We forgot all about THE HOAX

[Glenn Anders]

In October, Lasse Hallstrom's THE HOAX was the sleeper hit of Italy's Roma Film Festival! You will remember that it stars Richard Gere as Clifford Irving, Albert Molina as his partner in crime, Marcia Gay Harden as Edith Irving, and Julie Delpy as Nina Van Pallante.

It even has another portrayal of Truman Capote.

Here is the review from Variety. Note references to Orson Welles in connection to the picture's style and tone. Also to F FOR FAKE as a link to the actual facts:

http://www.variety.com/review....s=1&p=0

Building critical acclaim in Europe. To open in the States in April.

Glenn

[Kevin Loy]

Glenn, I doubt there is anyone in this world who can do a better job at portraying Clifford Irving than Clifford Irving (and with people throwing hundreds of millions of dollars into front-loaded CGI blockbusters like, say, X-Men, why not use it to make Clifford look a few decades younger and cast *him*?). I remember reading somewhere, while the film was in production, that Irving was not particularly pleased with the project.

Wikipedia (take that for what you will) provides this tidbit:
Scripted by William Wheeler (Empire, The Prime Gig), this film is loosely based on the events of the hoax. Irving has said of the project, "I had nothing to do with this movie, and it had very little to do with me." However, against his wishes, his name appears in credit lists as "technical consultant."

Of course, take that for what you will, but truth be told, I think I'll take Welles' portrayal of the events *anyday* over Hollywood's version of the tale.

[Glenn Anders]

Kevin: As anyone here, you are welcome to your opinion.

But I think you miss my point.

This is one more film coming out in the next year which will bring the name of Orson Welles, once again, to the fore. THE HOAX has a very strong cast, and Director Hallstrom has a considerable reputation of promise. The picture, however it is received, will call attention to F FOR FAKE, and if you care to read the Variety review, to a Wellsian style which the director is said to have used to create his film.

Clifford Irving was a fraud, he remained a fraud, and he may be one yet, but his story shows how easily greed turns the minds of Americans into mush. I believe that is the theme of Hallstrom's movie.

Let's see how it plays.

The hell with the "real" Clifford Irving!

Look at this country today.

We're going to have a little target practice!

Maybe, THE HOAX will help.

Glenn Anders

[Kevin Loy]

I see your point now, Glenn. I must admit that I skipped past it at first. It would be nice to see some interest in F For Fake deriving from this film, but something tells me that the interest will be minimal, at best.

Actually, I rather liked Clifford Irving's 'performance' in F For Fake. Well, coupled with the fact that I've never been convinced of Gere's "talent" at all, I must admit that I'm a bit hesitant to check it out...

To think of Irving's hoax as being emblematic of the world around us is not too far off base. I must admit, though, that I differentiate a bit between the hoaxes perpetuated by Elmyr and Clifford (which were, more or less, victimless) and the hoaxes provocated by certain people wielding political power (people usually die in vain for those). But let's not shift focus, of course (more because of the hesitancy that Jeff has towards airing political ideologies, which I respect, than because of a lack of interest in discussing them).

[Store Hadji]

Someone playing Cliff Irving convincingly is almost as tall a challenge as potraying Welles. I'm skeptical of how Gere will do, though I'll certainly watch that film some day. I agree that the number of people steered towards F for Fake will be minimal. I just hope it includes Bill Gates, who then becomes a fervent Welles fanatic and provides end money for all of his unfinished projects. A posthumous patron saint.

[Glenn Anders]

Kevin, Hadji: Welles always had an interest in fraudulence and deception -- in magic, to put it in its more positive, playful light. F FOR FAKE was his summing up of that interest, as well as his final credo as an artist. It is like a charming postscript to all his work, and the controversy his work engendered.

You may be right about Gere and THE HOAX. A couple of Italians who saw the picture in its October Rome premiere (quoted in the IMDb) seem divided in opinion. One liked it a lot, but the other was disappointed.

The Variety review, however, given that publication's hard-nosed commercial attitude seems pretty positive. Deborah Young writes:

"There is much in Hallstrom's complex direction that recalls a past master of mirrors and deception, Orson Welles. Apart from the obvious parallel between Hughes' enormous behind-the-scenes power, which rivalled that of the government itself, and that of Charles Foster Kane, another link is Welles' "documentary" "F For Fake," where the real Irving appears telling his story."

The Hollywood Reporter (Richard James Havis) dispatch was also positive, saying among other things:

"'The Hoax,' which played out of competition at the first edition of the RomaCinemaFest, opens in Italy this month to capitalize on the fest's publicity. The film certainly has enough appeal to cross over to a wider audience in the domestic market where Miramax is releasing it. Gere's portrayal of the dishonest anti-hero is engaging, and the story of corruption, deception and political manipulation has a contemporary ring to it."

..........................................................................................




"The story is very well plotted and contains many historical references. But it's actually the characterization that makes it engaging. Gere portrays Irving as a natural born liar. It's interesting to watch him spin a web of deceit that ultimately only traps himself as Gere funnels his usual onscreen charm into a seamy and duplicitous character. At the same time, he manages to be playful and energetic. The result is a classic anti-hero -- someone who we are interested in even though we don't sympathize with him."

No one can say at the moment how American audiences will welcome THE HOAX. The fact that it was supposed to be released here in November, but was postponed until April presents a Janus: Bad if Miramax decided it had no chance for Christmas Oscar considerations; good, if the press reception and box office in Europe encourages them to support it in the Spring (not the best of time for masterpieces or blockbusters -- but CITIZEN KANE was premiered in May).

We'll have to wait and see.

In other words, what I'm trying to suggest, gang, is that, however THE HOAX is received, Hallstrom may be trying for a post modern, easy going kind of CITIZEN KANE of the sort Welles suggested (with tongue in cheek) that he intended to make about Howard Hughes, in F FOR FAKE.

Capiche?

Glenn

[mteal]

I don't know. The fact that they're dumping it out in April suggests they don't have much faith in it. At least it probably won't have much competition at that time of year.

Whatever happened to FADE TO BLACK? Straight to video?

[Tony]

I like Gere: I think he's very underrated. And have you seen Clifford Irving recently? Unrecognizable: grey hair, balding, grey beard, 70 years old. And he also seems and sounds very different from 30 years ago. I always liked him too: he was a charming liar. I think Gere sounds a good choice.

[Glenn Anders]

We seem to have some troubled movies here. Both of them were finished shooting a year ago.

FADE TO BLACK appeared to be all set for release last month, mteal, just like THE HOAX. The message board on the IMDb was filled with excited messages from people who had seen sneaks or worked on the film all over Europe. Suddenly, the release date was pulled, the cast was changed (or at least, moved around), and the message board was stripped.

WHOOPS!

I just checked the IMDb. FADE TO BLACK is back in business. It premiered in Mexico on October 6, 2006.

They evidently took the release information and messages down, then put up the Mexican release, and restored the messages. There is nothing new on them except an inquiry about the music used.

Ealing is releasing it.

Tony: You might like to know that in a copy of one to the articles you provided Larry French, Jonathan Rosenbaum writes of going to see Welles in Paris, where he is working on a film about Clifford Irving -- to be entitled "Hoax"! Obviously, that project became F FOR FAKE, and so Hallstrom is revisiting the tale, possibly with Welles in mind as his inspiration.

Let's hope all comes out well.

Glenn

[Tony]

Glenn:
I'd forgotten that; I just checked my copy of Hoax, and it was first published in 1972, so perhaps Welles was influenced by it. Of course, F For Fake had so many titles: "Hoax" as well as "about Fakes", "Question Mark", "?", "Truth and Lies", Fakes", "Fraud", "Fake", ...Even if you look at the film itself, the title is not clear. I've got a European poster which has 5 titles, and none of them are "F for Fake". Of course, this is all in keeping with the theme of the film: even this film about fakes has several titles, none of which seem to be the one true one. In actuality, the title "F for Fake" was the title of Oja's short story about a painter observing a girl, a story that she had shown to Welles in 1962; in 1972, he remembered it and suggested incorporating it into the film they were then making.

Incidentally, here's the URL for Clifford Irving's web-site:

http://cliffordirving.com/index.php

[Glenn Anders]

Thank you for the link, Tony.

[I should think that, until we see the assemblage of THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, it appears that Welles only entirely successful public collaboration was F FOR FAKE.]

From scanning Mr. Irving's copy, I similarly conclude:

1) Hand to mouth (with the help of loyal women) works, once you've made a big splash.

2) Clifford was probably no happier with Orson Welles' F FOR FAKE than he seems with Hallestrom's THE HOAX. The true masterpiece could only be produced by . . . CLIFFORD IRVING.

At least, in retrospect, it's a healthy attitude.

Glenn

[Kevin Loy]

That is a good point, Glenn, but has Irving ever voiced his opinion about F For Fake? THAT would be interesting to hear, in my opinion.

(as another interesting link, in the reviews section of his website, there's a quote from none other than...Pablo Picasso [cue thunder])

[Tony]

moved

[Tony]

moved

[Glenn Anders]

Very interesting, Tony.

Your thesis and evidence supports a notion that I've long had that, on some level, Welles was always trying to emulate his mentor, "Skipper" Hill. Whenever he had a chance as a story teller to be a teacher, he used a dramatic project, sharing it with a larger audience, as an opportunity to introduce talent or an idea, impart information, draw a moral, give an alarm, come to a conclusion, and/or bring people together.

We can see the subjects of that ambition in the following activities he undertook:

I believe that in most of his stage productions, he reserved space to comment on the meaning of the drama, either before, during or after the performance.

In Radio, he obviously relishes his introductory remarks and concluding meditations or conversations.

The Newsreel in CITIZEN KANE may be seen as Welles providing historical context to Charles Foster Kane's life, illustrating the history of the Robber Barons that Kane represented.

Welles' essay on the civilized pace of 19th Century American midwestern life, which begins THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS is often pointed to as the one of the few sections that appears to have survived intact, one of the remnants of genius in the work. I believe that if Welles had come back for post-production, he would have provided a similar narration at midpoint to suggest how industrialization modified the pretensions to a landed aristocracy which people like the Ambersons might have had.

Later, Welles would tell Bogdanovich that the relationships of nationalities and ideas cut from JOURNEY INTO FEAR were what gave the film any distinction.

The slashed background transition of Nazi fascism from devastated Europe by way of the ratlines to South America, and then to bucolic New England in the United States, was Welles' great regret about THE STRANGER.

Michael O'Hara gives Welles a mouthpiece to reflect upon greed and the perfidy of women (the latter, not his most enduring wisdom) in LADY FROM SHANGHAI. His rolling Irish rendition of the anecdote of the sharks is one of the two best things left in the film.

Welles as Gregori Arkadin takes time to declaim illustrative parables on the nature and effects of totalitarism and the fascist mind in MR. ARKADIN. Arkadin and Zouk are one step down, in their melodramatic way, from a Post-War counterpart of Chaplin's Adenoid Hynkel and the Jewish Barber in THE GREAT DICTATOR.

Welles as the Advocate Hastler comments on the "legal" means by which the State processes the ordinary man in the Post-War World.

And that brings us to his "essay" intentions for DON QUIJOTE, F FOR FAKE, and THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, which your quotations from Welles illustrate.

[Where THE DEEP might have fit in to my thesis, I can't say.]

I'm not sure that Welles going toward the didactic was going toward Art, but our observations certainly fit his intellectual drives.

Glenn