F For Fake
)
)
)
“I began at the top, and I've been working my way down ever since”
Overview
Orson Welles turns the documentary and video essay forms inside out with this semi-real portrait of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory (who was able to forge a perfect Picasso) and Clifford Irving (who penned a fictionalised biography of one of Welles' obsessions, Howard Hughes). From the starting point of fraud Welles spins an enchanting meditation on the consensual deception inherent to filmmaking, and an autobiographical journey through his colourful life to this late career gem. In a playful deconstruction of form and narrative, F For Fake achieves a kind of sublime authenticity as it skips nimbly from sequences of wicked humour to moments of profound reflection.
Why You Should See This Film
A man of many great passions, Welles' one true love was cinema and F For Fake is perhaps the purest expression of it he ever made. Throughout the film he styles himself as a magician and a con man, telling us exactly what he's going to do and surprising us all the same with ingenious use of editing and in-camera trickery, casually displaying an absolute mastery of the frame. Despite the sly tone this gradually reveals itself to be a deeply sincere and personal film— Welles' reverie on the ephemeral beauty of Chartres Cathedral is delivered with such sincerity it speaks through the screen. A dazzling display of skill married with style, this was light years ahead of its time and is absolutely required viewing for anyone who loves the movies.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)