It’s All True (Documentary)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: D Film: B
Orson Welles remains one of the giants of cinema, and it
goes far beyond his 1941 masterpiece, Citizen Kane. Of course, The Magnificent Ambersons
followed and everyone who knows the film and Welles knows he did not get the
final cut he wanted. That extra footage
has been hinted down for years. Though
it has not surfaced yet, footage form his third, aborted film did surface and
what was found was issued in the 1993 documentary It’s All True. Now, Paramount has released the DVD.
What did get shot was shot in the period of January –
August 1942 is featured here. Except
for the Bonito segment, co-directed by Welles co-writer Norman
Foster (both of whom co-wrote with John Fante), Welles was in complete
control. Particularly significant is
the Carnival segment, which was shot in three-strip
Technicolor. This was Welles first time
working in the color process and cinematographer W. Howard Green delivered some
remarkable footage that alone justifies this documentary. He would rarely work in color again and this
would be the only time he would get to use the process. Needless to say, this is very rich footage
and shows Welles’ eye for color was an ingenious as it was for monochrome.
Conceived as a three-segment semi-documentary project shot
on location in Brazil, as the RKO Studio’s attempt to help the U.S. Government
with pro-American, anti-Nazi propaganda, studio changes and more conflict with
the studio ended the film before it was completed. They were also ordering then-editor and future director Robert
Wise to cut down The Magnificent Ambersons. Long after Kane, there were plenty of forces still trying
to cause Welles downfall, and any character flaws he had were used against him
to the greatest extent possible. He
would not work for a studio again until his 1958 Touch Of Evil (on a
decent basic DVD from Universal) closed the Film Noir era. It’s All True is a sad ending to what
should have been a constantly innovative and remarkable Hollywood system
career, but Welles went on to make films independently as the original system
went into decline and both likely paid a high price for losing each other.
The full frame 1.33 X 1 image is the way the original
aspect ratio of the 1942 footage was hot and the new footage by co-directors
Richard Wilson, Myron Meisel and Bill Krohn (who also co-wrote the new segments
that needed it) is shot to match it.
This looks as good as it will on the DVD format and fans will not be
disappointed. Some of the footage does
not even have sound, but the film in general is here in Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo, minus any surrounds. Some of
the sound is monophonic and may even be old radio audio, possibly from acetate
discs. The creators did a nice job of
presenting the most fail of audio.
There are no extras, but It’s All True is one of the key film
documentaries that further confirms the genius of Orson Welles, a filmmaker
more new directors need to see much, much more of.
- Nicholas Sheffo
