Fade to Black (2006)

In an attempt to recover from his marriage to Rita Hayworth and restart his career, Orson Welles travels to Italy...only to be drawn into a dangerous web of intrigue, murder and politics when an actor is murdered on his set.

Director:

Oliver Parker

Writers:

Davide Ferrario (book), Oliver Parker

Stars:

Danny Huston, Diego Luna, Paz Vega

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danny Huston	...	Orson Welles
Diego Luna	...	Tommaso Moreno
Paz Vega	...	Lea Padovani
Christopher Walken	...	Brewster
Anna Galiena	...	Aida Padovani
Violante Placido	...	Stella
Nathaniel Parker	...	Viola
Zoran Miljkovic	...	Customs Agent
Milan Jelic	...	Pale Journalist
Dubravko Jovanovic	...	Journalist 1
Vladimir Aleksic	...	Journalist 2
Pino Ammendola	...	Grisha
Marko Zivic	...	Assistant Director
Frano Lasic	...	Dellere
Paolo Lorimer	...	Tufano

Storyline

In an attempt to recover from his marriage to Rita Hayworth and restart his career, Orson Welles travels to Italy...only to be drawn into a dangerous web of intrigue, murder and politics when an actor is murdered on his set.

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Plot Keywords:

actor | murder | italy

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

MySpace

Country:

UK Italy Serbia

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

25 May 2007 (Serbia)

Also Known As:

Um Nome na Lista

Filming Locations:

Belgrade, Serbia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dakota Films, Ealing Studios, Endgame Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kenneth Branagh was going to be the lead when the project was announced in late 1999.

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Quotes

Orson Welles: [First lines, narrating, as graphic archival images of war and strife in Italy are shown] Oh, yes. The Second World War was quite a disaster for poor old Italy. Their Fascist leader, Mussolini, had teamed up with Hitler and thought he was on a winning ticket. Then, Benito was shot by Partisans and strung up by his heels in the local square... Now, in 1948, the country is still leaderless, broke, and heading for chaos. Sure, the rich are still rich... If you're not in furs, you're in rags. People...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Orson Welles - Fade to Black (2008)

User Reviews

your not that important Orson

Of course this is a fictional account, and as the narrator Welles says, "if you want history read a history book." First for people who will see this film, Black Magic, while having Italian help, was really an American film, and Welles is reputed to have directed his own scenes, and if you see that film, you will be able to see his trademark. The film Black Magic, is also not that bad a movie.

I had heard about this film being possibly made in the late 90's, and was surprised to see that it actually had been. The man who directed this film also had ironically directed Othello in 95.

the use of Orson Welles in a thriller is something unusual. I love Orson Welles movies, and wonder if we all were cheated that he was not able to do more. I suspect that I like others are part of an Orson Welles cult following, and that is why such a film is made, with Orson Welles as a lead character.

It is ironic that seven years before this film was made, Leiv Shreibner, (I probably spelled his name wrong) played a very convincing Welles, and sometimes seemed to look like him,. especially when he moved across to an elevator. I couldn't help but feel that it would have been something of a great sequel if the same actor had played Welles in this film and not Danny Huston.

I don't want to suggest that Danny Huston is a failure in this film, but I think that if the film does not really grab our intention and our future memories of film, his performance in the film may be one of the reasons for that. I first remember Danny Huston in the Austrailian film The Proposition, a film in which I feel he gave an excellent performance. In this film however, I think the idea of the filmmakers, and perhaps Huston, was to portray Welles as really an everyman, not a leading figure in a movie that we would like. When he is kissing a woman in a scene, we feel that woman is only kissing him because he is someone important, not someone they find attractive. Even his co-star in the film he is about to do shows scorn for him. Everyone else in the film seems to be more of an interesting person that he is. When he meets his friend from long ago, Pete, (played by Christopher Walken, in a good performance), Walken seems more magnetic than Huston as Welles. This Welles in a clumsy, and has to be pulled out of a few situations by his Chaufeuer, and I guess body guard played by Mexican actor Diego Luna. this Welles, as someone comments towards the end of the picture does not seem important at all. Only during a scene, where Huston portrays Welles doing his magic trick, does the character of Welles really shine through, and perhaps suggests, that Welles was just another guy in this world, but through magic was able to make him on screen and on stage more magnificent than the real person. If the filmmakers had this in mind, make everyone else perhaps more interesting, I think that this was a miscalculation, and perhaps not very flattering on the life of Orson Welles. Hustons portrayal of him, does not make Welles look either interesting or likable.

The film which starts out as a murder mystery, leads more to a conspiracy than just a possible murder itself. The idea is interesting, and asks some questions itself, which I won't say because it might give away to much. Though, you can see things in this film a mile away.