Our Mank Miniseries begins with a retrospective on Citizen Kane. We research Orson Welles, Herman Mankiewicz, William Randolph Hearst, & Marion Davies, we’re in awe at how it holds up, and we review this classic as Part 1 of Your Mank Study Guide.

What Is This Show?/Mank Miniseries Explanation - Top of Show

CITIZEN KANE:

BACKGROUND:

Which Critic Said It? - 4:12

Wells’ Background + The Kane Deal - 5:21

Orson Wells Presents Apocalypse Now? - 12:52

Mank, Wells, and Oscar - 15:08

Mike1 is Dumb - 21:45

NONSPOILER REVIEW:

Plot Premise/Expectations/History w/ Kane - 22:57

Kane is Hearst, and who? - 25:59

Hearst the Producer - 31:36

The Depressing Silver Lining - 34:00

Script Thoughts:

Memento’ing Memento - 35:40

It Was The Best of Times… - 38:00

Production Values - 41:14

Editing - 44:48

Sound - 46:39

Performances - 48:05

A Quick HBO Max Rant - 52:46

SPOILER WARNING - 54:23

SPOILER-FILLED REVIEW:

Rosebud - 54:56

On The Nose Writing Can Be A Good Thing - 59:45

Bests - 1:03:10

Best: Balancing Act - 1:06:45

Best: 2020 Self Awareness in 1941? - 1:07:51

Worst: Diversity/Equality/Representation - 1:11:39

Other Worsts - 1:13:43

The Best Directorial Debut Ever? - 1:16:12

Socials/Your Homework - 1:18:55

What’s Next From MMO/Words of Wisdom - 1:20:03

Stay tuned for the rest of this Mank Miniseries as we’ll be having a bio & filmography discussion on father and son Fincher leading into our retrospective on David Fincher’s The Social Network. Of course, we’ll dive deep into the latest Netflix Oscar Contender in Mank, and then we’ll finish off this miniseries with a Fincher Awards Show.

But as you’d expect, we must begin this series with a retrospective on Citizen Kane. It’s a chance to review and study one of the most influential films ever made, and we’re amazed by how it’s story, themes, and truths continue to resonate in today’s world. Is that reassuring, or downright terrifying? We'll weigh in, but you'll ultimately have to be the judge on that.

Beyond the joyous / ominous historical retrospective done here, we also try to provide a service through this review as we get you ready for Mank, which if you didn't know, is a story about the writing of Citizen Kane and all the sources and theories and reasons for how that story came to be. So in this episode, you will get all our strategic research on Orson Welles, Herman Mankiewicz, William Randolph Hearst, Marion Davies, and the unprecedented RKO deal that allowed for this trailblazing epic, and if you want a Mank Study Guide, this is your optimum listening experience.

Now on a personal note, we wanted to thank you for all your love and support during these tough times. Although we pride ourselves on how prolific we’ve been over several years of putting out content, the last few weeks have indeed been uniquely challenging... as you know. Is it behind us? God, we hope so, and we certainly aim to get back into our usual groove with putting out episodes in the coming weeks.

Otherwise, and as always, we do want to hear your thoughts. We’re at MMandOscar on Twitter, and we are at Mike, Mike, and Oscar on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, and Gmail. You can subscribe / rate / review / like / share / & hear us on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Google Play, Tune In, Spotify, and just about wherever you might listen. We’re Mike, Mike, & Oscar, and we’re making awards season year round, without the stuffiness. Thank you! And do stay safe, everybody.