It's All True (1993)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Directors:

Bill Krohn
Myron Meisel

Writers:

Bill Krohn (writer)
Myron Meisel (writer)

Release Date:

17 October 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A documentary about Orson Welles's unfinished three-part film about South America. |

Plot Keywords:

Based On Unfinished Work | Film Making | Carnival | Raft | Rio De Janeiro Brazil

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Manuel 'Jacare' Olimpio Meira	...	Himself
Jeronimo André De Souza	...	Himself
Raimundo 'Tata' Correia Lima	...	Himself
Manuel 'Preto' Pereira Da Silva	...	Himself
Jose Sobrinho	...	Himself
Francisca Moreira Da Silva	...	Herself
Miguel Ferrer	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carmen Miranda	...	Herself (voice)
Edmar Morel	...	Himself - Interviewee
Grande Otelo	...	Himself
Orson Welles	...	Himself - Interview (archive footage)

Also Known As:

The Dreamers (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

Brazil:89 min | USA:87 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

Portuguese | English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:G | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

Though the filmed footage was edited and released, as of today there is reportedly a very large amount of footage not used still in the UCLA archives that is slowly becoming damaged for lack of preservation. A story segment that Welles originally planned involved a profile of Louis Armstrong to be filmed in New Orleans. It was the only segment of the four parts that Welles never filmed any footage of.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story: It's All True (#1.4)" (1987)

raw footage strung together does not make a Welles film

This is certainly not the movie Welles would have made. Welles would have made something far more interesting; even his worst films have a certain fascinating quality but this is really pretty dull. They've taken his footage, strung it together in order attached a bland score that adds nothing to it and put a dull little documentary in front so you would understand what you were seeing. It's an interesting curio for film buffs, and there are some striking images, but don't kid yourself; this isn't even remotely what Welles would have created. This is a workmanlike construct using some tools created by Welles, that's all. This is not like rediscovering a Bach concerto, it's more like a piece of music written based on a description of a Bach concerto by someone who doesn't quite remember how it goes.