DVD 88 mins
NR (Not Rated)
F for Fake - Criterion Collection
Criterion Collection (1972)
In Collection
#227

Seen It:
No

Owner:
Ben
Documentary
USA  /  English

Orson Welles
Oja Kodar

Director Orson Welles; Bogdanovich, Peter
Cinematography Graver, Gary

To call Orson Welles's F For Fake a documentary would be somewhat deceitful, but deceit itself is very much the subject of this curious film essay. Welles ruminates on the nature of artistic fakery through two examples, that of infamous art forger Elmyr de Hory and the writer Clifford Irving, whose bogus autobiography of Howard Hughes set off a minor media flurry in the 1970s. Postmodernist that he is, Wells then proceeds to narrate and edit the film in such a perversely frenetic way as to blur the lines between what is real and what is deception, making for an often confusing but engaging work of art in itself. We even see the footage we've been watching as it's being spliced together in Welles's editing room. The specter of Welles's often maligned later career hangs over the proceedings like a challenge--is he going to actually complete this strange movie about chicanery, or will it become one of the many unfinished experiments of his twilight years? Happily, Welles concludes the proceedings with a delightful sequence about Picasso, lust, and what constitutes real art. F For Fake is a fine example of a master filmmaker who had at least a couple tricks left up his sleeve. --Ryan Boudinot

Edition Details
Edition Widescreen
Barcode 037429206928
Region Region 1
Release Date 4/26/2005
Packaging Super Jewel Case
Screen Ratio 1.66 Letterboxed
Subtitles English
Audio Tracks Mono - English
Layers Single Side, Single Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes 2

Features
Disc 1: Actors' Commentary
Director's Commentary
Theatrical Trailers
Color Closed-captioned Widescreen
Disc Two:
- 88 minute documentary about Welles's unfinished projects
- 52-minute documentary about art forger Elmyr de Hory
- 60 Minutes interview with Clifford Irving (2000) about Hughes autobiography hoax
- 1972 Hughes press conference exposing Irving's hoax
- A new essay by film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum
Personal Details
Purchase Date 5/26/2005
Purchase Price $38.99
Store Best Buy
Condition New (Still Sealed)
Current Value $38.99
Links Amazon US
Criterion Collection