Le faussaire

This is a brilliant documentary and a fascinating study of a man who may be no more real than the forgeries he creates and gives away.

The movie cleverly begins as an investigative movie, leading us to believe it could be about the greatest art forger in modern history. While it remains about that person, it turns into something else as well: a keen observation of an individual building his identity from pieces of others.

The film explores his "artistic" process, but equally explores the psychological underpinnings of his behavior. By the end, you'll question if he is a brilliant and deceptive manipulator, or an emotionally stunted man-child who doesn't even fully understand the ramifications of his actions. It is powerful to realize that it could credibly be either (or both).

I really wish the film Art and Craft had been made a few years ago before I retired from teaching. This is because in my psychology classes, I occasionally showed my students films about strange people and we'd discuss the possible diagnoses that you could give to the folks portrayed in the film. Well, in the case of Art and Craft, this really would have opened up some wonderful discussions, as the man featured in this documentary, Mark Landis is one odd character...and that's putting is mildly!

So what is it about Mark that makes him unusual you may ask. Well, he's a world-class forger and has made hundreds of copies of great works of art. This in of itself is not so unusual. Hold on to your hats. Mark then DONATES these paintings to various art galleries across the United States! He receives no money for this and his only reward is knowing that he's tricked the museums into hanging his fakes. In some cases, he's even gone to extremes to put over these fakes--such as posing as a priest or a variety of other people!

At this point you are probably wondering what makes him tick--and that is what makes the film so interesting. Landis is obviously mentally ill--but not necessarily in a traditional sense. Does he have a personality disorder? Well, a true antisocial personality would do this for money and personal gain--but where is the gain? He's been diagnosed as schizophrenic and I'll admit that he's odd and a tad delusional-- but can such a person normally be able to convince so many people that he's a great philanthropist?! He also reminds me quite a bit of someone with an Autism Spectrum disorder, as his social skills are incredibly poor in some ways and he has a savant-like ability to copy paintings almost exactly. Yet, interestingly, he cannot make anything really original. His one 'original' picture that he talks about is just a drawing of a photograph. So, he's an amazing artist with no apparent ability to abstract or create something on his own.

But there is still far more to the story--including another individual who sure shows a lot of Obsessive-Compulsive traits--so much so that he appears to have given up his job in order to follow Landis and identify his fakes! All in all , this is one very strange documentary...but also one that you cannot stop watching because it IS so strange and compelling. Additionally, some of the special features on the DVD (which came out this week) are pretty interesting. So why an A- and not a higher score? Because although the film is interesting, it does leave a lot unsaid and unexplained- -such as how Landis can afford his supplies and to travel the country posing as a philanthropist even though he has no job. Odd but definitely worth your time.

highly recommended for person who is interested in art and psychology. this documentary is very original and almost unbelievable. it captures the life of an introverted artistic genius with OCD and mother issues. his madness played a part in his seclusive attitude. it takes a person with some kind of obsessive personality to copy artwork with precision and fool dozens of major museums and universities. This guy was no joke and he did all his amazing work while watching TV with a TV dinner. no kidding. I am an artist and I appreciated his genius. the other guy trying to bring him out as a "fake" is also insane for following a topic that not even major universities and museums wanted continue investigating. most importantly I don't believe that he is a bad person because he followed what he loved and only donated his hobby.

Everybody loves art, it doesn't matter what form of art, it's something we enjoy looking at. So to have somebody like Mark A. Landis copying some of the greatest artists' works is worth debating. It's clear Landis needs some help, he's clearly on the spectrum. Should he be in prison? I don't think so. Should he been instutitionalized? Probably, or certainly if he continues plagerizing, because that's what he basically does, and that's still punishable by the law. It doesn't matter if he donates his copies, he still does it with the intention to fool everybody, so yes he perfectly knows what he's doing. Everybody can have his opinion about the matter but to me he's definitely a criminal. If he would copy all those art pieces and hang them in his house, that's a whole other thing. That would be his hobby and personal collection. But that's not what he's doing, he signs his works with the signature of the original artist and that's a crime. Landis is a weird person, he reminded me of Norman Bates from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, talking about his 'mother' in an almost obsessive way. That man needs help, that's for sure. I will never get why he's just not painting his own stuff, he's clearly talented. Matthew Leininger on the other hand reminds me of Bookman from Seinfeld. He's a bit too obsessed by the whole case, it was almost sad to see his daughter being dragged into this, but without him those falsified works would probably still hang in all those museums. So a big thanks to him for his persistance. The documentary is well made, it's awkward but informative. I have no clue why Landis hasn't been on trial yet because he should. I guess they have bigger things on their mind than preserving the integrity of the artwork.

This documentary serves as two very interesting character studies. One on Mark Landis, showing us his recreations of classic art pieces, why he does it, and small aspects of his personal life. The other being the man who is set out to find Landis and get him to stop. Landis is obsessed with his forgeries. While the man set to find him is just as obsessed with stopping him. Overall very enjoyable. I definitely recommend it.