate the tribute and the craft of filmmaking.

The movie is a biography of Hermann J. Mankiewicz – a screenwriter and the father of the legendary filmmaker, Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It is set during Hermann’s development of the script for Orson Welles’s ‘Citizen Kane’, one of the all-time classics and considered (by many) to be the greatest film of all time – or, at least, the most influential one. Starring Gary Oldman as the titular Mank, this black and white film is an homage to Hollywood and the art of developing and creating moving pictures. Alongside Oldman, a number of high-profile actors take on roles of Hollywood icons – Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Tuppence Middleton, Tom Burke, Bill Nye (the science guy!) and Charles Dance all appear in Fincher’s most extravagant and ambitious project to date.

Anybody who loves cinema will instantly be drawn to this one. If you guys already know the Mankiewicz family, you will feel like fish in the water, with all the little winks from the screen coming from Fincher. Don’t know Hermann J. Mankiewicz? That’s alright, you could know either his son or, even more likely, ‘Citizen Kane’ – a film that stands the test of time like hardly anything made in its time and one that influenced decades of filmmaking afterwards. Don’t worry if you’re lost though – it’s all good, this here is a beautiful history lesson for everybody interested in behind-the-scenes or just the things that happen on-screen.

It is a chance to get educated on one of the most important chapters of the film industry. In fact, why don’t you just jump on ‘Citizen Kane’ while you’re at it – trust us, after watching this, you’re gonna want to dive right in to ‘Mask’! Also, do check out David Fincher.

  Where can you catch it? The big treat is the fact that the film’s available on large screens – it’s a limited release, but it’s been on since the 20th of November. As of December the 4th, however, you can also watch it on Netflix – it is, after all, their production and a flagship film they had for this year. That right here is an investment that paid off and one of the best films of the ill-fated 2020. Don’t believe us? Please, watch it and let us know what you think!

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