On loan to the Tate Gallery in London, Da Vinci's 'Madonna and Child' is stolen and replaced with a fake but the American security expert working for Tate aims to recover the original painti... Read allOn loan to the Tate Gallery in London, Da Vinci's 'Madonna and Child' is stolen and replaced with a fake but the American security expert working for Tate aims to recover the original painting and catch the culprits.On loan to the Tate Gallery in London, Da Vinci's 'Madonna and Child' is stolen and replaced with a fake but the American security expert working for Tate aims to recover the original painting and catch the culprits.
- Director
- Writers
- James Daplyn
- Patrick Kirwan
- Bridget Boland(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe ship at the beginning of the picture is the S.S. Moreton Bay. She entered service in 1921 as a passenger and cargo ship. She was used by Australia during World War 2 as an armed merchant and troop transport. She returned to commercial passenger service in 1946 on the London to Sydney route. Her last cruise was in 1956 and she was scrapped in 1957.
- GoofsWhen Mary looks at Paul's watch on his right wrist as Big Ben strikes midnight, he is wearing the watch upside down from his prospective - but so the viewer can see it's midnight as the watch is turned to face the camera.
- Quotes
Paul Mitchell: Mr. Randall, when you open the exhibition, you'll also be opening the strongbox.
- Crazy creditsOpening card: The producers wish to record their thanks to the board of trustees for their generous permission in allowing them to photograph certain sequences of this film in the Tate Gallery.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Ring of Fear (1954)
- SoundtracksPictures at an Exhibition
Music by Modest Mussorgsky (as Moussorgsky)
Arranged and Conducted by Matyas Seiber
Featured review
Nice little Anglo-American mystery
"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.
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.
helpful•192
- carmike
- Dec 11, 2005
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- Also known as
- Der Fälscher
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 20 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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