CS Weekly Archive > Weekend Read > 04/06/07

Which Lie Did I Tell?

By peter clines

A fictional film based on the true story of a fake story about a ghost-written autobiography of a wealthy recluse who inspired dozens of urban legends, The Hoax is an amazing film that bends not only the truth, but our perception of what the truth is.

The Hoax

Screenplay by William Wheeler
Based on the autobiographical book by Clifford Irving

Failed novelist and biographer Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) gains worldwide attention in 1971 when he is singled out by the eccentric, über-reclusive Howard Hughes to collaborate on an autobiography. Or so Irving wants everyone to believe. Through a string of lucky inspirations and coincidences, he's come up with the almost foolproof plan of faking a series of interviews with Hughes—after all, it's not like the billionaire hermit will come out of hiding and call him on it. The eager publishing industry leaps at the bait, paying an enormous advance and pushing Irving further into the spotlight. But lies have an ugly way of snowballing, and the would-be biographer soon finds himself balancing an elaborate web of deceptions, forgeries, and misdirection that involves his best friend (Alfred Molina), his wife (Marcia Gay Harden), his mistress (Julie Delpy)…and possibly even Hughes himself.

Based on the entirely true (so to speak) story of one of the greatest scams in publishing history, The Hoax is an intriguing and somewhat topical story of how a lie can gain so much power and momentum that, for all intents and purposes, it briefly becomes the truth. The script by William Wheeler (The Prime Gig) wonderfully shows how Irving's desperation for success led him to concoct the bold lie about his new project, and how his previous work on an art forger's biography helped him convince McGraw-Hill publishers and all their experts about his credentials. Part writer, part con man, Irving is a fascinating character, likeable despite his manipulations, driven by an almost pathological need for success—even if that success is based on a complete fraud. He's so brazen that he meets every challenge to his claims by upping the stakes with even more audacious lies, gambling that the stories of Hughes's eccentric behavior will explain away any inconsistencies. His intuitive understanding of his publisher's greed leads him to bluff his way out of each situation, putting them in the position of calling that bluff and risking the potential bestseller the public is hungry for.

And yet, at the core of this story is the question of truth. The pitch above is a good laugh, but it's also entirely true. The Hoax is an amazing, crisscrossing array of fact and fiction, where lies and truth have so many half-breed children one almost begins to accept them as normal. The screenplay, much like the story it tells, is a wonderful example of brinksmanship and bending truths, daring the audience not to believe it. While Irving's story is historical, Wheeler has adapted and adjusted whole sections of it, altering dates, people, even entire countries in some cases. This warping of facts not only makes the tale easier to believe (bizarre as that may seem) but it also allows the events to make that difficult leap from recorded fact to filmed fiction.

Within the story, Irving and best friend Dick Suskind (Molina) create their perfect forgery by immersing themselves in their subject's life, learning his mannerisms, his tones, and his dialect. They steal government records and court transcripts, photocopy unpublished memoirs, and even use a box of financial records that shows up on their doorstep. Irving goes so far as to take on the role of Hughes for recorded "interviews" to transcribe, giving another layer of realism to their work and adding another odd layer of truth to the story. For, as the audience and Irving come to realize, the two men may indeed have gotten closer to Hughes than anyone has in years. As it is, their manuscript fools every expert and passes every test the publishing industry comes up with.

Howard Hughes final public appearance (actual footage of which is used in the film) was a bizarre press conference where he addressed the media by speakerphone. Regarding Irving's book, the recluse prophetically said, "I only wish I was still in the movie business, because I don't remember any script I ever saw in Hollywood as wild or imagination-stretching as this autobiography yarn has turned out to be." One has to wonder how he'd react to seeing yet another veil of unreality draped over this story, one that perhaps shows how close to the truth it really was.

In the end, much like Irving and Suskind's "autobiography," Wheeler's script strikes an amazing note of truth that rivals most biopics. The movie performs an excellent juggling act with realistic characters and well-balanced scenes, telling a completely believable and understandable story of one of the most amazing hoaxes of the century.

The Hoax

Miramax Films
Rated R; 115 min.

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Peter Clines has had a lifelong love affair with the movies. He grew up in New England, where he studied English literature and education, and now lives and writes somewhere in Southern California. If anyone knows exactly where, he would appreciate a few hints.

The Hoax courtesy Miramax Films

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