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It's All True Photos

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Movie Info

In 1942, fresh off the success of "Citizen Kane," director Orson Welles journeys to Brazil to make a documentary. The unscripted look at bullfighting, the samba and three fisherman making a voyage of protest on the open sea stuns the studio with its daring storytelling and politics. The unfinished film is scuttled, and so is the director's career. The story of the debacle is told through interviews with Welles and others involved in the project, plus rarely viewed scenes from the documentary.

Rating:

G
Genre:

documentary
Original Language:

English
Director:

Norman Foster, Bill Krohn, Myron Meisel, Orson Welles, Richard Wilson
Producer:

Régine Konckier, Bill Krohn
Release Date (Theaters):

Oct 17, 1993 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

Jul 23, 2019
Runtime:

1h 25m
Production Co:

Le Studio Canal +, Paramount Pictures, Les Films Balenciaga, PolyGram Audiovisuel
Sound Mix:

Stereo, Dolby

Cast & Crew

Manuel "Jacare" Meira
Self

Jeronimo André De Souza
Self

Raimundo "Tata" Correia Lima
Self

Manuel "Preto" Pereira Da Silva
Self

Jose Sobrinho
Self

Francisca Moreira Da Silva
Self

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for It's All True

All Critics (23) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (19) | Rotten (4)

It would never have been one of [Welles'] major works, but the swiftness and urgency with which the tale is told, and the potent composition of even the most simple scenes, reveal the touch of the master.

March 12, 2013 | Full Review…

Anthony Lane
New Yorker
Even in its redundancy, it is nevertheless fascinating.

April 6, 2007 | Full Review…

Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
Welles had intended to narrate the section himself, but the writers and directors of this documentary have wisely opted not to second-guess Welles, simply presenting the material as it stands and adding music and sound effects.

April 6, 2007 | Full Review…

Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
What little there was (some Rio carnival footage, scenes from the fishing story Four Men on a Raft) looked stunning. In this documentary, happily, there's much more to show.

February 9, 2006 | Full Review…

Geoff Andrew
Time Out
It's All True is an essential piece in the Welles puzzle.

December 5, 2004 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
Quote not available.

July 29, 2003 | Rating: 3/5

Nell Minow
Movie Mom
It is still a remarkable portrait of the fisherman's life, with its craft and dedication, and of people whose ravaged, hopeful faces speak to us across the years.

December 1, 2017 | Full Review…

Quentin Curtis
Independent on Sunday
Visually spectacular documentary, one of Welles' sympathetic looks at countries around the world, their life and culture.

August 22, 2014 | Full Review…

Michael E. Grost
Classic Film and Television
It's an amazing film for how it shows the Hollywood studio system couldn't tolerate creative artists.

April 6, 2008 | Rating: B+ | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Quote not available.

August 17, 2005 | Rating: 4/5

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Is this really a 'lost masterpiece'? I doubt it, but it's still and important missing piece of Welles' filmography.

June 8, 2005 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
If only a documentary like this one existed for every unfinished Welles film.

January 15, 2005 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

View All Critic Reviews (23)

Audience Reviews for It's All True

Jan 12, 2012

Interesting look at a little known Orson Welles project involving the capturing of footage of life in South America. Probably works a little better if they just released the footage and scrapped the documentary portion.

John B Super Reviewer