F For Fake (Criterion Collection)

Master filmmaker and artist, Orson Welles, takes you on an intriguing trip into the world of the Fake and the Real. Do you really know the difference between what people tell you and what you know to be real? Perhaps enough people have told you the "truth" where it seems there is no doubt as to what is really real, when all along you were given an pseudo-truth when in fact the truth turned out to be comepletely fake and no one knew about it. This idea, essentially is what this film is about. Filmed in a documentary style, mainly focusing on the life of Elmyr de Hory, one of his many "fake" names. Elmyr is a famous artist, except no one knows who he is because he has "faked" other famous artist masterpieces. In which case the "experts" cannot tell one from the other. So much, in fact, that the "experts" have argued emphatically that Elmyr's version is the "real" one. The well known biographer Clifford Irving wrote about Elmyr's life and his "fake" masterpieces. Irving known especially for the biography of the late Howard Hughes. Except one "fact remained in suspicion of Irving's book is how this man comes along and is granted an interview with Mr. Hughes who has been in hiding for the past 20 years. So the argument remained that Irving's biography of Hughes was indeed "faked." Mr. Orson Welles, who appears from time to time is credited as the director did indeed direct some of the film, while he "faked" it other times. Welles known for his "fake" news bulletin of the War of the Worlds also lets the view see one hour of totally "true" documentary of Elmyr, Hughes and Irving. This is nice of Mr. Welles, and if anyone knows about time, they will bear in mind the film runs longer than one hour.

Its not a casual film of entertainment like Welles' other works, some deemed the best in film history by some "experts." No, this film takes some turns of the usual Hollywood style narrative and makes an almost chaotic feast of editing where time seems to have slowed down. The only draw back to the film is the one just mentioned, that it seems entirely too long when in fact its quite shorter than one expects. Another leg Mr. Welles pulls on the viewers to have them presume as much as they want and get something entirely different.

Not for everyone's taste, but certainly for either the Orson Welles fanatic, and for the person who likes to have thier reality challenged. Cutting edge by means of style and presentation of the film, Mr. Welles has certainly done it again. Unfortunately this has dropped into the back shelf of "important" films.

Wow, what a treat for Welles fans. This is a fascinating piece of work. So interesting and the editing is excellent. Wonderful appearances by Orson to tantalise the viewer (love the trick he plays on us at the end). It's a must see. A unique type of documentary film, solely concentrating on two outrageous fakers. From the feel & look of the movie, you can tell that Welles is having the time of his life, and that's good enough for me.

Orson Welles opens "F for Fake" on an ominous note, with a seeming return to the same sort of spooky old Parisian train station he previously showed us in 1962's The Trial. It quickly becomes apparent that, this time, we're here for fun; the station is merely the setting for Welles' impromptu magic act amidst the joyous faces of enraptured children and delighted adults. As the scenery shifts to a coruscating studio backdrop, Welles begins our journey into the movie proper with a promise: everything we see during the next hour will be completely, and utterly, true.

As the final film completed by his own hand, "F for Fake" shows that Welles's cinematic eye remained young and vital well into his autumn years -- a being quite apart from the rotund Paul Masson-plugging caricature he became in popular imagination (a fake front, perhaps?). So even if the still incomplete "The Other Side of the Wind" never rears its head, we'll always have this lively, spritely, vivacious, and playful little cinematic epitaph composed almost entirely of quick cuts and bits of cast-off BBC documentary footage. "F for Fake" exhibits a burning drive to hammer all its disparate pieces into a narrative whole that tells a story of charlatanry and art, shot through with a sense of personal retrospective and biography. Basically, the film looks like the work of a young director with something to prove -- the separate montage bits forming a complete work of art that's also a blast to watch.

The Criterion DVD makes the best out of sometimes sub-par 16mm film material, but it's all sharp and clear -- the best we'll likely see this side of a proper Blu-Ray release. Extras include interviews, Oja Kodar and Gary Graver's feature commentary, Jonathan Rosenbaum's essay, Peter Bogdanovich's intro and an indispensable documentary encompassing Welles' unfinished works. In short, this package contains everything needed to make "F for Fake" a substantial, and fitting, bookend to the cinematic life of a truly great American filmmaker -- buy unreservedly.