F For Fake review

Orson Welles' documentary about fraud and fakery.

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Having convinced America aliens were invading in 1938, Orson Welles mused on art-as-deception in this 1974 pic considered his last classic.

Jumping off from a BBC commission about art forger Elmyr De Hory, Welles uses blink/ miss editing to stitch up a mischievous mash of mock-doc, magic show, lecture and comedy.

The greatest trick he pulls is making you think he’s not genuine: beneath befuddling, bracing digressions on Picasso, Howard Hughes, biography, confidence tricks, growing beards and “girl-watching” lies a searching interrogation of ideas of authorship.

Real fun, for real.

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Freelance writer

Kevin Harley is a freelance journalist with bylines at Total Film, Radio Times, The List, and others, specializing in film and music coverage. He can most commonly be found writing movie reviews and previews at GamesRadar+.