As its name suggests, Mank focuses primarily on Herman J. Mankiewicz, the screenwriter of Citizen Kane - but Mankiewicz ultimately shared writing credit on the film with its legendary director, Orson Welles. So, why exactly do Mankiewicz and Welles share credit for the classic script? Well, it's complicated.

Mank stars Gary Oldman as its titular character, and goes to great lengths to capture the essence and aesthetics of 1930's Hollywood. Directed by David Fincher and adapted from a script by Fincher's late fatherMank tells a specific version of the history surrounding Citizen Kane. The film's genesis remains one of the most hotly contested topics in all of Hollywood history, with prominent industry members situating themselves on opposing sides of the debate. Pauline Kael, one of the most celebrated film critics of all time, infamously wrote an article titled "Raising Kane," in which she slammed Welles and credited the vast majority of Citizen Kane's script to Mankiewicz. Actor-director Peter Bogdanovich responded to Kael's article with a scathing critique of his own, providing evidence that suggests Welles was indeed heavily involved with the writing of Citizen Kane.

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Welles is depicted in Mank as a bit of an egomaniac. This particular vision of Welles has been repeated throughout Hollywood's depictions of the acclaimed artist, but it is especially noteworthy in Mank for how it allows Fincher to credit Mankiewicz with the entirety of Citizen Kane's script, and write off Welles as a petty grifter. To actor Tom Burke's credit, he does capture Welles and his booming voice to a tee. In truth, Welles was always going to share writing credit on Citizen Kane because RKO - the studio behind the production - required it. Welles did try to push out Mankiewicz, but Mankiewicz earned a co-writing credit via arbitration.

Citizen Kane Mank

Welles' supporters, such as Bogdanovich and film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, have suggested that Welles and Mankiewicz worked collaboratively on the script, passing copies of their own work back and forth. In Mank, Welles appears mostly via phone calls to Mankiewicz, dogging him about getting the script done. In actuality, it seems Welles regularly visited Mankiewicz in his Victorville hotel, exchanging notes and ideas.

Of course, the story surrounding Citizen Kane's creation is mostly a matter of "he said, she said." While there is plenty of reason to believe Welles rewrote a lot of what Mankiewicz had written once he began shooting Citizen Kane, Mankiewicz' signature writing style still seems to pop up in a lot of the film's witty dialogue. It is somewhat disappointing that Fincher's latest film opts only to tell one side of a complicated story, but it does successfully introduce viewers to a talented writer who has mostly been lost in the annals of film history. Because Welles was such an enigmatic artist and Citizen Kane is such an iconic film, the stories surrounding the filmmaker and his film have unsurprisingly grown to gigantic proportions. Welles' obsession with his artistic identity and creative control likely did impact his relationship with Mankiewicz and the film industry at large, but it is also what has cemented him as one of the most visionary directors in American film history, with his signature long takes continuing to influence directors such as Steve McQueen today.

Mank provides viewers with a fascinating, albeit limited, perspective on Classical Hollywood. The debate surrounding Welles, Mankiewicz, and Citizen Kane will likely rage on, but it seems to be for the best that both men received credit for the wonderfully intricate screenplay.

Next: The Battle Over Citizen Reveals How The Movie Was Almost Destroyed