BBD Comments:
As was the case for everyone but Netti last night, I had never before seen ‘F for Fake.’
I have spent most of my life calling myself a true fan of Orson Welles, and know a great deal about his history. From his remarkable work with the WPA Theater, to his extraordinary success moving the Mercury Players to the radio, or his failed attempt to film ‘Heart of Darkness,’ and of course the legendary tale of ‘Citizen Kane,’ Orson Welles has stood as a testament to me of an artist’s life well lived. Of course, all of those achievements were behind him before he turned 27.
On the few occasions I remember hearing about ‘F for Fake,’ it was dismissed as a mess of a movie, and no way to remember the once great man. As a result I had never taken the time, but man was it worth the wait.
In almost every way, this is a mess of a movie. But what do you call a Pollock if not a messy canvas. I had never heard the story of the great forger and his biographer. Nor had I heard the story of Howard Hughes final interview which led to his final interview and was turned into a book about the first final interview which was, of course, a fake. Welles metes out the disparate details of these practically nonsensical stories in a barely coherent mélange. We get caught up with it all almost through osmosis. But slowly, surely, we are snared by this film, and are treated to one final swan song from cinema’s greatest mind.
The themes in this documentary linger deliciously. I often cite a quote attributed to Stacy Keach that states: “A good idea doesn’t care who had it.” Does it follow then that a great work of art doesn’t care who made it? As the icecaps melt, and the warlords reign, the future (as always) seems very uncertain. How is it then we have so many experts? Welles piece pointedly makes me doubt the term “expert,” much like “perfection,” defines any true state of existence.
The true masterstroke of this film is Welles complete derision for his own history and craft. He lumps himself with all the other frauds he presents, and it goes a long way towards mediating the piece’s many moments of pretension. ‘F for Fake’ stands as a largely hidden monument to a great artist who left far too little behind.
As to the pick itself, I was worried that we might have another ‘Wings of Desire’ on our hands. A beautiful film that failed miserably in our rarified milieu. By the end of the film, I believed that Netti threaded the needle with his Selection. But it was a risky pick for his sophomore outing. Had Coolbaugh been there, Netti might not have gotten off so easy (though I think it might have won Eric over by the end). Netti also scores pick points for following ‘The Battle of Algiers’ documentary style so cleverly. Two very different works of art now forever linked by the magic of Movienight.
Brandon Comments:
How can anyone say anything negative about Orson Welles? Just looking at that commanding figure all dressed in black, with that groomed gray beard and voice like butter on sandpaper—Mr. Welles could simply stand in front of a camera and tell nursery rhymes for two hours and I would remain content.
His 1975 film-cum-documentary-cum-mockumentary-cum-film, “F for Fake,” is one of the strangest two hours you will ever sit through. Whether you would call his performers “actors” or “subjects” I am not sure, but if they were actors then they were amazing actors; if they were subjects, then they were truly interesting and bizarre and worthy of a documentary crew following their every move. Fakery is the theme of this film—fakery of all sorts, including the director’s own past (the War of the Worlds hoax, not to mention his initial introduction to the world of the English stage).
And this fakery is not just the theme of this cinematic work, it’s also the crux of the whole idea: Are these real people who live their lives forging their own celebrity and genius, or are their actual lives forgeries? Is it considered a documentary? A film? A mockumentary? And, I believe, this is exactly what Orson Welles had intended—even 30 years later we’re still asking the same question: was it real or fake? In the beginning of the film he states that everything is fake, but at the end he says that one hour was real and 17 minutes were fake; but the film is well over 1 hour and 17 minutes—and how can you trust a man who tells you everything he is going to tell you is a lie, then adds, “except that part.”
Nubs Comments:
“Bevare. Bevare” as Martin Landau said in JaJa’s second and FINAL pick, ‘Ed Wood,’ Bevare the sophomore pick. ‘Ed Wood,’ ‘Wings of Desire,’ and now, ‘F for Fake.’ The underclassmen of Movienight are not taking as much care with their second pick - and it could cost them. Don’t worry, Netti, your position is safe (for now) but this, our most pretentious pick to date, barely squeaked by with a warning.
Seriously, I think ‘F for Fake’ was enjoyed by all, though hardly a Slam Dunk. The assembled crew that night, and most nights, was a group of artists, art lovers, and without a doubt: a self-involved group of elitists. However, Orson Welles, parading around restaurants, Europe, and film-editing rooms in his black cape and cigar put the Movienight Crew, and its amateur pretensions, to shame. And, yet, I would still be willing to get behind it all would it have been a well-told story.
With all of us potential storytellers chompin’ at the bit to break the form with the first documentary, Netti audaciously claimed the genre with this story that starts out with a hard to follow anecdote/magic trick then jumps around reusing footage making “the next hour” feel like three. I can think of ten documentaries that would be unquestionably appropriate for the Stucco, while Netti gave us this obscure Seventies gem that, despite its interesting true stories, doesn’t beg for the big screen. The connections and characters in this crazy story of fakers vs. artists was sufficiently intriuqing to keep my interest long enough to enjoy Bobbi’s corked wine with my beer. Still Orson’s purposeful ambiguity often burdens its listeners as much as it entices.
Now that I’ve over-criticized it, let me backtrack and say I applaud the subject matter and the gall Netti displayed in trusting the integrity of this Crew. I would love if on Wednesdays, every so often, we were educated, as well as stimulated, by history and art. I suppose I’m just taken aback by the audacity of rookies who impose their will so quickly on this tight-knit group.
I respect it, but…Bevare.
SELECTOR Comments:
Reasons for picking it:
1.Brevity (thought it might be cold)
2.Documentary (inspired by the faux-documentary ‘The Battle of Algiers’)
3.Orson Welles' final film (I've been reading about ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ being a swan song for another american master)
4.Coolbaugh wasn't there (I think he might hate it)
This film reminds me of a small dingy bathroom in a 5th floor izakaya in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It's tiny. When you walk in you realize that there's just enough room for you and the toilet. Its three walls (the door behind you is the fourth) are mirrored. It's not necessary, but it's recommended to increase the sake (see Otokoyama) content of your bloodstream and enjoy seeing thousands of your likenesses extending into infinity. If you're a phallocentricist, it's a kind of nirvana. The fun thing to do, is to wave your hands up and down quickly like a prestidigitator. And here's how it relates to the film: the effect of your movements is amplified by their multiplicity. So, too, is a viewer's understanding of fakery as Mr. Welles presents you with his meta-fictive investigation. Is it messy? Seemingly. Is it a calculated mess? Possibly. As the various threads of fakery are followed (Elmyr, Clifford Irving, Oja Kodar, Orson Welles, Reichenbach, etc.) they reflect each other, heightening the sense of doubt in anything presented. By the end, everything about the film is questioned, even, quite possibly the authorship. “Art is a lie that reveals the truth,” so says Picasso as quoted by Welles. To me this film posits that, art is a lie that reveals the truth that art is a lie that reveals the truth that art is a lie. And I'm pretty sure that's true.
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