F for Fake
A magician is just an actor playing the part of a magician.
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.
User Reviews
C_Hickcock
October 24, 2025
This movie is a masterpiece -- it is equal parts an insightful essay, a magic trick and a prank. Welles considered it a new type of film -- its subject matter explores what is a forgery/counterfeit vs. what is authentic and the film wrestles with its subject by blurring those lines in a way that is both entertaining and fun. It's a masterclass in editing and a must for any student of filmmaking.
Details
Advertisement
Similar Movies
Tous Les Jours
The Sound of Crickets
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait
Eclectic Shorts by Eric Leiser
(There Is No) Cure
Moving Memories
And there was evening and there was morning. The first day
Vowellet - An Essay by Sarah Vowell
