CONTOURS: F For Fake (1973) / preceded by Mona Lisa (1973)

Paradise Theatre, Dec. 9 2024

In Orson Welles’ sprawling docufiction F For Fake, the truth is playfully wielded to probe at the idea of authenticity. Built around the exploits of notorious art forger Elmyr de Hory and his biographer Clifford Irving, the film treats the relationship between the pair as a point of departure, with Welles casting himself as our guide through the high wire world of forgery. 

From the confines of an editing suite or traipsing through Europe, Welles undermines his own authority over the film’s events, inviting viewers to question the reality he’s presenting. With a vaudevillian showmanship and cinematic sleight of hand, the film employs tactics from early film history to pull off its act. New dimensions of the story are constantly being introduced, retreaded, and disputed, expanding the confines of what is held as true. 

Liner notes by Iman Bundu.