One of Orson Welles's last completed features, 1973's F for Fake is ostensibly a portrait of legendary art forger Elmyr de Hory and his biographer Clifford Irving, with the latter turning out to be a phony in his own right when his biography of Howard Hughes was revealed to be a complete fabrication. Welles used footage shot for a documentary about Irving and de Hory as the foundation for this free-form production that rolls fakery, magic, acting, theater, celebrity, and mystery into something unique that is neither documentary nor fiction film—and certainly not a traditional narrative—but is without a doubt a creative and compelling work. Welles is a cinematic magician here, performing his favorite kind of sleight-of-hand—making promises and spinning yarns as he plays games with truth, lies, and stories. The patchwork footage and imperfections are part of the texture, even in this new digital restoration. Released on DVD and Blu-ray, extras include audio commentary by Welles's girlfriend and costar Oja Kodar and cinematographer Gary Graver, the 1995 German documentary Orson Welles: One Man Band (a survey of Welles's unfinished films featuring work-print clips from The Deep, The Merchant of Venice, The Other Side of the Wind, and The Dreamers, among others), an unreleased nine-minute trailer that Welles made for F for Fake, archival material (interviews, TV clips, and documentaries), and a booklet. This release may generate more interest following news that Welles's unfinished The Other Side of the Wind is slated to premiere in May to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Welles's birth. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)
F for Fake
Criterion, 88 min., PG, DVD or Blu-ray: $39.95 Volume 30, Issue 1
F for Fake
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