09-11-2015, 06:56 AM
This is the last film Orson Welles directed. It was his attempt to make a new type of film, sort of documentary, sort of personal essay. It's kind of a surreal offering.
The film centers on the story of the world's best art forger currently living in Ibiza. Welles uses a previously shot but unfinished documentary about the unrepentant forger for a lot of the film. But then he shoots vignettes around the doc of himself with the documentary film maker. He also films Clifford Irving who wrote an article about the forger and became the forgers friend. The twist is that Irving was also forging the Howard Hughes biography. Forgers writing about forgers. And Welles talks a lot about his own fakery as a film maker. Lots of weird resonances going on as stories bounce of stories.
I got this film from Netflix and it's a criterion edition so there were a ton of extras on the film. It helped to watch a short documentary by Peter Bogdonovich before watching the film. Bogdonavich lays the ground work for what is happening and why Welles is doing what he is doing.
There is also a documentary on the disc about the Art Forger using the same footage Welles used. They also talk to Irving. It's what would have happened if Welles made a straight forward documentary.
There were too many things for me to watch on the DVD. There is a documentary shot by Welles last paramour and who is also in F is for Fake. There is a long expose about Irving as well as his 60 minute interview.
It's a very trippy film. It really helped watching the Bogdonovich video. Lots of Welles hamming it up but it sort of works as you get into the flow of the film. No swords fights but lots of sleight of hand.
The film centers on the story of the world's best art forger currently living in Ibiza. Welles uses a previously shot but unfinished documentary about the unrepentant forger for a lot of the film. But then he shoots vignettes around the doc of himself with the documentary film maker. He also films Clifford Irving who wrote an article about the forger and became the forgers friend. The twist is that Irving was also forging the Howard Hughes biography. Forgers writing about forgers. And Welles talks a lot about his own fakery as a film maker. Lots of weird resonances going on as stories bounce of stories.
I got this film from Netflix and it's a criterion edition so there were a ton of extras on the film. It helped to watch a short documentary by Peter Bogdonovich before watching the film. Bogdonavich lays the ground work for what is happening and why Welles is doing what he is doing.
There is also a documentary on the disc about the Art Forger using the same footage Welles used. They also talk to Irving. It's what would have happened if Welles made a straight forward documentary.
There were too many things for me to watch on the DVD. There is a documentary shot by Welles last paramour and who is also in F is for Fake. There is a long expose about Irving as well as his 60 minute interview.
It's a very trippy film. It really helped watching the Bogdonovich video. Lots of Welles hamming it up but it sort of works as you get into the flow of the film. No swords fights but lots of sleight of hand.
So much for the flickr badge idea. Dammit