The Fake

Dennis O'Keefe shines as a detective hired to protect a famous da Vinci painting on exhibition at the Tate in London. Later, he engages himself in trying to uncover an art forgery ring to cash in on a $50,000 reward. Hugh Williams, Guy Middleton, John Laurie, and Coleen Gray are marvelous in support. I love the way "Pictures at an Exhibition" is used as the soundtrack through the film. IMO grossly underrated on this site for reasons that aren't totally clear. This is another solid O'Keefe vehicle to go along with "The Leopard Man", "Lady of Vengeance", and "T-Men" in which I have enjoyed his performances.

"The Fake" is a British film made in 1953 and features two American leads, film noir stalwarts Dennis O'Keefe (T-Men, Raw Deal) and Coleen Gray (The Killing).

O'Keefe plays an American detective who is in charge of guarding a masterpiece painting by Leonardo da Vinci during an exhibition at London's famous Tate Gallery. Gray plays the American daughter of a somewhat destitute British painter who never received the artistic recognition he deserved and who arouses O'Keefe's suspicion.

O'Keefe is investigating the theft of two other da Vinci masterpieces that had occurred earlier in Florence and New York. In both cases, the paintings were stolen and replaced with near-perfect forgeries as cover-ups. O'Keefe suspects something similar is bound to happen at the Tate Gallery, which would give him a chance to catch the thief and cash in on a $ 50,000 reward. Problem is, while he suspects Gray's father to be involved in the art forgery scheme, he also falls in love with her.

While certainly no film noir, the movie does use some typical and nice to look at noirish lighting techniques. The film's pace and storytelling is more American than British and O'Keefe and Gray do a credible job, although neither gets much of a chance in terms of character development, not to mention the other actors.

The Tate Gallery footage seems to have been shot on location, which lends the picture an air of authenticity. A splendid touch is the use of variations on Mussorgsky's famous composition "Pictures At An Exhibition" for the musical score.

While "The Fake" is certainly no masterpiece, it does keep the viewer interested while it lasts. Being both an O'Keefe and a Gray fan, I give the movie 7 out of 10 points.

It is well written with qualified actors, but it's not just a thriller about forgeries and thefts and the madness of a great art collector and lover gone wrong. The most interesting story here is the tragedy of the artist, John Laurie, who is a perfectly honest and meticulous artist who knows his profession and tries hard to stick to his good decent work, but he never reaches recognition and is ruthlessly used by art parasites which dilemma leads to his ruin. Fortunately though he achieves some posthumous triumph by in his last painting giving away his profiteers by presenting it with a clue and a lead, which saves more lives than one. The film is mainly shot within the Tate Gallery, which provides many fascinating scenes and shots, and for music the film makes use of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" aptly enough and no other music. You might object against two Americans given the leads, Dennis O'Keefe and Colleen Gray, in this very British museum drama, while all the English actors are rather played down, even Hugh Williams. Nevertheless, as an art thriller it is interesting indeed and better than most art thrillers.

Dennis O'Keefe stars as a self proclaimed adventurer who is interested in the $50,000 reward for the recovery of stolen da Vinci paintings. His investigation leads him to London's Tate Museum where he arrives just in time to prevent another theft. The thieves method of operation is to break into the museum, steal the masterpiece, and replace it with an excellent forgery.

The film is set up in such a way that it is obvious that someone connected to the Tate is the thief O'Keefe seeks. Is it the pretty Tate employee (played by Colleen Gray), whose father just happens to be an excellent painter? Or the Tate's own investigator, played by that excellent actor, Guy Middleton? This film is no masterpiece by any means, but still an enjoyable mystery. The film is shot in England with some scenes located right in the Tate Museum. O'Keefe and Gray have a nice chemistry together and the British actors in the character roles are excellent as one would expect.

A security expert, Paul Mitchell (Dennis O'Keefe), working for the Tate Gallery in London, is concerned about the possible theft of a priceless Da Vinci painting. Two other Da Vinci's were recently stolen from galleries in Florence and New York. In both cases, the original was replaced by a near-perfect forgery. When the Tate Da Vinci is ultimately stolen, Mitchell sets out to catch a thief.

Overall, I enjoyed The Fake. Sure, it's never going to be on anyone's Top 10 list, but it had enough going on that I had fun with it. I'm a sucker for a stolen art plot line, so this one naturally appealed to me. From the opening scenes on the crowded dock to the finale as the art thief is revealed, The Fake moves at a nice, but leisurely pace. Having the actual Tate Gallery as a shooting location really helped the "feel" of the film. I've got no complaints with respect to the film's two main leads, O'Keefe and Colleen Gray. There's some definite chemistry between the two - the dinner scene, complete with playful banter, being a good example. The supporting cast is made up of a bunch of British actors that, while not familiar to me, really give the film some color. Finally, the solution to the mystery was satisfactory. We, as viewers, get the chance to figure things out right along (or even quicker) than our hero, Mitchell.

One thing that really bothered me was the security set-up at the Tate. I realize (or hope) that the actual security is different, but as pictured here, anyone could have stolen the painting. From unlocked doors in the basement to open windows to the lack of any alarm system, the painting was practically begging to be stolen.

Finally, IMDb lists The Fake as a crime / drama / film noir. I agree with the first two, crime and drama. And you can even add Mystery. But what about film noir? No way. If you're watching The Fake for the darker elements associated with a noir, you'll be disappointed.

6/10.