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| Starring: Orson Welles, Elmyr de Hory,
Clifford Irving Directed by:
Orson Welles |
DVD Release: 2005
Theatrical Release: 1976
Released by: The Criterion CollectionDolby Digital 1.0
Fullscreen |
| Fakery in the Jungle A simultaneous Criterion Collection release with F for Fake, Burden
of Dreams (***) documents Werner Herzog's ordeal of making Fitzcarraldo, a
movie about a man with the dream of building a grand opera house in the Peruvian jungle. Burden
of Dreams shows a man obsessed with a similarly insane challenge: making a movie in a
dense jungle and performing a central feat of Herculean proportions -- dragging a
steamship over a mountain -- with human labor. Although Herzog's emotions and energy level
naturally fluctuate over time, he is surprisingly steadfast in the face of overwhelming
pressure and toil. But that was the point -- to bring actors and production people to an
inhospitable place, push them to their limits, and see what kind of movie comes out of it.
Extras include a 2005 video interview with Herzog, a short documentary in which Herzog
eats his own shoe to pay off a bet, and a couple of deleted scenes, including one in which
Klaus Kinsky, the star of Fitzcarraldo, has an outbreak of anger that Herzog says
was "rather mild" but was fiery enough to disturb the natives who were extras in
the movie. As with F for Fake, the video image is as good as the source material
allows.
...Marc Mickelson
marc@hometheatersound.com |
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F for Fake is not linear in form but nonetheless
follows a number of threads from beginning to end. Ostensibly, it tells the stories of
master art forger Elmyr de Hory and his biographer Clifford Irving. Known as the 20th
century's greatest art forger, de Hory claimed to have sold numerous works of art
attributed to Matisse, Picasso, and other famous artists to museums around the world.
Irving is perhaps best known for spending time in prison because of his part in a scam to
produce a fake Howard Hughes autobiography. While the camera follows these two, there is
no question as to who is shaping the story and therefore the real focal point of the
movie. Like Charles Foster Kane, Orson Welles is never far from the center of things,
especially those things he creates.
Befitting a Criterion Collection release, the second disc
of the F for Fake set is packed with meaningful materials. In this case, two
accompanying documentaries, one on de Hory and the other on Welles, not only help deepen
appreciation for the movie but also fill in gaps in understanding regarding the director
and one of his subjects. The video image is good enough, but the source material seems
less than ideal, resembling TV rather than movie footage.
Those who expect a conventional documentary with a clearly
defined story line will probably think F for Fake is filled with needless artifice.
However, it is a movie not only about a topic but also an example of the same. I imagine
Welles had some fun making it -- it is an often wry look at a subject that undoubtedly
fascinated him. |
