F for Fake is my first encounter with an Orson Welles film. Because of this, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. My first thought was that the film must be about fakery because just like how ‘a’ is for apple, ‘f’ will now be associated with fake. I was curious to see how this claim would be played out in the film. But then I was told that it was a non-fiction film. So, if it was supposed to real, why does the title relate to being fake? Then I realised it’d be best to just wait and see how the film unfolds. So, I did just that.

I found the film to be quite theatrical due to the opening scene. There was a magic trick taking place as if it were being presented as part of the film but then suddenly, cameras filming the scene were exposed. Due to that, I felt I was now observing a film during the production process rather than as a completed film. I think that this was made to remind the viewer that the filmmaker possesses the power of how to present a story. To either tell the truth or lie. I then thought that maybe the movie will be a fabricated story with some truths embedded in it and I’d have to tell them a part. But then, as the film put focus on the art forgery by Elmyr de Hory, I realised that I was being presented with a non-fiction film. 

(F for Fake, 1973)

 I think that this film was an interesting take on non-fiction due to the style of editing. In particular, I found it interesting when the interview with Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving were spliced together to give the illusion that they were having a conversation. Because of this, it makes me rethink how interviews can be presented. On top of that, I think that this conversational style of editing reflects how the real world operates. That in order to find the truth, it takes seeing two sides of the same coin. Overall, this film challenged my expectations. I went into it expecting it to be simply about fakery but I came out of it realising the complexity of separating truth from lies. That it takes a lot of planning to present a true story in an enticing way without it being confusing. I thoroughly enjoyed watching F for Fake.

Film: F for Fake, streaming video, Planfilm Specialty Films, 1973, viewed 9 March 2019, <https://rmit.kanopy.com/video/f-fake>.