After making what many people cite as the greatest film ever made, “Citizen Kane” (1941), multi-talented actor, writer, director and producer Orson Welles struggled to live up to the success he achieved when he was just 26 years old. Yet seen today, many of the films he made afterwards have attained a similar acclaim. Let’s take a look back at all 13 of his completed feature films as a director, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1915, Welles first came to prominence as a stage director, mounting groundbreaking productions of “Macbeth,” “Dr. Faustus,” and “The Cradle Will Rock” before forming his own repertory company, The Mercury Theater. In addition to Welles, the Mercury Theater Players included Joseph Cotten, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorhead, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris, Norman Lloyd, Martin Gabel and Paul Stewart, many of whom would go onto appear in the director’s films.
It was the Mercury Theater’s transition into...
Born in 1915, Welles first came to prominence as a stage director, mounting groundbreaking productions of “Macbeth,” “Dr. Faustus,” and “The Cradle Will Rock” before forming his own repertory company, The Mercury Theater. In addition to Welles, the Mercury Theater Players included Joseph Cotten, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorhead, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris, Norman Lloyd, Martin Gabel and Paul Stewart, many of whom would go onto appear in the director’s films.
It was the Mercury Theater’s transition into...
- 5/4/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
For his forthcoming one from the heart, Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola has once again violated the cardinal rule of the entertainment business: Never invest your own money in the show. Reports are that to bankroll the $120 million epic he has literally mortgaged the farm, or vineyard. The investment is slated to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14.
We — and he — have all been here before. Coppola last went into hock for another long-aborning and cost-overrunning project, which 45 years ago, almost to the day, also premiered at Cannes: the now legendary Apocalypse Now (1979).
At the time, Coppola was bathing in the afterglow of one of the most astonishing back-to-back double, or triple, plays in the industry’s history: The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974), the operatic two-part saga of mob family business in which organized crime serves less as a metaphor for American capitalism than its purest expression (“Michael,...
We — and he — have all been here before. Coppola last went into hock for another long-aborning and cost-overrunning project, which 45 years ago, almost to the day, also premiered at Cannes: the now legendary Apocalypse Now (1979).
At the time, Coppola was bathing in the afterglow of one of the most astonishing back-to-back double, or triple, plays in the industry’s history: The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974), the operatic two-part saga of mob family business in which organized crime serves less as a metaphor for American capitalism than its purest expression (“Michael,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Thomas Doherty
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Being one of the most important figures of New Hollywood and the most commercially successful director in history, Steven Spielberg has prominently inscribed his name in history. Movie recommendations of the pioneer of the modern blockbuster or even the whole 21st century’s cinema definitely deserve our close attention.
Speaking of one classic feature, the filmmaker stated it meant everything to him, calling it “one of the great movies ever made”, while many critics claim it’s the best film ever made in cinematic history. Indeed, its impact on the industry is hard to overestimate.
The 1941 drama that we’re talking about focuses on the rises and falls of a big publishing magnate, the character based on the renowned media barons and tycoons of that time and partially of the movie screenwriters' own real-life experiences. And yes, you guessed it right: the movie in question is Citizen Kane.
Why Does...
Speaking of one classic feature, the filmmaker stated it meant everything to him, calling it “one of the great movies ever made”, while many critics claim it’s the best film ever made in cinematic history. Indeed, its impact on the industry is hard to overestimate.
The 1941 drama that we’re talking about focuses on the rises and falls of a big publishing magnate, the character based on the renowned media barons and tycoons of that time and partially of the movie screenwriters' own real-life experiences. And yes, you guessed it right: the movie in question is Citizen Kane.
Why Does...
- 4/19/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Ava Raxa)
- STartefacts.com
“I’ve seen Paris, France, and Paris, Paramount Pictures,” Ernst Lubitsch said, or so they say, “and on the whole I prefer Paris, Paramount Pictures.”
The great director’s preference for the Hollywood city of lights over the French one expresses a common enough affinity for illusion over reality, but the studio in question was not chosen for alliteration alone. If gritty Warner Bros. specialized in mean streets and threadbare apartments and glitzy MGM spent big on grand hotels and emerald cities, Paramount transported moviegoers into realms of dreamy exoticism, allegedly set in Vienna, Budapest or St. Petersburg, but conjured with better-than-the-original costuming, set design, lighting and dialogue. In an age before jumbo jets, who was to quibble over verisimilitude?
A new version of Paramount looks to be a-borning: Controlling stakeholder Shari Redstone may put her company on the auction block. Whatever conglomerate or mogul buys the assets, it’ll...
The great director’s preference for the Hollywood city of lights over the French one expresses a common enough affinity for illusion over reality, but the studio in question was not chosen for alliteration alone. If gritty Warner Bros. specialized in mean streets and threadbare apartments and glitzy MGM spent big on grand hotels and emerald cities, Paramount transported moviegoers into realms of dreamy exoticism, allegedly set in Vienna, Budapest or St. Petersburg, but conjured with better-than-the-original costuming, set design, lighting and dialogue. In an age before jumbo jets, who was to quibble over verisimilitude?
A new version of Paramount looks to be a-borning: Controlling stakeholder Shari Redstone may put her company on the auction block. Whatever conglomerate or mogul buys the assets, it’ll...
- 2/29/2024
- by Thomas Doherty
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Emma Thompson holds a distinct Oscars record. She is the only person in the history of the Academy Awards to win for both acting and writing. She took home the Best Actress trophy in 1993 for “Howard’s End.” Three years later, she collected an Oscar bookend with her Best Adapted Screenplay win for bringing Jane Austen‘s 1811 novel “Sense and Sensibility” to the screen.
Prior to Thompson’s double wins, several others contended for both acting and writing. Orson Welles won Best Original Screenplay in 1942 with Herman J. Mankiewicz for “Citizen Kane.” He also picked up a Best Actor nomination for the same film. Warren Beatty has a rich history in both acting and writing awards. He was nominated for Best Actor in 1968 for “Bonnie & Clyde,” in 1979 for “Heaven Can Wait, in 1982 for “Reds,” and in 1992″ for “Bugsy.” He picked up Original Screenplay bids in 1976 for “Shampoo” (shared with...
Prior to Thompson’s double wins, several others contended for both acting and writing. Orson Welles won Best Original Screenplay in 1942 with Herman J. Mankiewicz for “Citizen Kane.” He also picked up a Best Actor nomination for the same film. Warren Beatty has a rich history in both acting and writing awards. He was nominated for Best Actor in 1968 for “Bonnie & Clyde,” in 1979 for “Heaven Can Wait, in 1982 for “Reds,” and in 1992″ for “Bugsy.” He picked up Original Screenplay bids in 1976 for “Shampoo” (shared with...
- 12/1/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
The Killer director David Fincher has stepped into the breach between Hollywood studios and streamers and striking actors and writers by urging both sides to return to the negotiating table.
“It’s very sad for me. I can understand both sides. All we can do is encourage people to talk,” Fincher said while at the Venice Film Festival to launch his Netflix assassin movie on Sunday. Recalling The Killer was made during the pandemic and that industry disruption, the director expressed regret that SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America members had now set down tools again.
“I’m very sad obviously. I sit in the middle of both parties,” Fincher added as his hard-boiled noir for Netflix is premiering in competition in Venice. The Killer focuses on the titular assassin played by lead Michael Fassbender, who was not in Venice to help launch the movie. His character gets embroiled in...
“It’s very sad for me. I can understand both sides. All we can do is encourage people to talk,” Fincher said while at the Venice Film Festival to launch his Netflix assassin movie on Sunday. Recalling The Killer was made during the pandemic and that industry disruption, the director expressed regret that SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America members had now set down tools again.
“I’m very sad obviously. I sit in the middle of both parties,” Fincher added as his hard-boiled noir for Netflix is premiering in competition in Venice. The Killer focuses on the titular assassin played by lead Michael Fassbender, who was not in Venice to help launch the movie. His character gets embroiled in...
- 9/3/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Michael Fassbender is coming to terms with his deadly past in the first teaser trailer for The Killer, the new Netflix feature from filmmaker David Fincher.
Released Tuesday, the footage offers the first glimpse at the movie that hits select theaters Oct. 27 before making its Netflix debut Nov. 10. The cast includes Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, Sophie Charlotte and Tilda Swinton.
The Killer focuses on the titular assassin (Fassbender) who gets embroiled in an international manhunt after a previous job that went wrong.
Fincher directs from a script by Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven), and the project counts Ceán Chaffin as a producer. The Killer adapts the graphic novel series of the same name from writer Alexis Nolent (aka Matz) and illustrator Luc Jacamon that was initially published in French by Editions Casterman.
The film premieres in competition at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 3.
The Killer continues Fincher’s relationship with...
Released Tuesday, the footage offers the first glimpse at the movie that hits select theaters Oct. 27 before making its Netflix debut Nov. 10. The cast includes Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, Sophie Charlotte and Tilda Swinton.
The Killer focuses on the titular assassin (Fassbender) who gets embroiled in an international manhunt after a previous job that went wrong.
Fincher directs from a script by Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven), and the project counts Ceán Chaffin as a producer. The Killer adapts the graphic novel series of the same name from writer Alexis Nolent (aka Matz) and illustrator Luc Jacamon that was initially published in French by Editions Casterman.
The film premieres in competition at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 3.
The Killer continues Fincher’s relationship with...
- 8/29/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After Netflix released the first trailer for Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” a biographical romance about Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre, many viewers took issue with Cooper’s large prosthetic nose, deeming it the latest example of Hollywood’s stereotypical or inauthentic portrayal of Jewish people, known as “Jewface.”
But in a statement posted to Bernstein’s Twitter account, the late conductor’s children defended Cooper’s decision to “use makeup to amplify his resemblance” to their father. Cooper directed “Maestro” and stars as Bernstein opposite Carey Mulligan as Montealegre.
“Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father,” wrote Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein. “We were touched to the core to witness the depth of his commitment, his loving embrace of our father’s music, and the sheer open-hearted joy he brought to his exploration.
But in a statement posted to Bernstein’s Twitter account, the late conductor’s children defended Cooper’s decision to “use makeup to amplify his resemblance” to their father. Cooper directed “Maestro” and stars as Bernstein opposite Carey Mulligan as Montealegre.
“Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father,” wrote Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein. “We were touched to the core to witness the depth of his commitment, his loving embrace of our father’s music, and the sheer open-hearted joy he brought to his exploration.
- 8/16/2023
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmakers Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini got their start with a documentary about a famous Los Angeles restaurant called "Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's," but broke through the world of narrative features with "American Splendor," a comedy biopic starring Paul Giamatti about the underground comic book writer, Harvey Pekar. At the 93rd Academy Awards, Amanda Seyfried snagged a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her work in "Mank," David Fincher's biopic of Herman J. Mankiewicz released by Netflix. In the year that followed, Berman and Plucini linked up with Seyfried and Netflix to make "Things Heard and Seen" based on the novel "All Things Cease to Appear" by Elizabeth Brundage.
Seyfried was cast as the star, but she was joined by "Stranger Things" favorite Natalia Dyer, "Better Call Saul" standout Rhea Seehorn, Karen Allen of "Indiana Jones" fame, Academy Award-winner F. Murray Abraham, Academy Award-nominee Michael O'Keefe,...
Seyfried was cast as the star, but she was joined by "Stranger Things" favorite Natalia Dyer, "Better Call Saul" standout Rhea Seehorn, Karen Allen of "Indiana Jones" fame, Academy Award-winner F. Murray Abraham, Academy Award-nominee Michael O'Keefe,...
- 8/8/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Exclusive: The hammer just went down over the weekend on the one and only Oscar win for Citizen Kane, a 1941 movie many still consider the crown jewel of Hollywood, the greatest ever made.
In a Heritage Auctioneers “Hollywood Entertainment” auction that among many other items featured several from the career of Kane’s star, director and co-writer Orson Welles, the prize get was his 1941 Oscar for Original Screenplay that he shared with Herman Mankiewicz. Of the film’s nine nominations including Picture, Director and Actor for Welles, it was the single victory for the movie (How Green Was My Valley won Best Picture). The Welles statuette had a starting bid of $250,000 and sold to an unknown bidder for $645,000 (inclusive of buyer’s premium).
It, uh, gets a little complicated from there.
Heritage Auctions
This is not the original Oscar statuette that Welles — who didn’t even attend the actual ceremony — won.
In a Heritage Auctioneers “Hollywood Entertainment” auction that among many other items featured several from the career of Kane’s star, director and co-writer Orson Welles, the prize get was his 1941 Oscar for Original Screenplay that he shared with Herman Mankiewicz. Of the film’s nine nominations including Picture, Director and Actor for Welles, it was the single victory for the movie (How Green Was My Valley won Best Picture). The Welles statuette had a starting bid of $250,000 and sold to an unknown bidder for $645,000 (inclusive of buyer’s premium).
It, uh, gets a little complicated from there.
Heritage Auctions
This is not the original Oscar statuette that Welles — who didn’t even attend the actual ceremony — won.
- 7/30/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The Killer, the latest film by acclaimed director David Fincher, is set to have its world premiere at the 80th Venice Film Festival, which will run from August 30 to September 9, 2023. The film is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Matz and Luc Jacamon, and stars Michael Fassbender as a cold-blooded assassin who begins to question his morality and purpose.
The film is one of the most anticipated titles in the festival’s main competition, which will also feature new works by Wes Anderson, Jane Campion, Paolo Sorrentino, and Asghar Farhadi, among others. The festival’s artistic director Alberto Barbera praised Fincher’s film as “a masterful adaptation of a noir comic that explores the dark side of human nature with a sharp and captivating style”.
The Killer Cast
The Killer marks Fincher’s return to the big screen after his Oscar-nominated biopic Mank (2020), which chronicled the...
The film is one of the most anticipated titles in the festival’s main competition, which will also feature new works by Wes Anderson, Jane Campion, Paolo Sorrentino, and Asghar Farhadi, among others. The festival’s artistic director Alberto Barbera praised Fincher’s film as “a masterful adaptation of a noir comic that explores the dark side of human nature with a sharp and captivating style”.
The Killer Cast
The Killer marks Fincher’s return to the big screen after his Oscar-nominated biopic Mank (2020), which chronicled the...
- 7/25/2023
- by amalprasadappu
- https://thecinemanews.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_4649
A version of this story about Gary Oldman and “Slow Horses” first ran in the drama issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Here is how the world was introduced to Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, distinguished British spy: He is asleep on the couch in his office, a wreck of a room littered with half-drunk bottles of booze, overflowing ashtrays and the remains of several fast-food take-out meals. The camera pulls in, rests a beat on his holey-socked feet, and then: He rips a fart so uproarious, it jolts him upright, yanking him out of his slumber.
This is not the suave world of British spies epitomized by James Bond and John le Carré’s George Smiley (who Oldman played in 2011’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”). This is “Slow Horses,” Apple TV+’s viciously funny espionage thriller about MI5 agents sent to a purgatorial outpost called Slough House, where they...
Here is how the world was introduced to Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb, distinguished British spy: He is asleep on the couch in his office, a wreck of a room littered with half-drunk bottles of booze, overflowing ashtrays and the remains of several fast-food take-out meals. The camera pulls in, rests a beat on his holey-socked feet, and then: He rips a fart so uproarious, it jolts him upright, yanking him out of his slumber.
This is not the suave world of British spies epitomized by James Bond and John le Carré’s George Smiley (who Oldman played in 2011’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”). This is “Slow Horses,” Apple TV+’s viciously funny espionage thriller about MI5 agents sent to a purgatorial outpost called Slough House, where they...
- 6/16/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
Fund also supports Rubika Shah and Vero Cratzborn projects.
New projects by Ildikó Enyedi, Rubika Shah and Vero Cratzborn have been backed by the Cnc and Ffa’s Franco-German co-production fund at its first session of 2023.
A total of €450,000 production support was awarded to Enyedi’s next feature Silent Friend which has been structured as a co-production between lead producer Cologne-based Pandora Film with France’s Galatée Films, Hungary’s Inforg M&m Film and China’s Rediance Films.
The film focuses on an ancient tree in the Botanical Gardens of the university town of Marburg to explore the relationship between man and nature.
New projects by Ildikó Enyedi, Rubika Shah and Vero Cratzborn have been backed by the Cnc and Ffa’s Franco-German co-production fund at its first session of 2023.
A total of €450,000 production support was awarded to Enyedi’s next feature Silent Friend which has been structured as a co-production between lead producer Cologne-based Pandora Film with France’s Galatée Films, Hungary’s Inforg M&m Film and China’s Rediance Films.
The film focuses on an ancient tree in the Botanical Gardens of the university town of Marburg to explore the relationship between man and nature.
- 4/5/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Fund also supports Rubika Shah and Vero Cratzborn projects.
New projects by Ildikó Enyedi, Rubika Shah and Vero Cratzborn have been backed by the Cnc and Ffa’s Franco-German co-production fund at its first session of 2023.
A total of €450,000 production support was awarded to Enyedi’s next feature Silent Friend which has been structured as a co-production between lead producer Cologne-based Pandora Film with France’s Galatée Films, Hungary’s Inforg M&m Film and China’s Rediance Films.
The film focuses on an ancient tree in the Botanical Gardens of the university town of Marburg to explore the relationship between man and nature.
New projects by Ildikó Enyedi, Rubika Shah and Vero Cratzborn have been backed by the Cnc and Ffa’s Franco-German co-production fund at its first session of 2023.
A total of €450,000 production support was awarded to Enyedi’s next feature Silent Friend which has been structured as a co-production between lead producer Cologne-based Pandora Film with France’s Galatée Films, Hungary’s Inforg M&m Film and China’s Rediance Films.
The film focuses on an ancient tree in the Botanical Gardens of the university town of Marburg to explore the relationship between man and nature.
- 4/5/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
One of the most time-consuming aspects of being a cinephile is worrying about the health and longevity of TCM. The venerable broadcast television channel dedicated to classic Hollywood cinema has grown since its 1994 launch into a kind of preservationist and enthusiast's empire that includes an annual film festival, an original film distribution arm, a releasing imprint, and a slew of diverse programming initiatives (not to mention a wine club). TCM certainly seems to be in better health than most entities dedicated segments of the film ecosystem that are -- by virtue of not being focused on the biggest, brightest, latest thing -- not exactly profit drivers. It has survived both a massive merger between AT&T and its parent company, Time Warner, and a subsequent divestment of AT&T and acquisition by Discovery in all but five years, after all.
But the brand's new overlord, Warner Bros. Discovery, shelving completed films...
But the brand's new overlord, Warner Bros. Discovery, shelving completed films...
- 3/23/2023
- by Ryan Coleman
- Slash Film
At the second annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in 1996, 32-year-old Nicolas Cage (“Leaving Las Vegas”) supplanted inaugural Best Film Actor recipient Tom Hanks and became the category’s youngest winner. Although his standing has been threatened in recent years by Taron Egerton (“Rocketman”), Timothée Chalamet (“Call Me By Your Name”), and Daniel Kaluuya (“Get Out”), the record remains intact nearly three decades later. This year, however, he could finally be knocked down a spot on the list if Austin Butler (31) succeeds on his freshman solo bid for “Elvis.”
Butler is part of only the seventh Best Actor lineup in SAG Awards history to exclusively consist of newcomers to the category. He does have one Best Film Ensemble nomination under his belt, as do two of his competitors: Brendan Fraser and Bill Nighy. Fraser, who triumphed alongside his “Crash” cast mates, is currently nominated for “The Whale,” while Nighy’s first...
Butler is part of only the seventh Best Actor lineup in SAG Awards history to exclusively consist of newcomers to the category. He does have one Best Film Ensemble nomination under his belt, as do two of his competitors: Brendan Fraser and Bill Nighy. Fraser, who triumphed alongside his “Crash” cast mates, is currently nominated for “The Whale,” while Nighy’s first...
- 2/6/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have unveiled that they are scoring David Fincher’s next film, an adaptation of the French graphic novel The Killer, showing they are indeed all in this together now.
In a recent post on nin.com promoting the deluxe, three-lp release of their Mank soundtrack, Reznor and Ross nonchalantly teased that they will work with Fincher for a fifth time on The Killer, which comes to Netflix on November 10th.
David Fincher announced The Killer for Netflix back in 2021, the year after his biopic on Citizen Kane co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz hit the streaming service. The Killer is about “an elite assassin who suffers a psychological crisis as he attempts to remove himself from the political ramifications his killings have caused.” That Reznor and Ross would work with Fincher again is no surprise, considering they have scored every one of his films since 2010’s The Social Network.
In a recent post on nin.com promoting the deluxe, three-lp release of their Mank soundtrack, Reznor and Ross nonchalantly teased that they will work with Fincher for a fifth time on The Killer, which comes to Netflix on November 10th.
David Fincher announced The Killer for Netflix back in 2021, the year after his biopic on Citizen Kane co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz hit the streaming service. The Killer is about “an elite assassin who suffers a psychological crisis as he attempts to remove himself from the political ramifications his killings have caused.” That Reznor and Ross would work with Fincher again is no surprise, considering they have scored every one of his films since 2010’s The Social Network.
- 2/3/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
When we talk about movies, screenwriters don't get enough credit. Their names are often overlooked while directors are treated as the true auteurs. Maybe part of that stems from the system of Hollywood itself, which tends to leave screenwriters low on the totem pole, with "Mank" even likening Herman J. Mankiewicz — the co-writer of "Citizen Kane" — to a mere "organ grinder's monkey."
Superhero films and other big studio tentpoles with a lot riding on their success can sometimes involve a revolving door of screenwriters, and this has been the case for decades. "Superman: The Movie" had four credited writers, three of whom carried over to the sequel, "Superman II." But one name you won't see credited as a screenwriter in either movie, despite his important writing contributions, is that of Mank's nephew, Tom Mankiewicz.
There's a rather complicated reason for that. For both "Superman" and "Superman II," Tom Mankiewicz did...
Superhero films and other big studio tentpoles with a lot riding on their success can sometimes involve a revolving door of screenwriters, and this has been the case for decades. "Superman: The Movie" had four credited writers, three of whom carried over to the sequel, "Superman II." But one name you won't see credited as a screenwriter in either movie, despite his important writing contributions, is that of Mank's nephew, Tom Mankiewicz.
There's a rather complicated reason for that. For both "Superman" and "Superman II," Tom Mankiewicz did...
- 1/23/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Orson Welles directed Citizen Kane in 1941. This film features Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten
Citizen Kane is one of those landmark movies in the History of Cinema because of the melancholic overtunes and the rivers of ink (which weren´t so necessary) that the movie caused for reasons we will explain below even though it is too evident to me to explain them again.
Story line
The life of the press mogul Charles Foster Kane, based on the figure of W.R. Hearst.
The Stoty with Hearst Citizen Kane (1941)
For many years it was considered to be the best movie in the History of Movies, for other things besides its merits, which are brutal too. Indeed: This is not even the best movie of its director but the gamble was perfect with the use of the marketing strategy.
The film is created after Welles created a sensation with the broadcasting...
Citizen Kane is one of those landmark movies in the History of Cinema because of the melancholic overtunes and the rivers of ink (which weren´t so necessary) that the movie caused for reasons we will explain below even though it is too evident to me to explain them again.
Story line
The life of the press mogul Charles Foster Kane, based on the figure of W.R. Hearst.
The Stoty with Hearst Citizen Kane (1941)
For many years it was considered to be the best movie in the History of Movies, for other things besides its merits, which are brutal too. Indeed: This is not even the best movie of its director but the gamble was perfect with the use of the marketing strategy.
The film is created after Welles created a sensation with the broadcasting...
- 1/21/2023
- by Martin Cid
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Click here to read the full article.
Based on New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor’s account of their harpooning of the powerhouse producer and loathsome sexual predator Harvey Weinstein, Maria Schrader’s She Said had a lot going for it: two congenial performers (Carey Mulligan as Twohey and Zoe Kazan as Kantor); a narrative fixation on the target of opportunity; and the cathartic satisfactions of justice served, eventually.
Yet She Said was also — not to bury the lede — a bit pedantic and procedural. Journalism here is serious business — akin to a sacred vocation, actually — and its practitioners are straitlaced and earnest.
This is not the way Hollywood traditionally portrayed members of the Fourth Estate. The ink-stained progenitors of today’s digital crusaders were crude, irreverent, and often inebriated. They didn’t want to change the world or give voice to the voiceless; they wanted to crush the competition by any sneaky,...
Based on New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor’s account of their harpooning of the powerhouse producer and loathsome sexual predator Harvey Weinstein, Maria Schrader’s She Said had a lot going for it: two congenial performers (Carey Mulligan as Twohey and Zoe Kazan as Kantor); a narrative fixation on the target of opportunity; and the cathartic satisfactions of justice served, eventually.
Yet She Said was also — not to bury the lede — a bit pedantic and procedural. Journalism here is serious business — akin to a sacred vocation, actually — and its practitioners are straitlaced and earnest.
This is not the way Hollywood traditionally portrayed members of the Fourth Estate. The ink-stained progenitors of today’s digital crusaders were crude, irreverent, and often inebriated. They didn’t want to change the world or give voice to the voiceless; they wanted to crush the competition by any sneaky,...
- 12/17/2022
- by Thomas Doherty
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Seventy-five years ago, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (Huac for purposes of pronunciation) launched the first of its series of postwar investigations into alleged communist subversion in Hollywood.
The show trial was staged from Oct. 20 to 30, 1947, and you can probably rewind the newsreel images in your mind’s eye: the unhinged committee chairman, J. Parnell Thomas (D-n.J.), yelling over witnesses and furiously pounding his gavel; the compliant straight men accusing former colleagues of the most unpatriotic heresies in Cold War America; and the backtalking recalcitrants being hauled away from the witness table mid-harangue.
In countless documentaries and fictional reenactments, the confrontations are cast as a morality play pitting the craven Friendlies (as those who named names and sucked up to the committee are called) against the defiant Unfriendlies, who refused to cower before their inquisitors and would soon to be immortalized...
Seventy-five years ago, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (Huac for purposes of pronunciation) launched the first of its series of postwar investigations into alleged communist subversion in Hollywood.
The show trial was staged from Oct. 20 to 30, 1947, and you can probably rewind the newsreel images in your mind’s eye: the unhinged committee chairman, J. Parnell Thomas (D-n.J.), yelling over witnesses and furiously pounding his gavel; the compliant straight men accusing former colleagues of the most unpatriotic heresies in Cold War America; and the backtalking recalcitrants being hauled away from the witness table mid-harangue.
In countless documentaries and fictional reenactments, the confrontations are cast as a morality play pitting the craven Friendlies (as those who named names and sucked up to the committee are called) against the defiant Unfriendlies, who refused to cower before their inquisitors and would soon to be immortalized...
- 10/20/2022
- by Thomas Doherty
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When an ambitious, first-time filmmaker pulls off a cinematic coup, critics and jealous industry veterans have a penchant for working overtime to undermine their achievement. You need look no further than "Citizen Kane," the genius of which has, over the years, been ascribed to cinematographer Gregg Toland, screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, and editor Robert Wise. Surely, Welles, who only revolutionized radio and stagecraft, couldn't have transformed yet another medium!
But when an ambitious, first-time filmmaker faceplants, everyone in a position to claim credit skedaddles like cockroaches at the flick of a light switch. The cast and crew were at the mercy of a misguided fool. They did their jobs as directed, and couldn't wait to move on to the next show.
This is the way of things in Hollywood. So it's strange that John Wayne spent the last nineteen years of his life fighting to assert authorship of the poorly...
But when an ambitious, first-time filmmaker faceplants, everyone in a position to claim credit skedaddles like cockroaches at the flick of a light switch. The cast and crew were at the mercy of a misguided fool. They did their jobs as directed, and couldn't wait to move on to the next show.
This is the way of things in Hollywood. So it's strange that John Wayne spent the last nineteen years of his life fighting to assert authorship of the poorly...
- 9/30/2022
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
At a glance, "Mank" might seem like an odd film for David Fincher to make. The director broke his streak of lurid crime thrillers for a biopic about the co-writer of "Citizen Kane" -- and not even Orson Welles, but Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman). Fincher's reason for making the movie was personal: His late father, Jack, wrote the screenplay and wanted his son to direct the movie.
Jack Fincher was a journalist by trade; the peak of his career was serving as San Francisco Bureau Chief at Life Magazine. When he retired in the early 1990s, he decided to follow his son into...
The post David Fincher Didn't Hold Back On His Father's First Draft Of Mank appeared first on /Film.
Jack Fincher was a journalist by trade; the peak of his career was serving as San Francisco Bureau Chief at Life Magazine. When he retired in the early 1990s, he decided to follow his son into...
The post David Fincher Didn't Hold Back On His Father's First Draft Of Mank appeared first on /Film.
- 7/1/2022
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine”
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Drive-in in Chaffee, Mo has become another great St. Louis-area place to see old movies (Chaffee is about 120 miles south of St. Louis). This Friday April 8th, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Drive-in is screening Casablanca double feature Citizen Kane. Gates open at 6:30 pm, and the movies begin at 8:00 pm. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Drive-in’s site can be found Here. Their other screen is showing The Hunger Games (PG-13) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PG)
I there was ever a film deserved to be considered a classic then Casablanca is it, Even if you haven’t seen it before you’ll recognize much of the dialogue; it is probably the most quoted, and misquoted, film of all time. Humphrey Bogart is excellent in...
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Drive-in in Chaffee, Mo has become another great St. Louis-area place to see old movies (Chaffee is about 120 miles south of St. Louis). This Friday April 8th, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Drive-in is screening Casablanca double feature Citizen Kane. Gates open at 6:30 pm, and the movies begin at 8:00 pm. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Drive-in’s site can be found Here. Their other screen is showing The Hunger Games (PG-13) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PG)
I there was ever a film deserved to be considered a classic then Casablanca is it, Even if you haven’t seen it before you’ll recognize much of the dialogue; it is probably the most quoted, and misquoted, film of all time. Humphrey Bogart is excellent in...
- 4/5/2022
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Two years ago, siblings Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell shared in four Grammy wins for the album “When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” (Album of the Year; Best Pop Vocal Album) and its single “Bad Guy” (Record of the Year; Song of the Year). Now, they have concurrently earned their first Oscar nominations for co-writing the song “No Time to Die” for the James Bond film of the same name. If they prevail later this month, they will become the fourth brother-sister pair to both be honored by the academy and the first to win for the same film.
The first brother-sister Oscar champs and first sibling winners overall were Douglas Shearer and Norma Shearer. In 1930, he triumphed in the Best Sound category for “The Big House” while she took the Best Actress prize for “The Divorcee.” They were followed by Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore, who respectively...
The first brother-sister Oscar champs and first sibling winners overall were Douglas Shearer and Norma Shearer. In 1930, he triumphed in the Best Sound category for “The Big House” while she took the Best Actress prize for “The Divorcee.” They were followed by Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore, who respectively...
- 3/16/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
In upcoming biopic “Golda,” Helen Mirren plays former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, when Israel was invaded by a coalition of Arab states on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
While Mirren is not Jewish, “Golda” is directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guy Nattiv (“Skin”), who is both Jewish and Israeli, and written by British screenwriter Nicholas Martin (“Florence Foster Jenkins”), who has previously worked with the organization U.K. Jewish Film.
But in the U.K., where production wrapped last month, Mirren’s casting as one of history’s most heroic Jewish women has caused some disquiet. Actor Maureen Lipman (“The Pianist”) highlighted the discussion about what has been termed “Jewface” when she told a newspaper she “disagreed” with Mirren’s casting “because the Jewishness of the character is so integral. I’m sure she will be marvellous, but it would never be...
While Mirren is not Jewish, “Golda” is directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guy Nattiv (“Skin”), who is both Jewish and Israeli, and written by British screenwriter Nicholas Martin (“Florence Foster Jenkins”), who has previously worked with the organization U.K. Jewish Film.
But in the U.K., where production wrapped last month, Mirren’s casting as one of history’s most heroic Jewish women has caused some disquiet. Actor Maureen Lipman (“The Pianist”) highlighted the discussion about what has been termed “Jewface” when she told a newspaper she “disagreed” with Mirren’s casting “because the Jewishness of the character is so integral. I’m sure she will be marvellous, but it would never be...
- 1/14/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
“That’s all he ever wanted out of life… was love. That’s the tragedy of Charles Foster Kane. You see, he just didn’t have any to give.”
Nothing’s more fun than The Wildey’s Tuesday Night Film Series Citizen Kane (1941) will be on the big screen when it plays at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville, Il at 7:00pm Tuesday January 4th. Tickets are only $3 Tickets available starting at 3pm day of movie at Wildey Theatre ticket office. Cash or check only. Lobby opens at 6pm.
Is Citizen Kane the greatest film ever made? On a technical level, it may as well be. It’s at least the most groundbreaking film ever made. On a storytelling level, it’s an amazing achievement itself in that Orson Welles used such avant-garde techniques yet maintained an engrossing story. It’s a film full of contradictions and works perfectly because of them.
Nothing’s more fun than The Wildey’s Tuesday Night Film Series Citizen Kane (1941) will be on the big screen when it plays at The Wildey Theater in Edwardsville, Il at 7:00pm Tuesday January 4th. Tickets are only $3 Tickets available starting at 3pm day of movie at Wildey Theatre ticket office. Cash or check only. Lobby opens at 6pm.
Is Citizen Kane the greatest film ever made? On a technical level, it may as well be. It’s at least the most groundbreaking film ever made. On a storytelling level, it’s an amazing achievement itself in that Orson Welles used such avant-garde techniques yet maintained an engrossing story. It’s a film full of contradictions and works perfectly because of them.
- 12/30/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A thousand releases down the line, Criterion gives us a special edition of the most creatively brilliant & innovative movie in history, as the label debuts selected 4K releases. It’s a four-disc set, with three Blu-rays that hold a huge quantity of well-chosen and well-produced extras. What can be said about Kane that hasn’t been debated decades ago? Our Declaration of Principles is to just try and tell the truth: we try a ‘civilian’ approach, sketching the film’s wonderments without assuming the reader is already a true believer in the Cinema God Orson Welles. Which Welles definitely is.
Citizen Kane 4K
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1104
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 119 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 23, 2021 / 47.96
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Everett Sloane, William Alland, Paul Stewart, George Coulouris, Fortunio Bonanova.
Cinematography: Gregg Toland...
Citizen Kane 4K
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 1104
1941 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 119 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 23, 2021 / 47.96
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Everett Sloane, William Alland, Paul Stewart, George Coulouris, Fortunio Bonanova.
Cinematography: Gregg Toland...
- 11/30/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
With nicknames like Doc, The Kid, Nails, Mookie, Bobby O, El Sid, The Straw Man, and Mex, it might be easy to confuse players on the 1986 World Series champion New York Mets with characters from an old 1940s war movie or Western — the kind of project Herman J. Mankiewicz might have worked on in the Golden Age of Hollywood. So perhaps it is fitting that 35 years after the iconic Mets season, a filmmaker with direct ties to the Mankiewicz brothers turned the team’s no-holds-barred title run into a documentary, ESPN’s “Once Upon a Time in Queens.”
“I just felt like, ‘Wow, this is like being with the Beatles in Hamburg,” director Nick Davis, who is the grandson of the Oscar-winning “Citizen Kane” screenwriter, tells Gold Derby. “I would like us to win more world championships, as a Mets fan, but I don’t know that we’re ever...
“I just felt like, ‘Wow, this is like being with the Beatles in Hamburg,” director Nick Davis, who is the grandson of the Oscar-winning “Citizen Kane” screenwriter, tells Gold Derby. “I would like us to win more world championships, as a Mets fan, but I don’t know that we’re ever...
- 9/14/2021
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
“It’s strange, but some movies present themselves almost entirely in your head.”—Joel Coen
“I’ll show you a life of the mind!”—Charlie Meadows, a.k.a. Karl Mundt, a.k.a. “Madman” Mundt
Everyone knows about the telegram. It’s an apocryphal Hollywood story, with the actual letter lost to time. But its recipient Ben Hecht quotes it in his memoir, A Child of the Century. The famed journalist, novelist and playwright was toiling away in New York when he received a missive straight from Babylon, courtesy...
“I’ll show you a life of the mind!”—Charlie Meadows, a.k.a. Karl Mundt, a.k.a. “Madman” Mundt
Everyone knows about the telegram. It’s an apocryphal Hollywood story, with the actual letter lost to time. But its recipient Ben Hecht quotes it in his memoir, A Child of the Century. The famed journalist, novelist and playwright was toiling away in New York when he received a missive straight from Babylon, courtesy...
- 8/21/2021
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
This ‘dawn of sound’ classic from Josef Sternberg is an important early entry in the gangster genre, a romanticized tale of urban crime with little violence but a full measure of romantic revenge. Star George Bancroft is the title underworld kingpin, who risks everything to hold his girlfriend Fay Wray the way he holds onto power — with his fists and with his gun. The highly sentimental story has some odd ideas about prison rules on Death Row; although packed with ‘Sternbergian’ touches the visuals aren’t as overtly poetic as is his norm. It’s an interesting study from the first year of ‘all talkie’ pictures: the audio is highly creative but the dialogue delivery is slow — perfect for anyone learning English!
Thunderbolt
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1929 / B&w / 1:20 Movietone (?) / 85 min. / Street Date July 20, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: George Bancroft, Fay Wray, Richard Arlen, Tully Marshall, Eugenie Besserer, James Spottswood,...
Thunderbolt
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1929 / B&w / 1:20 Movietone (?) / 85 min. / Street Date July 20, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: George Bancroft, Fay Wray, Richard Arlen, Tully Marshall, Eugenie Besserer, James Spottswood,...
- 7/27/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The history of cinema as an art parallels its history as a technology. Ever wondered why the colour in The Wizard of Oz is so saturated? Well, it wasn’t the first technicolor film, but it was the first to effectively advertise MGM’s new 3-strip colour process to a global audience. Why advertise something at half mast?
This kind of technological innovation in cinema is, of course, spurred by economic motives. For instance, 3D thrived in three waves in direct response to the economic threats posed by new technologies: in the 1950s, in response to television, in the 1980s, responding to VHS, and in the 21st century in the face of increased online streaming.
In this era of digital cinema, with celluloid virtually replaced by video technology, the latest technological battle concerns image resolution.
A digital image is made up of pixels — little shapes (usually boxes) that are the...
This kind of technological innovation in cinema is, of course, spurred by economic motives. For instance, 3D thrived in three waves in direct response to the economic threats posed by new technologies: in the 1950s, in response to television, in the 1980s, responding to VHS, and in the 21st century in the face of increased online streaming.
In this era of digital cinema, with celluloid virtually replaced by video technology, the latest technological battle concerns image resolution.
A digital image is made up of pixels — little shapes (usually boxes) that are the...
- 7/8/2021
- by Ari Mattes
- IF.com.au
Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” is widely regarded as the greatest movie ever made, but it no longer has its 100% score on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s perfect score was broken last month after Rotten Tomatoes added a negative review published by the Chicago Tribune almost 80 years ago on May 7, 1941. The 80-year-old review was the 116th review added to the “Citizen Kane” Rotten Tomatoes page and was the one negative review that ruined Welles’ perfect score.
The Chicago Tribune’s negative “Citizen Kane” review was published under the pseudonym “Mae Tinee” and accompanied with the headline “Citizen Kane Fails to Impress Critic as Greatest Ever Filmed.” The review was published a few days after “Citizen Kane” first started rolling out into theaters in 1941. The critic branded the movie “a flop” and wrote that the film’s noir-inspired visuals and use of shadows “gives one the creeps.”
“It’s interesting.
The Chicago Tribune’s negative “Citizen Kane” review was published under the pseudonym “Mae Tinee” and accompanied with the headline “Citizen Kane Fails to Impress Critic as Greatest Ever Filmed.” The review was published a few days after “Citizen Kane” first started rolling out into theaters in 1941. The critic branded the movie “a flop” and wrote that the film’s noir-inspired visuals and use of shadows “gives one the creeps.”
“It’s interesting.
- 4/27/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Video Version of this Article Photo/Video: Oscar Nominated Performances/Hollywood Insider YouTube Channel Over the years many Oscars have been won for portrayals of real-life people. Renée Zellweger won Best Actress in 2020 for playing Judy Garland. In 2019, Rami Malek won for his role as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury and Mahershala Ali won for playing piano maestro Dr. Don Shirley. This year, eight of the 20 acting nominees are nominated for their portrayals of real-life figures: Billie Holiday, Ma Rainey, Herman J. Mankiewicz, Marion Davies, Sam Cooke, Fred Hampton, William O’Neal, and Abbie Hoffman. Related article: Oscars 2021 Winners: The 93rd Show With Record-Breaking Historic Successes, Shocks and Surprises Related article: A Tribute To The Academy Awards: All Best Actor/Actress Speeches From The Beginning Of Oscars 1929-2019 | From Rami Malek, Leonardo DiCaprio To Marlon Brando & Beyond | From Olivia Colman, Meryl Streep To Bette Davis & Beyond Here are the 8 Real-Life Figures Behind...
- 4/27/2021
- by Caroline Schneider
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Netflix wrapped up the longest Oscar season in history by dominating the craft awards Sunday night, splitting four prizes between “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, starring Oscar nominee Viola Davis as the trailblazing, ’20s blues singer, and David Fincher’s monochromatic “Mank,” (cinematography and production design), the biopic about Herman J. Mankiewicz’ frenzied scripting of “Citizen Kane.” Overlooked, though, was Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
The two Oscars for “Ma Rainey’s” were expected for the bold and gritty verisimilitude demanded by Davis and supplied by 89-year-old costume designer Ann Roth (a two-time winner), makeup stylist Sergio Lopez Rivera, and hair stylists Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson (who made Oscar history as the first Black female winners from their category). They made her sexy and subversive with a flashy wardrobe, gold teeth, charcoal-like makeup, and a wig made of horsehair.
However, “Mank” cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt pulled his second...
The two Oscars for “Ma Rainey’s” were expected for the bold and gritty verisimilitude demanded by Davis and supplied by 89-year-old costume designer Ann Roth (a two-time winner), makeup stylist Sergio Lopez Rivera, and hair stylists Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson (who made Oscar history as the first Black female winners from their category). They made her sexy and subversive with a flashy wardrobe, gold teeth, charcoal-like makeup, and a wig made of horsehair.
However, “Mank” cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt pulled his second...
- 4/26/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
At the 93rd Academy Awards, Mank‘s Erik Messerschmidt took home his first Oscar for Best Cinematography.
In his acceptance speech, he thanked director David Fincher “for creating an environment where we could do our best work,” expressing gratitude for the fact that he “got to go home and feel like I gave it my all, every night.”
He then thanked producer Ceán Chaffin for her “endless support,” screenwriter Eric Roth for his “guidance,” actors Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman and their fellow cast members “for hitting [their] marks,” as well as his collaborators in the camera department. “This really belongs to an extraordinary crew who I could not do anything without,” he said. “And thank you to my beautiful wife Naiara, who tolerates this crazy business and helped me get through this movie.”
While Messerschmidt had strong competition tonight in Nomadland‘s Joshua James Richards, he was also a top contender throughout awards season.
In his acceptance speech, he thanked director David Fincher “for creating an environment where we could do our best work,” expressing gratitude for the fact that he “got to go home and feel like I gave it my all, every night.”
He then thanked producer Ceán Chaffin for her “endless support,” screenwriter Eric Roth for his “guidance,” actors Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman and their fellow cast members “for hitting [their] marks,” as well as his collaborators in the camera department. “This really belongs to an extraordinary crew who I could not do anything without,” he said. “And thank you to my beautiful wife Naiara, who tolerates this crazy business and helped me get through this movie.”
While Messerschmidt had strong competition tonight in Nomadland‘s Joshua James Richards, he was also a top contender throughout awards season.
- 4/26/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Production designer Donald Graham Burt and set decorator Jan Pascale took home statuettes for their work on Mank, at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
The Oscar win was Burt’s second, following his triumph in 2008 with David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. A first-time winner, set decorator Pascale was previously nominated in 2006, for her work on George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck.
While Burt didn’t give a speech, Pascale paid thanks to director David Fincher, producer Ceán Chaffin, and Burt “for trusting me with this amazing project.”
“It was such an honor to work with such an amazing group of people. Thank you to my crew, who worked their tails off on this just to make it right,” she said. “When I was young, I never realized that this was a career that was even a possibility. There were so many people who helped me along the way,...
The Oscar win was Burt’s second, following his triumph in 2008 with David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. A first-time winner, set decorator Pascale was previously nominated in 2006, for her work on George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck.
While Burt didn’t give a speech, Pascale paid thanks to director David Fincher, producer Ceán Chaffin, and Burt “for trusting me with this amazing project.”
“It was such an honor to work with such an amazing group of people. Thank you to my crew, who worked their tails off on this just to make it right,” she said. “When I was young, I never realized that this was a career that was even a possibility. There were so many people who helped me along the way,...
- 4/26/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Erik Messerschmidt won his first Oscar for his black and white rendering of David Fincher’s ’30s-set biopic about Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz.
Messerschimidt–who previously worked with Fincher on Netflix series Mindhunter–said that the iconic Citizen Kane “is one of the movies that make me want to make movies” and its legendary cinematographer Gregg Toland “pushed the medium forward.”
He said he was happy “to make a movie that references what he did a little bit …through through a modern sense and while bringing something new to it.”
This is the second time in three ...
Messerschimidt–who previously worked with Fincher on Netflix series Mindhunter–said that the iconic Citizen Kane “is one of the movies that make me want to make movies” and its legendary cinematographer Gregg Toland “pushed the medium forward.”
He said he was happy “to make a movie that references what he did a little bit …through through a modern sense and while bringing something new to it.”
This is the second time in three ...
- 4/26/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Erik Messerschmidt won his first Oscar for his black and white rendering of David Fincher’s ’30s-set biopic about Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz.
Messerschimidt–who previously worked with Fincher on Netflix series Mindhunter–said that the iconic Citizen Kane “is one of the movies that make me want to make movies” and its legendary cinematographer Gregg Toland “pushed the medium forward.”
He said he was happy “to make a movie that references what he did a little bit …though through a modern lens and while bringing something new to it.”
This is the second time in three ...
Messerschimidt–who previously worked with Fincher on Netflix series Mindhunter–said that the iconic Citizen Kane “is one of the movies that make me want to make movies” and its legendary cinematographer Gregg Toland “pushed the medium forward.”
He said he was happy “to make a movie that references what he did a little bit …though through a modern lens and while bringing something new to it.”
This is the second time in three ...
- 4/26/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Perhaps it's not surprising that, in a year marked by hardship for so many people, a slew of popular films succeeded by telling real-life individuals' stories of pain and triumph. Heading into the 2021 Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, April 25, many of the films in the hunt for Oscars tell biographical narratives about public figures and lesser-known folks alike. Earning the most nominations of any film this year with 10, Mank focuses on screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, the title character played by Gary Oldman, who is under pressure to complete his script for Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. Also earning accolades for bringing historical figures...
- 4/24/2021
- E! Online
After a long career as a reliable familiar face in genre films, Amanda Seyfried has finally become a major awards contender for her performance in David Fincher’s Hollywood period piece “Mank.” Seyfried, who got her start as one of the mean girls in 2004’s “Mean Girls,” has appeared in everything from rom-coms (“Letters to Juliet”) to musicals (“Mamma Mia!”) to cult horror films (“Jennifer’s Body”), but “Mank” is a major step-up for the actress that earned her her first Oscar nomination.
In the Best Supporting Actress category, Seyfried competes against Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”), Olivia Colman (“The Father”), Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) and Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”). Youn and Bakalova are the other first-time nominees, while Close and Colman are Oscar veterans. Colman previously won for Best Actress in 2019, while Close’s eight nominations has her tied with Peter O’Toole for most nominations without a win.
Seyfried portrays the doe-eyed Hollywood starlet Marion Davies,...
In the Best Supporting Actress category, Seyfried competes against Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”), Olivia Colman (“The Father”), Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) and Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”). Youn and Bakalova are the other first-time nominees, while Close and Colman are Oscar veterans. Colman previously won for Best Actress in 2019, while Close’s eight nominations has her tied with Peter O’Toole for most nominations without a win.
Seyfried portrays the doe-eyed Hollywood starlet Marion Davies,...
- 4/22/2021
- by Zach Moore
- Gold Derby
Much like Citizen Kane itself, Mank could easily have been twice as long, at least. Clocking in at 131 minutes, David Fincher's black and white homage to old Hollywood focuses on the 60 days given to the brilliant, often besotted and infamously prickly scribe Herman J. Mankiewicz to churn out the script for Orson Welles' feature directorial debut. Those scenes of genius at war with itself are interspersed with behind-the-scenes studio politicking, actual politicking (left vs. right is not new) and Mankiewicz's conflicted friendship with Marion Davies, the longtime companion of publishing titan William Randolph Hearst, who was the fairly obvious...
- 4/22/2021
- E! Online
With the end of the most unconventional Academy Awards cycle in sight, the 93rd Oscars will be the culmination of more than a year of campaigning as the entertainment industry (and the world at large) was turned upside down by the pandemic. Along the way, Variety remained an essential stop for storytellers to discuss their films. Actors, writers, directors and icons alike shared intimate stories about creativity, determination and art. Check out our Oscar season cover stories below.
Viola Davis and Stacey Abrams on Oscar Season, Politics and Wielding Their Power as Black Women
As the intersection between entertainment and politics continues to meld, mutual success has landed Viola Davis and Stacey Abrams smack in the middle of Hollywood’s film awards conversation. Davis, one of the industry’s most celebrated actors, is being lauded for her performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and is considered a lead contender in...
Viola Davis and Stacey Abrams on Oscar Season, Politics and Wielding Their Power as Black Women
As the intersection between entertainment and politics continues to meld, mutual success has landed Viola Davis and Stacey Abrams smack in the middle of Hollywood’s film awards conversation. Davis, one of the industry’s most celebrated actors, is being lauded for her performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and is considered a lead contender in...
- 4/21/2021
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
In Mank, there’s a scene where screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, played by Gary Oldman, awakens disoriented in a California mansion. He soon wanders out back to a film set, where he encounters two studio bigwigs. One of them is Louis B. Mayer, the co-founder of MGM. The other is Irving G. Thalberg, a producer who has his […]
The post ‘Mank’ and the Unsung Screenwriter: How David Fincher’s Netflix Film Signal-Boosts Hollywood’s Overlooked Scribes appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Mank’ and the Unsung Screenwriter: How David Fincher’s Netflix Film Signal-Boosts Hollywood’s Overlooked Scribes appeared first on /Film.
- 4/21/2021
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
For the first time in decades, the Academy has merged sound editing and sound mixing into a single category because of persistent overlap, and this season offers five exemplary nominees: the experimental “Sound of Metal,” “Mank,” and “Soul,” the rugged western soundscape of “News of the World,” and the explosive sounds of World War II battleships in “Greyhound” (the latter two starring Tom Hanks).
But Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal,” in which Riz Ahmed portrays Ruben, a heavy-metal drummer losing his hearing, is the favorite to win the Oscar for its complexity and detail. Although the film was snubbed at the Mpse Golden Reel Awards, it rebounded to take the Cas sound mixing prize. This is a film about sound because of the way it explores deafness as a way of experiencing sound and vibration. Getting inside Ruben’s head creates the dichotomy between “omniscient sound and perspective sound,...
But Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal,” in which Riz Ahmed portrays Ruben, a heavy-metal drummer losing his hearing, is the favorite to win the Oscar for its complexity and detail. Although the film was snubbed at the Mpse Golden Reel Awards, it rebounded to take the Cas sound mixing prize. This is a film about sound because of the way it explores deafness as a way of experiencing sound and vibration. Getting inside Ruben’s head creates the dichotomy between “omniscient sound and perspective sound,...
- 4/21/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The race for makeup and hair is particularly noteworthy this season. It includes transforming Viola Davis into the pioneering blues singer of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” turning Glenn Close into the fiery Appalachian grandmother of “Hillbilly Elegy,” adding floral flourishes to Anya Taylor-Joy’s titular matchmaker in “Emma,” meticulously recreating Hollywood’s Golden Age in black-and-white in “Mank,” and creating a unique wooden look to the titular puppet of “Pinocchio.”
But with the Academy tilting toward transforming real-life people in recent years, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” is the favorite, especially after its sweep of the coveted Muahs Guild Awards. Plus, Davis is the favorite in the Best Actress race. She landed her fourth Oscar nomination — the most of any Black actress — as the sexy, subversive Rainey. And the actress was boldly uncompromising in demanding verisimilitude with the help of gold teeth, charcoal-like makeup, and a wig made of horsehair. She tapped her personal makeup stylist,...
But with the Academy tilting toward transforming real-life people in recent years, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” is the favorite, especially after its sweep of the coveted Muahs Guild Awards. Plus, Davis is the favorite in the Best Actress race. She landed her fourth Oscar nomination — the most of any Black actress — as the sexy, subversive Rainey. And the actress was boldly uncompromising in demanding verisimilitude with the help of gold teeth, charcoal-like makeup, and a wig made of horsehair. She tapped her personal makeup stylist,...
- 4/21/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
This season’s Oscar race for production design pits David Fincher’s mighty black-and-white “Mank” (the Adg period winner) against Florian Zeller’s mind-bending “The Father,” Christopher Nolan’s time-inverted “Tenet” (the Adg fantasy winner), Paul Greengrass’ first western, “News of the World,” and the sweltering Chicago period trappings of George C. Wolfe’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
“Mank” is the favorite for meticulously recreating the world of washed up, alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), who struggles to churn out a first draft of “Citizen Kane.” Oscar-winning production designer Don Burt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) had to think in terms of black-and-white design to authentically return to Hollywood’s Golden Age in the ’30s. Fortunately, set decorator Jan Pascale used the monochromatic filter on her iPhone for shooting set dressing tests, and that helped shape the palette of warm earth tones. Unable to shoot at the...
“Mank” is the favorite for meticulously recreating the world of washed up, alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), who struggles to churn out a first draft of “Citizen Kane.” Oscar-winning production designer Don Burt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) had to think in terms of black-and-white design to authentically return to Hollywood’s Golden Age in the ’30s. Fortunately, set decorator Jan Pascale used the monochromatic filter on her iPhone for shooting set dressing tests, and that helped shape the palette of warm earth tones. Unable to shoot at the...
- 4/20/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The Oscar race for costume design is once again devoted to dazzling period pieces: George C. Wolfe’s August Wilson adaptation “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (the Cdga period winner), Autumn de Wilde’s “Emma,” David Fincher’s monochromatic “Mank,” Niki Caro’s live-action “Mulan (the Cdga fantasy winner), and Matteo Garrone’s “Pinocchio.”
But “Ma Rainey’s” 89-year-old, Oscar-winning costume designer, Ann Roth (“The English Patient”) is the clear favorite. And it certainly helps that the momentum is with Viola Davis in the Best Actress race. This was her fourth Oscar nomination — the most for any Black actress. She plays the trailblazing ’20s blues singer, who flaunted her flashy wardrobe to convey a sexy, subversive image. Ross put Davis in a rubber suit modeled after Aretha Franklin, and assembled an array of bold and durable outfits (including flowing berry-red and blue velvet dresses). But, crucially, Roth also helped out hair...
But “Ma Rainey’s” 89-year-old, Oscar-winning costume designer, Ann Roth (“The English Patient”) is the clear favorite. And it certainly helps that the momentum is with Viola Davis in the Best Actress race. This was her fourth Oscar nomination — the most for any Black actress. She plays the trailblazing ’20s blues singer, who flaunted her flashy wardrobe to convey a sexy, subversive image. Ross put Davis in a rubber suit modeled after Aretha Franklin, and assembled an array of bold and durable outfits (including flowing berry-red and blue velvet dresses). But, crucially, Roth also helped out hair...
- 4/20/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
For his Oscar-nominated performance as Herman J. Mankiewicz, the Academy Award-winning co-writer of Citizen Kane, Mank star Gary Oldman collaborated with fellow nominee David Fincher (who has earned his third nod for best director). To achieve the Netflix film’s recreation of the Golden Age of Hollywood, the director at times had his actors performing the same scenes over a hundred times — at one point taking nearly a week to capture a scene.
But for Oldman, who earned a best actor Oscar for 2017’s Darkest Hour, those countless multiple takes are simply part of the job. “All directors have different ways of ...
But for Oldman, who earned a best actor Oscar for 2017’s Darkest Hour, those countless multiple takes are simply part of the job. “All directors have different ways of ...
- 4/19/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
For his Oscar-nominated performance as Herman J. Mankiewicz, the Academy Award-winning co-writer of Citizen Kane, Mank star Gary Oldman collaborated with fellow nominee David Fincher (who has earned his third nod for best director). To achieve the Netflix film’s recreation of the Golden Age of Hollywood, the director at times had his actors performing the same scenes over a hundred times — at one point taking nearly a week to capture a scene.
But for Oldman, who earned a best actor Oscar for 2017’s Darkest Hour, those countless multiple takes are simply part of the job. “All directors have different ways of ...
But for Oldman, who earned a best actor Oscar for 2017’s Darkest Hour, those countless multiple takes are simply part of the job. “All directors have different ways of ...
- 4/19/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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