I never read the novel from which this movie was transliterated, but by the looks of this film, it seems that no one really cared about the real Orson Welles, and took the character out of context from actual events that happened around 1947 in Italy and just played around with them in no particular relevant order.
First of all, Danny Huston, although an otherwise serious professional, doesn't seem extremely interested in depicting Orson as he really was, and his own voice more closely resembles (obviously) more that of his deceased father John, than that of Orson Welles.
May I remind you that Welles had a very incisive and commanding voice of a bass-baritone quality that Danny Huston simply cannot reproduce.
But this was royally ignored by the producers of this little movie when they decided who to cast for the role.
So be it.
Nevertheless, and despite being this just a fictionalized account of what really happened in those years to the real Orson Welles, which indeed would in itself, have made a much more interesting and fleshed out story than this, the entire film is actually more boring than interesting in any form or shape.
Even the supporting actors seem more bored than actually fascinated by the script they were handed out and some are even just acting by the numbers.
This entire exercise is just academic at best, but doesn't have any true quality to it except for its mysterious title, which actually doesn't really say much.
Just compare this so called mystery thriller to the real works of Orson Welles, such as "Mr. Arkadin" (a.k.a. Confidential Report) or "The Lady from Shanghai" and you shall see the obvious majesty and real genius of one of the masters of film making, from which alas, Oliver Parker, indeed hasn't inherited much, nor has learned to reproduce the magic that Orson's movies all had.
This movie, if ever, shows you most clearly the huge chasm and divide that separates classic movie making, from today's money grabbing but empty efforts being made.
I don't know if this has anything to do with a kind of laziness, lack of imagination, lack of true creativity or simply a deep tiredness of newer movie directors and producers, but it clearly reveals an absolute inability to create something of true value.
And finally, I would also criticize some screen writers for their lack of true luster in creating a true original script with a witty, involving and well refined dialogue as they were so very often produced during the so called "Studio System".
Nor do the various excuses of "everything having already been explored" validate the fact that many of such writers just slam words on paper at random, instead of really making an effort to write something that can be indeed savored by well educated audiences.
But we are living in a "populist" world, where mass production seems to be more important than to actually uplift and actually somehow educate audiences to aim to higher levels of quality, both in writing as indeed in filmed entertainment.
Today, movie theaters more resemble a kind of "McDonald's Fast Food Spectacle" rather than a refined Restaurant where one might enjoy a real and carefully prepared meal.
This equals to cultural degradation in its lowest form, and "Fade to Black" is indeed one of these representatives and indeed it won't be the last such products dished up either in Europe or from greedy Hollywood Studios.
In short, this is a pedestrian movie, with no special value whatsoever, except maybe for that kind of audience only going to the movies to munch popcorn and sip on a soft drink while passing the time just watching flickering images passing them by, not quite particularly interested in the subject handled there, as long as they seem colorful enough.
