... that being people who are really into film history, and quite a bit of obscure film history at that.
The film tells the tale of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) as he labors over the screenplay for Citizen Kane in a remote desert bungalow, attended to by more people than he would like. The structure of the film is much like Kane itself - you have a story set in the present explained by a series of flashbacks. And those flashbacks explain who Mankiewicz is now and why he is writing such a hit piece on William Randolph Hearst in the first place.
This is something I would probably want to watch a second time because there are quite a few things coming at you fast and furious. In particular, there is a scene at Hearst' San Simeon where, besides the well identified Irving Thalberg and L. B. Mayer, according to the cast list there is Norma Shearer and Charlie Chaplin in the crowd - I think he is at the piano but I'd have to watch again.
Why do I think so many people think this is just an average film? A lot of the flashbacks have to do with the 1934 California governor's race in which the Democratic candidate is socialist author Upton Sinclair and the Republican candidate seems to be Brand X. In a year when I think most Americans have had it with listening to politics, political ads, and political bickering of all stripes, this might not be something that very many people want to watch. I wasn't familiar with this episode in political history and thus I found it interesting.
A couple of questions the film raised - Was John Houseman of "Paper Chase" fame really such a complete nuisance that Welles and Mank just wanted to smack him with a fly swatter? Also, I'm pretty familiar with Marion Davies' filmography. There was a scene where she was about to be burned to the stake in what appeared to be a western. I have no idea what film that was supposed to be.
I highly recommend this film, but your mileage will probably vary.
The film tells the tale of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) as he labors over the screenplay for Citizen Kane in a remote desert bungalow, attended to by more people than he would like. The structure of the film is much like Kane itself - you have a story set in the present explained by a series of flashbacks. And those flashbacks explain who Mankiewicz is now and why he is writing such a hit piece on William Randolph Hearst in the first place.
This is something I would probably want to watch a second time because there are quite a few things coming at you fast and furious. In particular, there is a scene at Hearst' San Simeon where, besides the well identified Irving Thalberg and L. B. Mayer, according to the cast list there is Norma Shearer and Charlie Chaplin in the crowd - I think he is at the piano but I'd have to watch again.
Why do I think so many people think this is just an average film? A lot of the flashbacks have to do with the 1934 California governor's race in which the Democratic candidate is socialist author Upton Sinclair and the Republican candidate seems to be Brand X. In a year when I think most Americans have had it with listening to politics, political ads, and political bickering of all stripes, this might not be something that very many people want to watch. I wasn't familiar with this episode in political history and thus I found it interesting.
A couple of questions the film raised - Was John Houseman of "Paper Chase" fame really such a complete nuisance that Welles and Mank just wanted to smack him with a fly swatter? Also, I'm pretty familiar with Marion Davies' filmography. There was a scene where she was about to be burned to the stake in what appeared to be a western. I have no idea what film that was supposed to be.
I highly recommend this film, but your mileage will probably vary.