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

Kevin Bacon was offered the role of Brewster.

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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

Black magic

Orson Welles was invited in 1947 to participate in the film "Black Magic", directed by Gregory Ratoff. At the time, Mr. Welles was getting over the painful experience he suffered after the divorce from Rita Hayworth. His arrival to Italy went mostly unnoticed, as we witness his arrival at Rome's airport; his presence there is upstaged by that of Tyrone Power. One of the reporters insists in calling him Mr. Hayworth, something that must have hurt the wound in his heart.

When the shooting begins in the fabled Cinecitta, everything is chaos, as director Ratoff tries to rein all what is going on in the set. To make matters worse, the leading lady, the gorgeous Lea Padovani, doesn't seem to warm up to her more famous co-star. When one of the players in the film dies right in front of Mr. Welles, he discovers a list with names of prominent Christian democrats. Curiosity gets the best of him, as he wants to follow the motives behind the deaths.

It was a difficult time for Italy. Having been defeated, the country was in turmoil with thousands of refugees living in squalor. The communist party had a strong following, something that Orson Wells notices right away. His the help of his young driver, Tommaso, he goes into an unknown territory and gets sucked in the mystery behind the politics of the time.

As directed by Oliver Parker, the film is a curiosity piece about what went on in Italy at the time, from the real Orson Welles perspective. Danny Huston, who portrays the American genius, has an uncanny resemblance and is about the best thing in the picture. Diego Luna, is seen as Tommaso, and lovely Paz Vega, has some good moments as Lea Padovani, the leading lady.