An incredibly original and rewarding study of charlatans of all stripes, while simultaneously laying bare the fakery of its own construction, and of filmmaking in general. It's also about art and authorship and experts. It feels a lot like jazz. Variations on a theme, a dash of this and a burst of that, giving each "musician" (Elmyr, Irving, Hughes, Welles, Oja) a time to shine. Plus it's got a jazzy score, which enhances that sensation. A playful and very fun film.

This may be the definitive Orson Welles film. It's a highlight and celebration of Welles' favorite aspect of filmmaking: the editing room. He twists and turns, uses manipulation, misdirection and montage to suggest things to the viewer without implicitly stating them, allowing us to get caught up in his trickery (and we gladly oblige) and using his formidable technical skills to celebrate his own abilities and the ability of the film medium as a whole. A truly virtuoso work.

Very fascinating. It chronicles two intriguing stories while also showing some very interesting insights into human nature.

With an entire arsenal of new and old tricks of editing along with dazzling shots, F For Fake is a flawless work of celluloid and notorious in the masterful skill of modern meditation. Welles does something many others have died before him trying to do: he fooled the audience viewing it, making for a more understandable and fitting experience. Wonderous, quirky and also intriguing, F for Fake's legacy will go on forever and Welles has certainly shown what he's capable of.

Deliciously fun. Experts? Honesty? Truth? Reality?

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F For (Mind)Fuck

It's like wandering through Welles mind. Truly innovative, involving and a joy to watch in almost every sense.

"F for Fake" is one of the most intelligent documentaries out there, and it is all because of the brilliant mind behind it all. Orson Welles. Every moment of this mindblowing essay will either amuse, stun, or capture you - and the way Welles pieces together his studies is in a way that makes it border on the pure entertainment value of a solid fiction film. A one-of-a-kind, clever, and witty work of art.

Not bad,a tad boring but interesting.

Kinda tough going, and well worth a watch.

Fantastic film which deals with the art of trickery and forgery. In the end you don't know what exactly is true and what exactly is a lie but that is the point.

Ao lado de Woody Allen e Hitchcock, Orson Welles foi um dos cineastas mais produtivos. Sempre com uma carta na mão, mudava com facilidade de um gênero para outro sempre sob uma chuva de críticas. Nesse 'documentário' um tanto irreal, Welles sai do verossímel através de histórias interessantes para passar a mensagem: "olhe como enganar e manipular é fácil, te peguei". Até ele mesmo vira alvo da sua própria fraude, citando Howard Hughes em 'Citizen Kane'.

An absolute masterpiece of editing, and a film unlike any other ever made. There are so many layers to peel away and strings to tie together, from Elmyr de Hory, Cliff Irving, Howard Hughes, and even to Welles himself. He's constantly leading the viewer on, and often ends up taking a completely unexpected path. It's all conveyed through sharp cuts and very clever narration, making this a joy to watch. Unforgettable.

A meditation on fact, form and function, -------- marks the triumphant, resounding defeat of all three. Some films modify their genre, some contemporize it, some define it and still others revolutionize it. This film invented it's genre.

"...Orson Welles' most playfully masterful film..."

It's very pretty... but is it art? The hell if I know.

Shamelessly smarty but also genuinely thoughtful, intensive, hectically but meticulously edited documentary, it's very hard to take your eyes off it. It darts about between several different interconnected focal points, probably the most likable of which is the art forger Elmyr, but even Welles' own presence in it, an extravagant persona, stuck-up and self-important as ever, does not mar it one bit but rather complements it.

Like most of Welles' latter day films, this one is a messy, narcissistic, wonderful hodgepodge of ideas and in this case they either work in spades or are interesting enough, in one way or the other, to warrant screentime. Throughout the movies' many fine moments runs a palpable sense of joy at creating. This is Welles happy as a pig in shit, and we're right there with him, enjoying ourselves all the way.

Very interesting

There are so many layers to this film, and not only in that it's a story about a faker (Elmyr) who's rise to infamy is because of a biographer (Irving) who was a faker himself. Welles seems to be winking at us for its entirety with his quick and hectic editing techniques and his latter 17 minutes of fakery. I admit there are some slow parts, but it helps that Welles has a such a captivating and poetic way with words, provoking us on discussions of "experts" and the definition of art.

The film is invigorating. Maddeningly paced as the film storms through its 85 minutes in what feels like half that. The film cuts and cuts and cuts, sharp, swift and precise. You think it is going one way and it darts off in another. That it pulls off every little trick without missing a beat is a huge complement to its editing. This is Welles at play and it is never less than fascinating to watch as you can feel how much he is enjoying making this all and playing with the audience. A sheer joy.

Way ahead of its time technically, though I'm not sure I got much out of it. Good, but somewhat pretentious.

Nice Movie

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