Best Blurays IconBest Blurays
Films
/
F for Fake (1973)
F for Fake (1973) poster
Letterboxd

4.2

F for Fake (1973)

Vérités et Mensonges

Documentary • 1h 29m

Overview

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.

Director: Orson Welles

Best English-Friendly Release

Best Video Release

France Potemkine Blu-ray is new 4K master

Format

1080p Blu-ray

TSPDT

2026: #269
2025: #274
2024: #274
2023: #272
2022: #272

Criterion Forum

Review

Picture: 8, Audio: 7, Extras: 9

Length

89 mins

Type

Movie

Last Updated

2 years ago

Contributors

-

Best English-Friendly Release
Best Video Release

France Potemkine Blu-ray is new 4K master

Format
1080p Blu-ray
TSPDT
2026: #269
2025: #274
2024: #274
2023: #272
2022: #272
Criterion Forum
Review

Picture: 8, Audio: 7, Extras: 9

Length
89 mins
Type
Movie
Last Updated
2 years ago
Contributors

-

More from Orson Welles

See more →
The Trial poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray > StudioCanal: Although Criterion is low-pass filtered, StudioCanal exhibits very clear and distracting macroblocking.

Best Audio:

TBD: UHDs sound muffled, but old YT clips sound clear. Need to look into DVDs and possibly VHS.

The Trial poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray > StudioCanal: Although Criterion is low-pass filtered, StudioCanal exhibits very clear and distracting macroblocking.

Best Audio:

TBD: UHDs sound muffled, but old YT clips sound clear. Need to look into DVDs and possibly VHS.

Touch of Evil poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best Video:

MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar

Best Video:

MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar

The Magnificent Ambersons poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4k restoration

Best Audio:

1989/1993 Criterion LaserDisc

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4k restoration

Best Audio:

1989/1993 Criterion LaserDisc

The Lady from Shanghai poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1991 Columbia VHS (slightly)

Best English-Friendly:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1991 Columbia VHS (slightly)

Chimes at Midnight poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion HD transfer, not sure if Spain is newer

Best Audio:

2015 Mr Bongo Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion HD transfer, not sure if Spain is newer

Best Audio:

2015 Mr Bongo Blu-ray

Citizen Kane poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB Europe 4K Blu-ray slightly better encoding than Criterion (caveat: missing Criterion extras)

Citizen Kane poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB Europe 4K Blu-ray slightly better encoding than Criterion (caveat: missing Criterion extras)

The Hearts of Age poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Silent Avant-Garde Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Silent Avant-Garde Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Silent Avant-Garde Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Silent Avant-Garde Blu-ray

Othello poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4k resto

Othello poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4k resto

More from Potemkine

See more →
The Trial of Joan of Arc poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

BFI Blu-ray: strong VDMS encode of a 4K scan.

No comparisons available against France Potemkine or Japan IVC. They are presumably from the same master, but do not feature English subs.

Best Audio:

TBD: BFI Blu-ray’s mono sounds clean. No hiss but not noticeably muffled/filtered either. No known comparisons against older releases.

Best English-Friendly:

BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

BFI Blu-ray: strong VDMS encode of a 4K scan.

No comparisons available against France Potemkine or Japan IVC. They are presumably from the same master, but do not feature English subs.

Best Audio:

TBD: BFI Blu-ray’s mono sounds clean. No hiss but not noticeably muffled/filtered either. No known comparisons against older releases.

Stalker poster
4K Streaming
Best English-Friendly:

Mosfilm official 4K Youtube Streaming

Best Video:

Mosfilm official 4K Youtube Streaming is the only release for the new 4K restoration. Mosfilm's release has no sepia, and whether or not if this is the original color grading is still under debate.

For other releases: Netherlands Lumière Blu-ray is best, but all releases of the 2K restoration have issues:

Stalker poster
4K Streaming
Best English-Friendly:

Mosfilm official 4K Youtube Streaming

Best Video:

Mosfilm official 4K Youtube Streaming is the only release for the new 4K restoration. Mosfilm's release has no sepia, and whether or not if this is the original color grading is still under debate.

For other releases: Netherlands Lumière Blu-ray is best, but all releases of the 2K restoration have issues:

My Night at Maud's poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Rohmer Potemkine set vs Criterion set?

Best Audio:

Netherlands 2006 Homescreen DVD

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Rohmer Potemkine set vs Criterion set?

Best Audio:

Netherlands 2006 Homescreen DVD

La Belle Noiseuse poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Cohen Blu-ray

Best Video:

Cohen 4k resto, good bitrate but teal, no info on Potemkine France

Best Audio:

2004 New Yorker DVD

Best English-Friendly:

Cohen Blu-ray

Best Video:

Cohen 4k resto, good bitrate but teal, no info on Potemkine France

Best Audio:

2004 New Yorker DVD

Tabu: A Story of the South Seas poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Eureka MoC Blu-ray

Best Video:

MoC > Kino Lorber (see slowpics for comparison). No information on Potemkine.

Additional Info:

MoC has higher bitrate than Kino Lorber, also the contrast is increased. But there is no noticeable reduction in visible film damage presented between the two offerings.

Best English-Friendly:

Eureka MoC Blu-ray

Best Video:

MoC > Kino Lorber (see slowpics for comparison). No information on Potemkine.

Additional Info:

MoC has higher bitrate than Kino Lorber, also the contrast is increased. But there is no noticeable reduction in visible film damage presented between the two offerings.

Holy Motors poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Shout! Factory BD (caveat: burned-in English subtitles)

Best Video:

France Potemkine Blu-ray

Additional Info:

The Indomina release (and possibly some other releases) censor a scene of full frontal nudity via optical blurring, the Shout release is uncensored.

Holy Motors poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Shout! Factory BD (caveat: burned-in English subtitles)

Best Video:

France Potemkine Blu-ray

Additional Info:

The Indomina release (and possibly some other releases) censor a scene of full frontal nudity via optical blurring, the Shout release is uncensored.

Häxan poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

UK Radiance Blu-ray or OOP Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

UK Radiance Blu-ray or OOP Criterion Blu-ray

Additional Info:

France Potemkine Blu-ray has exclusive extras and scores

Häxan poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

UK Radiance Blu-ray or OOP Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

UK Radiance Blu-ray or OOP Criterion Blu-ray

Additional Info:

France Potemkine Blu-ray has exclusive extras and scores

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray > France Potemkine 4K Blu-ray > Germany StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray see caps. Criterion has the best encode.

While the framing of Criterion is different, they are actually both faithful to the original theatrical versions see post1 and post2 by b0b.

Best Audio:

1993 New Line LaserDisc

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray > France Potemkine 4K Blu-ray > Germany StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray see caps. Criterion has the best encode.

While the framing of Criterion is different, they are actually both faithful to the original theatrical versions see post1 and post2 by b0b.

Best Audio:

1993 New Line LaserDisc

The Wind Will Carry Us poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion > Potemkine: caps

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion > Potemkine: caps

More Documentary on Blu-ray

The Act of Killing poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

UK Dogwoof Blu-ray vs US Drafthouse Blu-ray: see below

Best Video:

DE Koch Media is presented in the correct 25fps and is likely better compressed than UK Dogwoof (29 vs 14 Mbps), but it doesn’t have English subtitles.

US Drafthouse is in 24fps for Region A compatibility, and is encoded at around 30 Mbps.

(Although bitrate does not solely determine the quality of the encode, the difference is large enough here and there are no publicly available caps.)

No info on the JP VAP Blu-ray.

Best Audio:

DE Koch Media and US Drafthouse feature a lossless 5.1 track. Dogwoof offers only AC-3.

Best English-Friendly:

UK Dogwoof Blu-ray vs US Drafthouse Blu-ray: see below

Best Video:

DE Koch Media is presented in the correct 25fps and is likely better compressed than UK Dogwoof (29 vs 14 Mbps), but it doesn’t have English subtitles.

US Drafthouse is in 24fps for Region A compatibility, and is encoded at around 30 Mbps.

(Although bitrate does not solely determine the quality of the encode, the difference is large enough here and there are no publicly available caps.)

No info on the JP VAP Blu-ray.

Best Audio:

DE Koch Media and US Drafthouse feature a lossless 5.1 track. Dogwoof offers only AC-3.

Histoire(s) du cinéma poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Radiance Blu-ray

Best Video:

Radiance Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Radiance Blu-ray

Best Video:

Radiance Blu-ray

Harlan County U.S.A. poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

The House Is Black poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

DVD

Upcoming Release:

Radiance Blu-ray Box Set - Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio

Best Video:

DVD

Best English-Friendly:

DVD

Upcoming Release:

Radiance Blu-ray Box Set - Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio

Best Video:

DVD

Jazz on a Summer's Day poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

FRA Carlotta Blu-ray: FiM encode. At least slightly better than the Kino see caps

Additional Info:

Carlotta ports over all special features from the Kino release, except the booklet essay. All specials are in English.

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

FRA Carlotta Blu-ray: FiM encode. At least slightly better than the Kino see caps

Additional Info:

Carlotta ports over all special features from the Kino release, except the booklet essay. All specials are in English.

Will It Happen Again? poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray was mastered in 2K and 4K from the original 35mm negatives and several 35mm prints

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray was mastered in 2K and 4K from the original 35mm negatives and several 35mm prints

Triumph of the Will poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

US Synapse Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Synapse Blu-ray

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray, while being a new 4K restoration from Bundesarchiv, has aggressive grain management and black crush see caps 

Best English-Friendly:

US Synapse Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Synapse Blu-ray

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray, while being a new 4K restoration from Bundesarchiv, has aggressive grain management and black crush see caps 

Paris Is Burning poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 2k transfer

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 2k transfer

Edit History

No edit history available

F for Fake (1973) backdrop