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F for Fake Blu-ray Review
Orson Welles’ F for Fake presents an examination, in semi-documentary form, of fraudsters and fakers of such cleverness and giftedness that the layers upon which Welles descends to tell their ‘story,’ becomes a part of the story itself. A mixture of truth and fiction, as subjects Clifford Irving – who famously wrote the fake biography of Howard Hughes, and Elmyr de Hory – notorious art forger, are interviewed and speak about their craft; their extraordinary and bold talents. Welles, appearing on camera as a mischievous storyteller, weaving in ideas and questions on authenticity, reality, trust, and the relationship between art and viewer, is a masterful guide through the hall of mirrors that is F for Fake.
Wholly unique in filmdom, F for Fake is exactly what it presents itself to be in the opening moment. Welles advises the audience that they will be lied to, and that what they are about to see is true. At once we are thrown the ultimate choice between door A and door B – one apparently means that the lies are true, the other that the truth are lies. And Welles, with his last completed film, offers the ultimate deception of the filmed art in those opening moments. This is a surprising, intelligent, escapist jaunt into trickery and illusion, fleeting scenes bouncing around, bursts of self-indulgence, knowing glances at Welles’ own career (his famous radio reading of War of the Worlds,) and a meandering sensibility undisturbed by conventions or of aligning to traditional approaches to the narrative.
To say that F for Fake received a chilly critical reception upon its initial release would not be an understatement. The film was criticized for its confusing technique, and for not, to paraphrase, feeling like an Orson Welles’ film. But Welles intelligence and desire to create a kind of film not seen before (since referred to as a film essay, though even that doesn’t measure to the end product of F,) surely should be applauded for having, after a long, storied career, the resolve to surprise audiences with something this audacious.
There’s a certain genius at play in this un-Wellesian film. A curious exploration of a subject by becoming an example of that subject. Without equal in its time, F for Fake, is a brilliant blast; a sanguine, playful pool of lies and deceit, in the form of a documentary that isn’t a documentary. Welles assembles the pieces at times in a way the feels like tailored expressionism, spinning with intelligence and a disregard for expectation. The line, “Everything in this film strictly based on the available facts” is the indeed the first and greatest lie.
Audio commentary from 2005 by cowriter and star Oja Kodar and director of photography Gary Graver
Introduction from 2005 by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich
Orson Welles: One-Man Band, a documentary from 1995 about Welles’s unfinished projects
Almost True: The Noble Art of Forgery, a fifty-two-minute documentary from 1997 about art forger Elmyr de Hory
60 Minutes interview from 2000 with Clifford Irving about his Howard Hughes autobiography hoax
Hughes’s 1972 press conference exposing Irving’s hoax
Extended, nine-minute trailer
Another fine essay, here written by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum
F for Fake, Orson Welles’ enigmatic experiment in film, takes the audience on a curious journey into enough truth to be believable as a documentary, and enough lies about those truths to be an unexpected delight. Presented by Orson Welles, the film posits an examination of forgery and fakery, and the illusion of truth it creates. As a subject, that’s a potent idea, but trust Welles’ to take an imposturous approach, with an impromptu feel and reporter’s tenor, and create something wholly new.
Studio: Criterion
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audio: English 1.0 DTS-HDMA (Mono)
Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: Not Rated
Run Time: 88 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
Standard Clear Case (Criterion)Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: A
Release Date: 10/21/2014
MSRP: $39.95
The Production Rating: 4/5
“Why not? I’m a charlatan.”
Orson Welles’ F for Fake presents an examination, in semi-documentary form, of fraudsters and fakers of such cleverness and giftedness that the layers upon which Welles descends to tell their ‘story,’ becomes a part of the story itself. A mixture of truth and fiction, as subjects Clifford Irving – who famously wrote the fake biography of Howard Hughes, and Elmyr de Hory – notorious art forger, are interviewed and speak about their craft; their extraordinary and bold talents. Welles, appearing on camera as a mischievous storyteller, weaving in ideas and questions on authenticity, reality, trust, and the relationship between art and viewer, is a masterful guide through the hall of mirrors that is F for Fake.
Wholly unique in filmdom, F for Fake is exactly what it presents itself to be in the opening moment. Welles advises the audience that they will be lied to, and that what they are about to see is true. At once we are thrown the ultimate choice between door A and door B – one apparently means that the lies are true, the other that the truth are lies. And Welles, with his last completed film, offers the ultimate deception of the filmed art in those opening moments. This is a surprising, intelligent, escapist jaunt into trickery and illusion, fleeting scenes bouncing around, bursts of self-indulgence, knowing glances at Welles’ own career (his famous radio reading of War of the Worlds,) and a meandering sensibility undisturbed by conventions or of aligning to traditional approaches to the narrative.
To say that F for Fake received a chilly critical reception upon its initial release would not be an understatement. The film was criticized for its confusing technique, and for not, to paraphrase, feeling like an Orson Welles’ film. But Welles intelligence and desire to create a kind of film not seen before (since referred to as a film essay, though even that doesn’t measure to the end product of F,) surely should be applauded for having, after a long, storied career, the resolve to surprise audiences with something this audacious.
There’s a certain genius at play in this un-Wellesian film. A curious exploration of a subject by becoming an example of that subject. Without equal in its time, F for Fake, is a brilliant blast; a sanguine, playful pool of lies and deceit, in the form of a documentary that isn’t a documentary. Welles assembles the pieces at times in a way the feels like tailored expressionism, spinning with intelligence and a disregard for expectation. The line, “Everything in this film strictly based on the available facts” is the indeed the first and greatest lie.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
Audio Rating: 4/5
Special Features Rating: 4/5
Audio commentary from 2005 by cowriter and star Oja Kodar and director of photography Gary Graver
Introduction from 2005 by filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich
Orson Welles: One-Man Band, a documentary from 1995 about Welles’s unfinished projects
Almost True: The Noble Art of Forgery, a fifty-two-minute documentary from 1997 about art forger Elmyr de Hory
60 Minutes interview from 2000 with Clifford Irving about his Howard Hughes autobiography hoax
Hughes’s 1972 press conference exposing Irving’s hoax
Extended, nine-minute trailer
Another fine essay, here written by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum
Overall Rating: 4/5
Reviewed By: Neil Middlemiss
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