Fade to Black
Director: Oliver Parker
Cert: 15
Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Oliver Parker’s film set in Rome in 1948 is a strange affair. It follows screen legend Orson Welles as he attempts to rebuild his career following a failed marriage to Rita Hayworth. Whilst working on the set of a movie, Welles witnesses a murder the solving of which draws him into the underbelly of the Italian capital. At the same time he becomes embroiled in the nascent rising of Communism and together these two threads have the potential to make a fascinating film. The reality, however, is anything but.
The fundamental problem is that it is very difficult to follow the story. Too many characters are introduced without us really knowing what they do or how they relate to what is going on. Furthermore there is an underlying tone of whimsy so that when characters get beaten up or are murdered, one is left feeling indifferent to their plight. Add a distinct lack of tension and you end up with what is, in effect, a strange affair.
That said Danny Huston is an amiable Welles and he is well supported by Christopher Walken playing a US Embassy heavy, whose task is to ensure that Italy doesn’t slide into the hands of the Communists. But it is only towards the end of the film that we see his ruthless side by which time the moment of maximum impact has passed.
Thus whilst the story offers intrigue and suspense, the film fails to project either of these issues.
2/5
CA
