Author: Christina Newland
If there is a movie that may cause controversy at the Oscars (because God knows that Oscars love movies about filmmaking) , it will be David Fincher’s black and white film "Mank," which is full of love for the past. But it doesn't stick to the romantic way of shooting. This is the story of Herman J. Mankiewicz. He is the alcoholic but talented screenwriter behind "Citizen Kane". His collaboration with Orson Wells has created perhaps the hottest in American film history. Gorgeous work. "Mank" is full of allusions, quotations, and will always tell the famous romantic figures of the year, immersed in the legend of Hollywood, and boldly not give any explanation to the legend. Vinci’s ruthless narrative strategy is very suitable for the petty protagonist in the movie; as Mankiewicz said in a 1926 letter about Hollywood to a friend: “Millions of dollars Waiting here for someone to snatch, and your only competitors are idiots. Don't let the opportunity slip away."
In order to clarify some of the historical and cultural background needed to understand "Mank", before Netflix went live, I briefly sorted out all the content of old Hollywood that I needed to know. If necessary, you can use a simple vocabulary format (the following 26 items are arranged in alphabetical order of the English title) to understand the story behind "Mank". Do not miss. There is no doubt that the average audience will need it.
Anti-Communist in Hollywood
Although the notorious McCarthyist witch hunt era began after World War II, the commotion in Hollywood was much earlier. During the Roosevelt era, many progressives joined the Communist Party. In the era when Mussolini and Hitler rose, the Communist Party was at the forefront of anti-fascism. At the same time, conservatives like John Wayne and Walt Disney formed the "American Ideal Protection Film League," a group of film professionals who would drive their communist colleagues out of Congress. The newspaper tycoon and inspiration of Charles Foster Kane, William Randolph Hirst is on the right wing of this political divide, while artists such as Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Wells are On the left. It's no surprise that they end up colliding.
Outdoor studio
Most of the scenes we saw in "Mank" were performed in studios and open-air studios. Most viewers would take it for granted. This was the basic structure of the large old-fashioned film studio system before the advent of CGI. . But studio venues like Paramount or MGM are more than just a set of sets: they are the beating heart of the old Hollywood film system. They support thousands of employees, from electricians to hairdressers to movie stars, all have their own doctor's office and police station, covering dozens of acres of land in the vast remote areas of California. The MGM canteen feeds 2,700 people every day; even actors dressed as circus actors and ancient Romans will go there to hang out. Vinci provided us with an opportunity to turn back in time and marvel at these fantastic factories-and they have now been demolished in their heyday.
Metropolis Pictures
Metropolitan Pictures (Cosmopolitan Pictures) is a large newspaper Heng Weilian Randolph Hearst in 1918 in New York to set up a film company, and later moved to Hollywood. Hirst possesses such a wealth that he has the ability to build an entire studio, which is believed to have been established exclusively for his mistress, Marion Davis. Hirst never considered Davis’s attributes as a talented comedian in movies such as King Widow’s 1928 "Life of an Actress" and insisted that Davis’s role as a drama in his flagship company (but ultimately failed) ) .
Deep focus photography
You should have heard of some movie genres and movie lovers talking about "depth of field" before, but if you don’t know: Deep focus photography means that every scene of the lens (foreground, middle ground, background) is focused at the same time, giving The image has a certain depth and complexity. It was not invented by the photographer Craig Toland in the "Citizen Kane" scene, but Toland's use is considered the pinnacle of this technology. It uses lenses and lights to make the This effect was easier to achieve in the early 1940s.
financial crisis
In an unforgettable scene in "Mank", the head of the studio, Louis B. Meyer, told MGM employees that they had to cut their salaries due to the Great Depression. In fact, this scene did happen. Looking back, Hollywood seems to be a place away from depression, but MGM had to cut wages by 50% or even completely shut down the entire studio.
Fitzgerald
When Herman J. Mankiewicz made a joke on the phone, saying that if Fitzgerald-a notorious drunkard-called him "crap", it was terrible bad news. This is an extremely humble allusion about F. Scott Fitzgerald. This literary master was basically impoverished during this period; although he became famous in the 1920s, he had gone bankrupt in the 1940s, and he had not found real success in screenwriting. The bitterness of cooperating with great writers during this tragic period is roughly described in the novel "The Disappointed" written by another important Hollywood figure, Bud Schutzberg (writer of "The Wharf").
"Grapes of Wrath"
A year before "Citizen Kane", photographer Greg Tolan shot another masterpiece in black and white, this time in collaboration with director John Ford. "The Grapes of Wrath" is adapted from a novel by John Steinbeck, about a desperate family in Oklahoma displaced by sandstorms and the Great Depression. At that time, a consistent effort was made to keep California in the hands of the Republican Party-this movement was shown in "Mank"-the focus was on the slanderer "Oklahoma", presented as a group The homeless who invaded the state. To understand who and what people like Louis B. Mayer and William Randolph Hirst are trying to discredit, as part of this effort, watch "The Grapes of Wrath."
Haida and Luila
These two notorious women are briefly mentioned in "Mank"-and only their names are used to illustrate their power. Hedda Hopper (Hedda Hopper) and Lu Yi pull Parsons (Louella Parsons) are two of Hollywood's biggest syndicated gossip columnist, if hostility, it is well known that her son will definitely retaliate. If Haida or Luila can't understand a new star, they will kill that person's career in the cradle. They have informants everywhere in Los Angeles. Haida is known for his firm conservatism, and both of them have a soft spot for Hearst News. Like loyal watchdogs, the two severely attacked "Citizen Kane", helping to weaken Wells' reputation in Hollywood.
Irving Salberg
Perhaps the most ruthlessly mythic movie tycoon in history, "Boy Miracle" Owen Salberg practically invented the role of creative producer. In "Mank", he is set to be Louis B. Meyer's right-hand man, although his temperament is very different from his boss. Salberg was the first to introduce the screening. He was sensitive, smart, and creative—although he was always ruthless—but died young at the age of 37, leaving a huge vacancy for the top MGM executives.
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writing for the screen is not the exclusive talent of Herman Mankiewicz. In the film, Mank's younger brother Joseph was just getting started in the 1930s, but he later became a garland of directors with films such as "Three Wives", "Comet Beauty", "Red Man and Green Girl" and other films. In the 1950s, as the director of the Directors Guild, he fought bravely against the forces of McCarthyism.
Kane's prototype
William Randolph Hirst was born into a family of gold mining tycoons in the Old West. He started his huge newspaper empire at the end of the 19th century and would greedily devour a series of other publications until he accumulated a huge amount of power. He ran for political office many times, but failed to return, and was called "the most annoying person in America." When Hirst learned about "Citizen Kane", he tried his best to block its release.
Labor struggle
In the 1930s, politically charged Hollywood workers organized collectively and established guilds like the Society of Actors of America (SAG) and the Screenwriters Association of America (WGA). In an old story, the powerful and well-paid tycoons—especially Hirst and Louis B. Meyer—do their best to attack their employees, often saying "support unions" Confused with "Communism". Meyer even founded the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and established the Academy Awards-an attempt to provide a distracting alternative to true unions. It is in the context of this controversy that most of the content of "Mank" happened.
Marion Davis
Davis is Hirst’s long-term cohabiting mistress and a Brooklyn-born public comedian (played by Amanda Seyfried in the film) . In "Citizen Kane," she is cruelly linked because-at least in the version of Finch's events-Mankiewicz's resentment and reluctance towards her in real life. In fact, Davis is a lively and fresh screen image, who is good at imitating other stars and has an innate talent for comedy. Later, Wells retracted the description of Davis in the movie in his part, pointing out that she was far from the Susan Alexander Kane in the movie.
Nazi ban
Fun fact: In the 1930s, Nazi Culture Minister Joseph Goebbels banned all works created by Mankiewicz unless his name was removed from the screen signature.
Orson Wells
This maverick legend in the American film industry began his Hollywood career with the commanding heights of "Citizen Kane" after gaining a national reputation through the broadcast of "World War" on the radio in 1938. Wells was brought under the command of Raidenhua Pictures. At the age of 24, he was taken to Hollywood, originally with the intention of adapting Joseph Conrad's classic novel "Heart of Darkness." When all this failed, Wells apparently had a meeting with Mankiewicz, and finally they agreed to work together on the film.
Pauline Kyle
The highly influential film critic Pauline Kyle wrote a controversial-and somewhat inaccurate article in 1971, entitled "The Road to Kane's Cultivation". In the article, she believes that Herman J. Mankiewicz played a much greater role than Orson Wells in the creation of "the greatest movie in the world." She alleged that Orson Wells played down The contribution of the screenwriter; and Wells alone accepted the Oscar for best screenwriter award. Although her ethics in reporting this manuscript was later questioned, it is said that the first draft of the "Mank" script written by Finch's late father Jack was completed under the guidance of Kyle's article. However, the version that was put on the screen had a much more benevolent evaluation of Wells.
Raiden China Pictures
Radio Keith Orpheum (Radio Keith Orpheum, referred to as: RKO), founded in 1928, is the studio responsible for investing in "Citizen Kane". During the Great Depression, its works included the classic 1933 version of "King Kong". Historically, its scale is smaller and its profits are much lower than the other five major studios, but it has many unforgettable talents, from Kane’s photographer Greg Toland to Fred. Astaire (actor, dancer, singer, representative works: Happy Hour, Top Hat, Golden Dream, Sweet Sisters, Siegfried Dance Company) and Genji Rogers ( stage actor, film actor, singer. Representative works : Long live women)
screenwriter
In the flashback to the early 1930s, when Mank was a screenwriter at Paramount, Finch took us to the screenwriting room-a friendly and smoky boys club. Here, Charles MacArthur (screenwriter) , Producer, director, actor, participated in the screenwriting of "The Circus", "The Officialdom", "Wuthering Heights", etc., won Oscars), and Ben Hecht (screenwriter, director, producer, actor, Participated in the screenwriting of "Girlfriend Friday", "Beauty's Plan", "Wuthering Heights", "Cleopatra", "The Train Strangers", "Doctor Edward", "Gone with the Wind", "Passionate Like Fire", "Guanshan Flyover" ", "Underworld", etc., many times won Oscars and nominations) and other characters have not yet completed can be said to be their greatest screen achievement: the 1941 film "Girlfriend Friday". This group of people spend most of their spare time on gambling and nonsense; they have created amazing works that are amazing, but they are often troubled by the lowest stakes. In the golden age, screenwriters had a low position on the totem pole of film companies. Most of the scripts of this era can be exchanged, censored, and changed to suit the whims of the producers. In a project, there are usually many screenwriters, but only some of them are signed. They often travel between different studios to find better job opportunities and creative satisfaction.
The last tycoon
F. Scott Fitzgerald's luck as a screenwriter may not be very good, but his last great unfinished novel "The Last Tycoon" is mainly based on the short life of Owen Salberg. The story tells the protagonist’s rise in Hollywood and his struggle with a character modeled after the head of MGM Films, Louis B. Mayer.
Upton Sinclair
The novelist and social reformer ran for governor of California in 1934 and opposed Republican candidate Frank Merian. This caused a propaganda campaign of fear by the conservative media and William Randolph Hirst, portraying him as a tough one. Communists. From Louis B. Meyer of MGM to the head of Walt Disney’s Hollywood studios, they not only encouraged their employees to hate Sinclair, but also encouraged them to participate in fake anti-Sinclair news films, and even some employees His salary was deducted to opposition candidates. In "Mank", Hirst's media slander campaign against Sinclair is manifested as Mankiewicz's hatred of the tycoon-and one of the main motivations for his final script of "Citizen Kane".
William Faulkner
Mankiewicz is far from the only writer who looks down on Hollywood intrigues, and the legend Faulkner agrees with him. This person who adapted works such as "Night Long Dreams" into screen works may have criticized the most. He thinks Hollywood is "the plastic bastard in the world".
Shangdu
"Except for the Pyramid," in "Citizen Kane", the narration of the newsreel said: "Shang are the most expensive monuments that humans have built for themselves." This luxurious palace is Charles Foster Kay En's home, there is an entire zoo, Venetian canals and gondola boats, and a priceless museum with priceless antiques. Of course, it is still a fictitious version of Saint Simon, better known as Hearst Castle. There, we saw Mankiewicz go to various night banquets for drunken fans-and wandered giraffes in the early hours of the morning. What is the best part? If you want to see the real scene, you can also visit the original site of Hearst Castle, a few hours south of Monterey, California.
Pornographic news
Pornography, racial decoys, and scandal making are the names of William Randolph Hirst's dirty games; he seems to be the ancestor of Rupert Murdoch. This is the media environment that "Citizen Kane" faced at the time.
Zanuk
Darryl Zanuck (Darryl Zanuck)-played by Trevor Wooldridge in "Mank", he is a producer among the many unappeared roles in the film People and executives played an important role in the formation of the Hollywood studio system (ie 20th Century Fox) . His Hollywood career was the longest, making another colleague at the end of the alphabet Adol Zukor (Adol Zukor, The founder of Paramount) was eclipsed. Other characters appearing in "Mank" are played by signed actors, while others are not. Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Geraldine Fitzgerald, George Shaffer (Head of Raiden China) , Carol Lombard, Betty Davis, Charlie Chapé Lin, George S. Kaufman, Joseph von Sternberg, Norma Shearer, Eleanor Bodman, Billie Dove, Clark Gable, Eddie Cantor , And SJ Perelman.
Original link:
Everything You Need to Know About Old Hollywood to Understand Mank
View more about Mank reviews
