Fresh
Alternately superficial and profound.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
F for Fake
A magician is just an actor playing the part of a magician.
1973 · 1h 29m · PG
Documentary
Directed by
Orson Welles
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F for Fake
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.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
88%
Tomatometer
Fresh
A singular combination of documentary, essay, narrative, broad comedy, hoax, and cinematic vaudeville.
Nathan Rabin, AV Club
Fresh
A charming, witty meditation upon fakery, forgery, swindling and art, a movie that may itself be its own Exhibit A.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Fresh
Welcome to the philosophical fun house that is F for Fake, stuffed full of questions about the nature of art and authorship, illusion and reality, lies and truth.
Glenn Abel, Hollywood Reporter
Fresh
A triumphantly self-amused, self-aware reflection on the verities of art and creativity and the lies that sustain them.
Time Out
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