MORE Director, Aaron Sorkin behind the scenes in ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7. Photo by Niko Tavernise/NETFLIX.
This week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes Oscar-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin, whose newest project is Netflix’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which he wrote and directed. Sorkin won an Academy Award for his screenplay for “The Social Network,” and his many other works include “The West Wing,” “A Few Good Men,” and “Molly’s Game.” Sorkin discusses how his writing is often at the intersection of screwball comedy and drama. He talks about how “Chicago 7” has become even more relevant over the last several months of protests and political friction. And he tells The Treatment why he loves to drop audiences in his movies while they’re already at full speed.
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When it comes to films about Hollywood history, the more cynical the presentation, the more audiences relish them. That concept has influenced the creation of Mank, a recent black-and-white arty release, written and directed by David Fincher and being streamed on Netflix.
Mank gives viewers a stylized pseudo-insider look at Hollywood in 1933 and 1940. Herman Mankiewicz, played exceptionally well by Gary Oldman, is seen writing the screenplay of Citizen Kane in 1941 for young Orson Welles, who would co-write, direct and star. The real Mank, was a contract screenwriter for Paramount from 1926-32, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1933-40, and RKO from 1944-48. He was clever, literate, outspoken, apparently a generous guy, but, in spite of his talents, an unhealthy alcoholic. As many other heavy drinkers, he only lived to age 55.
Mank, which takes up the
Citizen Kane authorship question reinvigorated by a 1971 Pauline Kael essay in
The
New Yorker. What was of interest to me was, here s a guy who had seemingly nothing but contempt for what he did for a living. And, on almost his way out the door, having burned most of the bridges that he could … something changed.
Shot in black and white and in the style of a 1930s movie,
Mank toggles between Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) writing the first draft of
Citizen Kane from a remote house in the desert and flashback sequences of his life in Hollywood in the 30s, including his friendship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance), who inspired
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Mank Review: Fincherâs Ode to Citizen Kane Falls Flat
The best advice is probably just to skip Mank, watch Citizen Kane, and read a biography of the Mankiewicz brothers. Youâll have a far better time.
A still from Netflix s Mank  (2020). Photo: IMDB
I thought
Mank was an atrocious film, which is odd. I mean, surely this David Fincherâdirected Netflix project was practically made for me.
Iâm one of those freaks who really cares about the career of screenwriter Herman J. âMankâ Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) and his battle with media wunderkind Orson Welles (Tom Burke) over the writing credit on