Fade to Black (2006)

Director:

Oliver Parker

Writers:

Davide Ferrario (book)
Oliver Parker (written by)

Release Date:

30 March 2007 (Spain)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

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. |

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Murder | Italy

Cast

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
Josif Tatic	...	De Bernardi
Paulina Manov	...	Make-up Girl
Miroljub Leso	...	Boghera
Ivan Jevtovic	...	Fascist Killer
Damir Todorovic	...	Mainardi
Daniel Cerqueira	...	'Lucky' Luciano
Lepomir Ivkovic	...	Ferenc
Branko Jerinic	...	Brasciatti
Misa Gajic	...	Lead Paparazzo
Garrick Hagon	...	Ambassador Dunn
Vincent Riotta	...	Alberto Cava
Tanasije Uzunovic	...	Mons. Pressner
Milena Djordjevic	...	Flavia
Kwame Kwei-Armah	...	Joe Black
Dejan Acimovic	...	Bulldog
Andreja Maricic	...	MC Magic Show
Srboljub Milin	...	Priest
Toma Kuruzovic	...	Peasant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vanja Lazin
Alfred Mather	...	Ciggarette Boy
Semeli Economou	...	Bianca (uncredited)
Sinisa Ubovic	...	Producer (uncredited)

Directed by
Oliver Parker

Writing credits
Davide Ferrario		(book "Dissolvenza al nero")
Oliver Parker		(written by)

Produced by
Piero Amati	....	co-producer
Piero Amati	....	executive producer
Steve Christian	....	executive producer
Jimmy de Brabant	....	executive producer
Michael Dounaev	....	executive producer
Trevor Ingman	....	associate producer
Trevor Ingman	....	producer
Ralph Kamp	....	executive producer
Caroline Locardi	....	associate producer
Jonathan Olsberg	....	producer
Massimo Pacilio	....	producer: Italy
Umberto Sambuco	....	line producer
James Spring	....	executive producer
Barnaby Thompson	....	producer

Original Music by
Charlie Mole

Cinematography by
John de Borman

Film Editing by
Guy Bensley

Casting by
Deborah Aquila
Tricia Wood

Production Design by
Luciana Arrighi

Art Direction by
Jasna Dragovic
Paul Ghirardani

Set Decoration by
Ian Whittaker

Costume Design by
Louise Stjernsward

Makeup Department
Marcelle Genovese	....	hair stylist
Giorgio Gregorini	....	hair department head
Aldo Signoretti	....	hair designer
Vittorio Sodano	....	makeup designer
Marinela Spasenovic	....	makeup artist
Luca Vannella	....	assistant hair stylist

Production Management
Lucie Graves	....	post-production supervisor
Trevor Ingman	....	production manager
Zlata Kalic	....	unit production manager
Andjelija Vlaisavljevic	....	unit production manager
Nikola Zokic	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Zeljko Bozic	....	second unit director
Katie Elson	....	third assistant director
Matthew Hanson	....	second assistant director
Vesna Milic	....	second assistant director: Serbia
Biljana Mirkovic	....	first assistant director
Luca Padrini	....	assistant director: Italy
Milos Radunovic	....	third assistant director
Mila Turajlic	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Nurey Al-Kahzrajie	....	dressing props
Vladan Jankovic	....	property master (as Vlada Jankovic)
Radovan Markovic	....	property master
Radoslav Mihajlovic	....	construction manager
Lynda Reiss	....	prop buyer: Isle Of Man
Mirko Milosevic	....	intern (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jeremy Balko	....	adr mixer
Nigel Bennett	....	sound re-recording mixer
Felicity Cottrell	....	foley artist
Mike Dowson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Edwards	....	adr recordist
Paul Govey	....	sound re-recording mixer
Novica Jankov	....	boom operator
Mark Lafbery	....	foley mixer
Ian Macbeth	....	foley editor
Jamie Roden	....	adr mixer
James Seddon	....	dolby consultant
Andy Shelley	....	sound recordist
Andy Shelley	....	supervising sound editor
Ruth Sullivan	....	foley artist

Special Effects by
Muhamed M'Barek	....	special effects
John Rafique	....	special effects supervisor: model unit
Chris Watson	....	special effects senior technician: model unit

Visual Effects by
Kris Anderson	....	digital compositor
Paul Beard	....	visual effects line producer
Tamsin Blanchard	....	visual effects producer
Adam Christopher	....	digital colourist
Neil Cunningham	....	visual effects supervisor
Simon Frame	....	visual effects supervisor
Tom Hocking	....	digital effects artist
Matthew Jacques	....	digital artist
Sherin Mahboob	....	junior digital artist
Tom Pegg	....	digital effects artist

Stunts
Petar Boskovic	....	stunts
Darko Bozic	....	stunt double
Milkica Bozic	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Milkica Bozic	....	stunt double
Zeljko Bozic	....	stunt coordinator
Milan Ivanisevic	....	stunts
Sendy Kumalakanta	....	stunt mask
Nikola Simic	....	stunt driver
Stanislav Zivkovic	....	sword fight choreographer

Camera and Electrical Department
Louisa Bawden	....	video assist operator
Dragan Djordjevic	....	grip
Sasa Djordjevic	....	key grip
Mihailo Dobric	....	video assist
Danilo Dudic	....	grip
Zarko Dudic	....	grip
Romolo Eucalitto	....	special photographer
Max Glickman	....	second assistant camera
Leigh Gold	....	first assistant camera
John Higgins	....	gaffer
Predrag Jocic	....	assistant camera
Roger Lowe	....	gaffer
Svetomir Pajic	....	Steadicam operator
Zoran Pecenkovic	....	grip
Drasko Pejanovic	....	assistant camera
Slobodan Pikula	....	still photographer
Nikola Ristic	....	lighting technician
Ivana Vladic	....	second assistant camera
Renee Willis	....	assistant camera

Casting Department
Abigail Barbier	....	adr voice casting
Louis Elman	....	adr voice casting
Angelina Marinkovic	....	casting: Serbia

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Momirka Bailovic	....	assistant costume designer
Suzy Freeman	....	costume supervisor
Marina Igic	....	wardrobe
Radmila Jaksic	....	head seamstress
Claudette Lilly	....	assistant costume designer
Bojana Nikitovic	....	costume designer: Serbia
Snezana Pesic Rajic	....	assistant costume designer
Stefan Savkovic	....	assistant costume designer
Grozdana Stanojevic	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Steve Mercer	....	first assistant editor
Laura Morrod	....	editor trainee
Helen Paszyn	....	assistant editor
Mark Wright	....	negative cutter
Alex Panton	....	digital intermediate producer (uncredited)

Music Department
Alastair King	....	conductor
Alastair King	....	orchestrator
Steve Parr	....	music mixer
Steve Parr	....	music recordist

Transportation Department
Christian Hall	....	driver
Nenad Kokot	....	transportation captain
Alan Rogers	....	transportation captain
Vladimir Vasiljevic	....	co-transportation captain

Other crew
Johnathan Abbott	....	studio coordinator
Monika Agorelius	....	electronic press kit
David Blank	....	assistant accountant
Eddie Booth	....	location manager
Robin Craine	....	production assistant
Alice Dawson	....	production accountant
Mirjana Djuricic	....	production secretary
Sandra Djurickovic	....	production coordinator
Simon George	....	head of finance
Nicole Gregory	....	unit publicist
Christian Hall	....	researcher
Julia Hilliard	....	assistant coordinator
Andrew Jack	....	dialect coach: adr
Demetri Jagger	....	film projectionist
Tabitha Jenkins	....	assistant to producer
Miriam Kelly	....	assistant to head of finance
Ljiljana Kovacevic	....	production accountant
Rowena Ladbury	....	script supervisor
Nichola Martin	....	development executive
Daniela Merlo	....	dialogue coach
Sophie Meyer	....	head of development: Ealing Studios
Jon Parker	....	operations: Effects Shot
Jeremy Pelzer	....	studio director
Tatjana Radakovic	....	production coordinator
Rebecca Roffey	....	assistant to executive producer
Jules Smith	....	production and marketing assistant: ealing studios
Aleksandar Tadic	....	location manager
Tomislav Vladisavljevic	....	shoemaker
Aleksandra Vukovic	....	production secretary
John Busow	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Dakota Films
• Ealing Studios
• Endgame Entertainment
• Fragile Films
• Isle of Man Film Commission
• Isle of Man Film
• Movieweb S.p.a.
• Odyssey Entertainment (as World Sales)
• Thema Production

Distributors

• Eurocine Films (2007) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Europa Filmes (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Lionsgate (2007) (UK) (all media)
• Sandrews (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Tiglon (2006) (Turkey) (all media)

Other Companies

• Cutting Edge  negative cutting
• DDA Public Relations (DDA)  unit publicity
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Film Sales Company, The  funding
• Goldcrest Post Production London  post-production sound services
• Hollydan Works  production services
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violence

Runtime:

Argentina:99 min

Country:

UK | Italy | Serbia

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | USA:R (certificate #46238) | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Belgrade, Serbia

Company:

Dakota Films

Trivia:

John Sayles wrote several early drafts of the script.

Quotes:

Orson Welles:So tell me...
Tommaso Moreno:The war... the facists brought people here to torture them
Orson Welles:People... only ghosts, only ghosts
Tommaso Moreno:Some of these ghosts, they won't lay down

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Orson Welles - Fade to Black (2008) (TV)

Orson Welles in post-war Europe

Danny Huston is Orson Welles in "Fade to Black," a 2006 release, directed by Oliver Parker, and featuring Paz Vega, Diego Luna, Christopher Walken, Anna Galiena, and Nathaniel Parker.

In this story, Welles goes to Italy after his divorce from Rita Hayworth to make a film, "Black Magic." He also wants to raise money for his film version of "Othello." While in Italy, one of the actors in the film is murdered, and as he's dying, he whispers the word "Nero" in Orson's ear. Welles intends to find out who killed him. But he finds himself not only involved with shady characters, but embroiled in the politics of the country. As time goes on, he begins to hear different stories about the actor, somewhat contradictory in nature.

This is a nice blend of fact and fiction. Welles did go to Europe around this time, and he made several films, which he often did when he was trying to get money together. His marriage to Rita Hayworth was a complicated one. When his political ambitions led nowhere in the '40s, Rita, so desperate to get out of show business, turned to Aly Khan instead. Welles adored her, but her insecurities made her difficult to live with and was a bad combination with his egotism.

It's doubtful that Welles would have gotten himself mixed up in anything that didn't somehow lead to his own self-aggrandizement, but I could have gone along with it if the script had been better. It tries to cram in too much plot.

Italy after the war was a horrific mess. The production values for "Fade to Black" are wonderful and show the post-war ruination, as well as striking differences between rich and poor. Of course, Cinecitta the film studio is in Rome, and Tombolo, the place where deserters and collaborators escaped, is way up north, though it's not clear if they're speaking of a district or the city. In any event, it's a wooded area seemingly not far from Rome. The word tombolo has more to do with a mound or beach, so the woods would be the name for it.

Danny Huston doesn't look or sound like Welles, except on the film that plays behind his magic act - there we see him in the typical Welles big overcoat and hat, in black and white. He does a good job, though I do believe Welles was a bit showier. As the mother and daughter who knew the murdered actor, Paz Vega and Anna Galiena are gorgeous and look just like mother and daughter. Both have a mysterious aura which adds to the film.

The denouement is no surprise. Still, this is an enjoyable film about one of Hollywood's most electrifying people, a brilliant maverick with a flamboyant personality. Sadly, though he resented the discipline and structure dictated by a Hollywood studio, he needed it. Once he left, he was never the same.