“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.
Theaters
Sep 1, 1973
Digital release
Unknown
C_Hickcock
Oct 24, 2025
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.
Laurence Harvey
Self
Whiteley
2017
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