F for Fake backdrop
DOCUMENTARY . 1973 . 1h 29m . French . 7.4/10

F for Fake_

Original: Vérités et Mensonges

"A magician is just an actor playing the part of a magician."

Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse. Irving was infamous for writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. Welles moves between documentary and fiction as he examines the fundamental elements of fraud and the people who commit fraud at the expense of others.

Starring Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, Elmyr de Hory
7.4/10
Rating
1h 29m
Runtime
1973
Year
Updated Feb 16, 2026
F for Fake poster
A magician is just an actor playing the part of a magician.

Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse. Irving was infamous for writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. Welles moves between documentary and fiction as he examines the fundamental elements of fraud and the people who commit fraud at the expense of others.

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Cast
Orson Welles stars as Self in F for Fake.
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Year context
F for Fake was released 53 years ago in 1973.
Overview
Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by se...
F for Fake is a Documentary film with a runtime of 1h 29m.

CAST (20)

Orson Welles
Orson Welles
Self
Oja Kodar
Oja Kodar
The Girl
Elmyr de Hory
Elmyr de Hory
Self
Clifford Irving
Clifford Irving
Self
Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey
Self
EI
Edith Irving
Self
DW
David Walsh
Self
Paul Stewart
Paul Stewart
Self
RW
Richard Wilson
Self
Joseph Cotten
Joseph Cotten
Self
Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
Self (archive footage)
RD
Richard Drewett
Self
AW
Alexander Welles
Self
Gary Graver
Gary Graver
Self
Andrés Vicente Gómez
Andrés Vicente Gómez
Self
JP
Julio Palinkas
Self
CO
Christian Odasso
Self
Françoise Widhoff
Françoise Widhoff
Self
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich
Self
William Alland
William Alland
Self

STUDIOS (3)

SACI Les Films de l'Astrophore Janus Film und Fernsehen

DETAILS

Release
Status
Released
Runtime
89 min (1h 29m)
Original Title
Vérités et Mensonges
Language
French
Country
Rating
7.4/10 (355 votes)
Popularity
2

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is F for Fake about?
Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse. Irving was infamous for writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. Welles moves between documentary and fiction as he examines the fundamental elements of fraud and the people who commit fraud at the expense of others.
How long is F for Fake?
F for Fake has a runtime of 89 minutes (1h 29m).
Who stars in F for Fake?
The cast of F for Fake includes Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, Elmyr de Hory, Clifford Irving, Laurence Harvey.
What is the rating of F for Fake?
F for Fake has a rating of 7.4 out of 10 based on 355 votes on TMDB.

GENRES (1)

Documentary
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