Orson Welles - F for Fake - Vérités et mensonges Imagica - Region 2 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC dvd review Orson Welles - F for Fake - Vérités et mensonges dvd review Criterion Orson Welles - F for Fake - Vérités et mensonges dvd review Criterion Orson Welles - F for Fake - Vérités et mensonges dvd review Criterion Orson Welles - F for Fake - Vérités et mensonges dvd review Criterion Orson Welles - F for Fake - Vérités et mensonges dvd review Criterion Orson Welles - F for Fake - Vérités et mensonges dvd review Criterion Orson Welles - F for Fake - Vérités et mensonges dvd review Criterion Orson Welles - F for Fake - Vérités et mensonges dvd review Criterion

(aka "Vérités et mensonges" or "F wie Fälschung")

France / Iran / West Germany 1976

Trickery. Deceit. Magic. In Orson Welles’s free-form documentary F for Fake, the legendary filmmaker (and self-described charlatan) gleefully engages the central preoccupation of his career—the tenuous line between truth and illusion, art and lies. Beginning with portraits of world-renowned art forger Elmyr de Hory and his equally devious biographer, Clifford Irving, Welles goes on a dizzying cinematic journey that simultaneously exposes and revels in fakery and fakers of all stripes—not the least of which is Welles himself. Charming and inventive, F for Fake is an inspired prank and a searching examination of the essential duplicity of cinema.

Posters etc.

Theatrical Release: January 30th, 1976 - West Germany

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DVD Comparison:

Imagica (Japan) - Region 2 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Jaime N. Christley for use of the Imagica DVD!

(Imagica - Region 2 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Imagica Region 2 - NTSC	Criterion Spine # 288 - Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:28:39 (total disc running time)	1:28:30
Video	1:63:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.33 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1:61:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.23 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Imagica
Bitrate: Criterion
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	Japanese and none	English and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Aspect Ratio: Widescreen - 1.63:1 Edition Details: • Theatrical trailer • Production Notes / Staff and Cast (Japanese text screens) DVD Release Date: 2000 Thick Border Keep Case Chapters 14	Release Information: Studio: Criterion / Home Vision Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.61:1 Edition Details: • Video introduction by director Peter Bogdanovich • Audio commentary featuring star Oja Kodar and director of photography Gary Graver • Orson Welles: One-Man Band (1988), a feature-length investigation of Welles’s unfinished projects • Almost True, a 1992 Norwegian Film Institute documentary on art forger Elmyr de Hory • 9-minute trailer • 60 Minutes interviews with Clifford Irving • 16-page liner notes booklet with new essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum DVD Release Date: April 26th, 2005 Double thick Keep Case Chapters: 19

Comments

The Imagica disc is very poor - contrast boosting has manipulated the colors to be often unrecognizable from their original state. It is non-progressively transferred and has prevalent 'combing' throughout. I also suspect it is from analog. Because of all that and more the non-anamorphic Imagica DVD is inferior in every way. For more on the Criterion and the extensive extras see our review HERE.

The Imagica disc includes an opening credit screen for Les Films d'Astrophore production company, attached with some unusually strong music - this runs for about 30 seconds and contains the title "F For Fake" which is not on the Criterion disc (see above).

- GaryTooze

DVD Menus

(Imagica - Region 2 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)