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Fade to Black

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Fade to Black

R

2006

1h 45m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

32%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Filmmaker Orson Welles plunges into postwar Rome's criminal underworld while investigating the murder of an actress's stepfather.

Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

All credit to writer-director Oliver Parker for trying to broaden his CV, but Danny Huston is a terrible bore as Welles, Paz Vega continues to be incomprehensible in English, and the murky mystery plot limps along unrewardingly.

Mar 7, 2008

Full Review

Xan Brooks

Guardian

On paper this must have looked a neat idea: a wildly fictionalised account of a skid-row Orson Welles, up to his neck in political skulduggery while shooting a third-rate picture in post-war Italy.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 7, 2008

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Mark Samuels

BBC.com

Like Black Magic itself, alas, this is destined to be a forgotten curio of limited appeal.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 7, 2008

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Neil Smith

Film4

A retro pastiche that, like The Good German before it, will be of limited interest to all but the most ardent film buff.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 7, 2008

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Rob Daniel

Sky Cinema

Fade to Black is as sleek and attractive as the chrome polished vintage cars Huston travels in, but never truly gets in gear.

Mar 7, 2008

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Aldo G

It's no Citizen Kane but it does cast a certain spell among Orson Welles fans. My biggest problem is the casting of Danny Huston as Welles. Huston is a good actor. But, I can't think of an actor who can capture the aura of a Hollywood demigod. Huston sounds and looks much like his father, John Huston. REWRITE!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

Full Review

Audience Member

For Orson Welles fans this movie is a must see! It reminded me of The Third Man--except that Orson Welles is the hero and it is post-war Italy instead of Austria.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Frances H

Danny Huston sounds more like his dad, the great John Huston, than Orson Welles. The plot and script are too slow--The Third Man it's not!

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/15/12

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Audience Member

good period thriller huston slips on orson welles' shoes

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

I appreciated the dark humor in this noir thriller, but the story seemed somewhat convoluted. I have no idea why Spanish actors were cast to play Italians.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

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Audience Member

A little hard to get in to, overall I found it OK. Nothing to shout about that's for sure.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

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Oliver Parker

Director

Danny Huston

Orson Welles

Paz Vega

Lea Padovani

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Orson Welles plunges into postwar Rome's criminal underworld while investigating the murder of an actress's stepfather.

Director: Oliver Parker
Production Co: Isle of Man Film, Dakota Films Limited, Thema Production, Movieweb S.p.a., Fragile Films, Isle of Man Film Commission, Ealing Studios, Endgame Entertainment, Odyssey Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Some Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 8, 2017
Runtime: 1h 45m

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