CINEMA: Fade To Black

Although there is a fatal flaw to Fade To Black, this homage to film noir and to the great Orson Welles is most certainly atmospheric and has some sublime moments.

1948 and the once feted director/actor/producer Orson Welles (Danny Huston) is down on his luck and heartbroken after his recent split from Rita Hayworth and so has travelled to Italy to make a second rate movie in order to take his mind off things. He is soon captivated by a young actress, Lea (Paz Vega), whom he not only wants to bed but also wants to cast in his film version of Othello. His driver Tommaso (Diego Luna) doesn’t rate his chances, but when Lea’s stepfather is murdered, Welles sees an opportunity to woo her by turning detective and enlists Tommaso’s help in discovering the killer.

From here on in the plot gets extremely convoluted involving dodgy politicians, communist plots (or not), American soldiers who have gone AWOL, and illegal gun smuggling. This is extremely annoying because had director Oliver Parker concentrated on Welles and the making of the movie, his own film would have had more than enough ingredients to hold the audience’s interest.

Huston has a lovely, laidback style and is given some delightful dialogue and at the beginning of proceedings there is a lightness of tone that really amuses. However, far too soon things get bogged down in exposition and everything becomes decidedly murky.

The mix of black and white and colour photography adds a nostalgic feel, but one is left with the feeling there’s the kernel of a truly great movie in there somewhere, it just got lost in the detail.     Dee Pilgrim