Richard Gere stars as Clifford Irving in this movie based on Irving’s forged autobiography of Howard Hughes, informed by Irving’s own autobiography (also titled The Hoax). The film introduces Irving as a fading writer famous for his book on Elmyr de Hory, and develops his career writing about forgers, then forging a story. The plot revolves around Howard Hughes’ power stemming from money and harps on the irony of Irving losing money and pride after his book deal falls through.
It is clear to the viewers that Irving is making up his story as he works through it, and mixes missteps and imagination with gathered gossip, calling himself a “spokesperson” for the “lunatic hermit” he writes about. The film frames Irving’s fictional autobiography in terms of the untouchable power of celebrities with a blatant superiority complex that lets readers believe whatever they find plausible in their preexisting understanding. This context exemplifies how people will believe a forgery based on perceived value.
The publicity and controversy throughout the process of writing and impersonating Hughes allows Irving to invent truths about wealth and power. He attempts to scam the publishing industry and the public following the story insisting, “I’m not Clifford Irving, I’m Howard Hughes. Howard’s mouth, Howard’s voice,” thinking he’s fooled everyone. Eventually, the exhaustion of lying, cheating, and keeping up the facade of his forgery led to Irving fooling himself above his audience, revealing further implications of a fake book. Irving’s story was never not the truth, but he publicly kept it in a false context, therefore it is impossible to tell what is really true even in his own autobiography.
By Molly George