F for Fake

F for Fake

A magician is just an actor playing the part of a magician.

Rating

4.5 (1)

Release Date

9/1/1973

Runtime

89 mins

Overview

Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse. Irving was infamous for writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. Welles moves between documentary and fiction as he examines the fundamental elements of fraud and the people who commit fraud at the expense of others.

Status

Released

Original Language

French

Budget

-

Revenue

-

Homepage

-
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How It Feels

Read from this film's synopsis, keywords and credits, and used to work out what it sits beside.

A dazzling essay on fakery and illusion where Welles himself becomes part of the con, blurring the line between documentary truth and cinematic sleight-of-hand. You're never quite sure what's real, and that uncertainty is the whole point.

Mood

PlayfulParanoidUnsettling

Themes

Art and creationIdentityObsession

Tone

Playful

Pacing

Brisk

Look

HandheldDocumentary-likeStylized genre

Structure

Nonlinear

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