Movie Reviews: Citizen Kane and Mank
By Louise Williamson
In the wake of the release of Mank, a new film about the man who wrote Citizen Kane, I decided to watch Orson Welles’ classic 1941 debut film in order to gain a better understanding of the source material. Citizen Kane revolves around the troubled life of Charles Kane, a wealthy newspaper executive. The film is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time by critics due to its originality and quality. The way that the mystery throughout the story is represented by the eerie castle shots in the beginning and is foreshadowed the enigma of “Rosebud” without the audience even knowing about the mystery is extremely creative.
Each shot in the film is thoughtfully taken, this being especially clear towards the very beginning and end of the run time. It seems the film’s creators were aware of the classic status the film would hold, that one day we’d have color cameras and still consider it to be masterful. I say this because of the use of the lighting: the beautiful way that shadows are cast can only be achieved in a black and white movie. If it weren’t for the writing, I’d almost suggest muting the film and watching the gorgeous pictures flip by on a soundless screen as if flipping through a newspaper.
I enjoyed how the dialogue began at a fast pace, the speed allowing for the viewer to develop an opinion of Kane through the eyes of others before the film dives into his life story. This segment paints a picture of a powerful man who receives his deepest pleasure from an expeditious environment. However, people start to speak slower as Kane’s demeanor becomes less vibrant and as he becomes more detached from what he loves: his job and his wife.
Upon meeting the young businessman, the audience is immediately attracted to him. Professionally, Kane devotes his business to philanthropy, and on a personal level he is witty yet humble. However, he quickly learns to conform to the social norms expected of a stereotypical rich man: he becomes too focused on spending and begins to love with a distance. He moves through the events of his life with a questionable consistency in his poise. I especially love how Susan talks about Kane being vulnerable when she leaves at the moment that it becomes morning, it’s as if day breaks when he does. At the end of the film, we are left wondering whether leaving his parents had led him to a bitter life, no matter how happy he was when he was younger. Was it inevitable? This provocative film could not have been executed better, and I would recommend it to anyone interested.
Soon after, I watched Mank, the film that chronicles the life of Herman J Mankiewicz as he puts the finishing touches on Citizen Kane. As much as I adored Citizen Kane, I was rather disappointed by Jack Fincher’s writing. Mank seems a little too all over the place. The title character has an unconventional relationship with everyone, from his wife to his typographer, renowned actress Marion Davies, and even Welles himself. He is a strange character, and I am very unsure of my opinion on him. Mank has a firm grasp on what’s going on around him and his witty jokes lead us to believing he is intelligent, but his comical drunken behavior is slightly too childish to be part of a believable performance from actor Gary Oldman. I also thought it was odd that Mank seemed to know in confidence exactly where he was going with the story even before he first walked with Davies. The depiction of 1940s Hollywood in the film is interesting, but the characters in the film are generally not well rounded, not to mention the fact that most of the performances are stilted. Mank’s confidence in his work simply isn’t enough to drive the narrative of this lackluster film.
