GUARDA ANCHE: Il trailer e il poster di MANK
Mank uscirà il prossimo 4 dicembre su Netflix, ma alcuni critici americani hanno già visto l’attesissimo film di David Fincher, e l’embargo per le reazioni è scaduto.
Com’era prevedibile, i commenti sono molto buoni, in alcuni casi persino entusiasti. Vengono elogiati la fotografia di Erik Messerschmidt e il particolare sound design in mono, mentre si dà per scontato (ne parla anche Variety) che Fincher sarà candidato all’Oscar per la Miglior Regia. Alcuni parlano inoltre di Amanda Seyfried come Migliore Attrice Non Protagonista: nel caso, sarebbe la sua prima nomintion agli Academy Awards.
Molti critici lo definiscono un film “per cinefili”, e ne sottolineano lo sguardo critico sull’età dorata di Hollywood. Pare che sia molto ricco di dettagli storici, e che non parli tanto della realizzazione di Quarto potere (ovvero Citizen Kane), ma delle circostanze e del clima che l’hanno ispirato.
Come sappiamo, al centro di Mank ci saranno Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) e la scrittura del celebre film di Orson Welles. Potrete leggere i tweet qui di seguito.
David Fincher’s #Mank is phenomenal. Everything from the brilliant sound design to the amazing performances makes it one of the best films of 2020. Cinephiles are going to LOVE this movie. pic.twitter.com/WmmAvgIJGJ
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) October 30, 2020
My MANK feelings:
I found it beautiful and inspiring.
It’s about making the decision to turn away from everything you know, everything that sustains you, when you realize how wrong it is.
It’s one thing to burn it all down. Even harder when you’re standing in the center of it. pic.twitter.com/CtNwD0Ook4
— Anthony Breznican (@Breznican) October 30, 2020
MANK: Exceptional craftsmanship and a strong turn from Amanda Seyfried, but also an obsession with picking and choosing historical bits that will likely rankle the very cinephiles it was ostensibly made for, plus more Upton Sinclair chatter than anyone would ever, EVER need. ??
— Kate Erbland (@katerbland) October 30, 2020
Now that the Mank embargo is over…you guys already knew this was made for me. And you too, if you’re into hardcore film history brought to life by a director and writer who both clearly loved digging into it. Not a sentimental movie about H’wood, but, in its way, a joyful one.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) October 30, 2020
the thing about MANK is it’s less a movie about the making of Citizen Kane than it is about the circumstances that inspired the movie and those circumstances are watching capitalism corrupt in the midst of a depression
— Esther Zuckerman (@ezwrites) October 30, 2020
On paper, David Fincher’s MANK is a movie I *should* love, but instead just admire. Incredibly well crafted, shot, acted. But the story left me cold. I now know more about Mank’s feelings toward the 1934 California gubernatorial race than I do his feelings toward Orson Welles.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) October 30, 2020
People always talk about Fincher’s technical genius but he also has a way with actors. MANK is Gary Oldman’s film but every role is perfectly cast and maybe Amanda Seyfried will get the attention she deserves. Tom Pelphrey and Lily Collins also make the most of their screen time. https://t.co/uoCbJaLvLw
— Jen-see-you-in-hell Riley (@jenelleriley) October 30, 2020
MANK is a peculiar labyrinth of a movie, a thrilling & unpredictable approach to deconstructing Hollywood history in its own language. No, you won’t get a definitive CITIZEN KANE backstory (& Orson emerges relatively unscathed); you’ll get a remarkable window into what it means.
— erickohn (@erickohn) October 30, 2020
#MANK is beautifully shot. Erik Messerschmidt’s cinematography is exquisitely lush and Trish Summerville’s costumes are fantastic. This is a craft-feast, and that score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is glorious. #MANK is exquisitely crafted and a visual delight. #OSCARS pic.twitter.com/h0FQOdFyyd
— Jazz Tangcay (@jazzt) October 30, 2020
I love that David Fincher’s dad gets sole screenwriting credit on MANK (a good movie about how hard it is for movies to be good)
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) October 30, 2020
MANK is romantic and cynical. It’s provocative and old fashioned. It’s what I expected and utterly surprising. It’s also gorgeous. And I need to see it again. All hail Fincher (father and son).
— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) October 30, 2020
MANK is magnificent (manknificent?). Snappy, gorgeous, funny, and unapologetically political. Looks and sounds like an old movie in an old movie house, with audio that seems to echo off walls that aren’t actually there. #Mank @MankFilm pic.twitter.com/pu1QiDzA5t
— Chris Evangelista ? (@cevangelista413) October 30, 2020
A first look at Mank confirms that Gary Oldman and David Fincher are likely Oscar nomination bound, but the surprise is Amanda Seyfried would may just crash the Supporting Actress party. As for Best Picture? Nomination sure…https://t.co/5m79j48YCS
— Gregory Ellwood – The Playlist ? (@TheGregoryE) October 30, 2020
#Mank is visually stunning with gorgeous cinematography & incorporation of various filmmaking techniques. Strong script anchored by Oldman’s splendid performance. However, this film will speak to a certain niche of movie audience. #FilmTwitter pic.twitter.com/8fsriVdL5u
— Rosa #LatinxLens (@rosasreviews) October 30, 2020
#Mank is a remarkable sight to behold w/ each shot so meticulously well crafted you’ll want to pause the film often just to stare at this thing. A frenetic & authentic throwback that classic film buffs will adore. Are you a lover of provocative Hollywood stories? This is for you pic.twitter.com/39N7fLOOv5
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) October 30, 2020
David Fincher is in fine form with #Mank. It’s dazzling & made for cinephiles. A sharp, smart critique of golden era Hollywood & evocative dreamlike homage to perfection. Seyfried is winning. Erik Messerschmidt’s cinematography, a lavish affair. Editor Kirk Baxter earns top marks pic.twitter.com/c6GsK2muN2
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) October 30, 2020
GUARDA ANCHE: Il primo teaser di MANK
La Hollywood degli anni ’30 viene raccontata attraverso gli occhi del pungente critico sociale e sceneggiatore alcolizzato Herman J. Mankiewicz mentre si affretta per finire la sceneggiatura di “Quarto Potere” per Orson Welles.
GARY OLDMAN nel ruolo di HERMAN J. MANKIEWICZ
AMANDA SEYFRIED nel ruolo di MARION DAVIES
LILY COLLINS nel ruolo di RITA ALEXANDER
ARLISS HOWARD nel ruolo di LOUIS B. MAYER
TOM PELPHREY nel ruolo di JOE MANKIEWICZ
SAM TROUGHTON nel ruolo di JOHN HOUSEMAN
FERDINAND KINGSLEY come IRVING THALBERG
TUPPENCE MIDDLETON come SARA MANKIEWICZ
TOM BURKE come ORSON WELLES
JOSEPH CROSS come CHARLES LEDERER
JAMIE McSHANE nel ruolo di SHELLY METCALF
TOBY LEONARD MOORE come DAVID O. SELZNICK
MONIKA GOSSMANN nel ruolo di FRAULEIN FREDA
e CHARLES DANCE come WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST
Mankiewicz fu il primo sceneggiatore incaricato da Welles per scrivere il film, e alcuni storici – come Pauline Kael – sostengono che fu sua l’idea di raccontare una storia ispirata a William Randolph Hearst, editore e imprenditore americano su cui è basata la figura di Charles Foster Kane, il protagonista di Quarto potere. Altri, fra cui Robert L. Carringer, supportano invece la versione di Welles, da lui spiegata a Peter Bogdanovich nelle loro celebri conversazioni:
L’idea originaria del film e la sua struttura base furono il risultato di una nostra collaborazione diretta; dopo ci separammo e nacquero due sceneggiature: una scritta a Victorville dal signor Mankiewicz e l’altra a Beverly Hills da me […] La versione finale della sceneggiatura […] è frutto di entrambe.
Pare che Welles volesse attribuirsene la paternità assoluta, nonostante lui l’abbia negato. In ogni caso, alla fine accettò di porre anche la firma di Mankiewicz nei crediti ufficiali del film, collocandone il nome sopra il suo. Paradossalmente, Quarto potere vinse il suo unico Oscar proprio per la sceneggiatura, condivisa quindi da Welles e Mankiewicz.
Sarà interessante scoprire l’approccio di David Fincher a questa querelle. Il fatto che Mankiewicz sia il protagonista del film induce a credere che Mank adotterà il suo punto di vista, magari traendo ispirazione dal saggio Raising Kane di Kael, dove lo sceneggiatore è ritratto come “un perdente dal cuore buono, indisciplinato e sempre invischiato in qualche problema, ma dotato di un acume che si trasforma nella sua salvezza” (per citare lo stesso Carringer in Come Welles ha realizzato Quarto potere).
Fonte: Collider