Review of F for Fake (1973) by Michael D — 26 Sep 2015

Over the course of the film, we are shown how our limited perception is manipulated by artists and liars alike for the purpose of fame and success. We explore a number of tales fueled by fraud; the forgeries of impressionist portraits by de Hory, the false Hughes biography by Irving, the War of the Worlds brodcast by Welles himself, among others.

Through the defiant art of fast-paced editing, Orson Welles illustrates a story of illusions - those responsible and those who end up being fooled. Interviews with Irving and de Hory are cut to appear as debates, while intercutting scenes of their daily lives. the stories of how they got to where they were. Then they are arranged with scenes showing Welles' exploits and stories. Thrown into this mix are pieces on figures such as Howared Hughes, Pablo Picasso, and Oja Kodar. Interspersed among this footage are stock sequences from b-movies, and archival footage and reports featuring the subjects.

One needs to see the film to comprehend how its visual detsign has affected the structure of future documentaries as "essays", relating its sources to a single subject, all tied together by the personal involvement of the author.

It is to be expected that Welles, as himself, gives a powerful, bombastic performance, maintaining the intrigue and deception of his story. For those involved in the production, they are interesting to watch as well, especially the flamboyant de Hory. The scenes that are personally directed by Welles show his taste for the technical elemnts in a scene, notably his depiction of the seduction of Picasso by Kodar.

F for Fake could be called the one film in Welles' ouevre that is primarily designed to open the eyes of the viewer. In it, we see, through the numerous voices in the film, how the value of art becomes distorted through criticism, how as many people could see through the lie as those who obsess over it for truth. What is false can be just as amazing as what is actual. Welles juggles these concepts right up to the film's outrageous ending.

In short, a much-deserved final hurrah for the great director.