We’re finally in the last month of 2020 and the entertainment industry is mulling through new layers of execution and release. In this first week of December, Netflix released Mank by David Fincher, keying our imagination towards remembering old Hollywood. It’s a bit of a legacy labor of love for Fincher in that the screenplay was written by his father and was originally intended to be made years before Jack Fincher’s death in 2003. It focuses on the politics of filmmaking in the 1930s, how those dynamics mixed into the world, and were reflected in Citizen Kane by screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz.

It’s The Film Board’s first black and white subject and Tommy Metz III, Steve Sarmento, and Justin "JJ" Jaeger will attempt to travel in time to talk through the relevance and references in this stylized take on one of the most celebrated stories in Hollywood’s history. The period was a confusing and difficult time as the world suffered out of The Great Depression in the run-up to World War II. We’ll get at how this movie characterized the massive entertainment machine of the time and how Mank’s story may have effected change in all of it. Everything old is new again this month on The Film Board.

Film Sundries

• Watch this film: Apple
• Original theatrical trailer
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Become a member for just $5/month or $55/year
• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | Pinterest
• Your Hosts: Pete | JJ | Steve | Tommy | Andy | Ocean 

Shop & Stream:

• Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & more
• Watch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussed
• Originals: Source material from our episodes
• Special offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible