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.
F for Fake (1973) is a documentary film directed by Orson Welles, released on September 1, 1973 with a runtime of 1h 29m. It stars Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. Viewers rate it 7.4 out of 10 across 376 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for F for Fake before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for F for Fake.
Trailer
Featurette
Orson Welles
as Self
Oja Kodar
as The Girl
Elmyr de Hory
as Self
Clifford Irving
as Self
Laurence Harvey
as Self
Edith Irving
as Self
David Walsh
as Self
Paul Stewart
as Self
Richard Wilson
as Self
Joseph Cotten
as Self
Howard Hughes
as Self (archive footage)
Richard Drewett
as Self
Directed by Orson Welles, written by Orson Welles, Oja Kodar and François Reichenbach, produced by Dominique Antoine.
Average viewer score of 7.4/10 from 376 ratings.
This movie is a masterpiece -- it is equal parts an insightful essay, a magic trick and a prank. Welles considered it a new type of film -- its subject matter explores what is a forgery/counterfeit vs. what is authentic and the film wrestles with its subject by blurring those lines in a way that is both entertaining and fun. It's a masterclass in editing and a must for any student of filmmaking.
Reviewed on October 24, 2025
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F for Fake (1973) is available to stream on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel and HBO Max, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of F for Fake (1973) includes Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, Elmyr de Hory, Clifford Irving and Laurence Harvey. The film was directed by Orson Welles. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
F for Fake was released on September 1, 1973 and runs for 1h 29m.
F for Fake (1973) holds an average rating of 7.4 out of 10 from 376 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy documentary films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official F for Fake trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
