By AMIR LABAKI
Named after the unfinished film shot in part in Brazil by Orson Welles (1915-1985) in 1942, it was inevitable that the It’s All True – International Documentary Film Festival would return for its 30th edition to one of the most fascinating projects in the history of cinema.
There is no better way to do so than by listening to the greatest expert on It’s All True, Catherine L. Benamou, on the occasion of the official launch in Brazil of her fascinating study, It’s All True – The Pan-American Odyssey of Orson Welles (Editora Unesp, 504 pages, translated by Fernando Santos).
At the second panel of the 22nd International Documentary Conference, held in partnership between the festival and the Cinemateca Brasileira, Benamou spoke, via internet, with essayist and cultural manager Carlos Augusto Calil about the history of the film, the focus of his crucial doctoral research and the current state of what has been preserved of the material filmed by Welles. What we heard at once reaffirmed our admiration for the extraordinary dedication with which Benamou has, for three decades, illuminated one of the central episodes in the artistic career of the director of Citizen Kane (1941) and stressed how much still needs to be done to fully understand it.
A brief summary is in order, as an invitation to delve into an essential volume for any film library. With the United States’ involvement in World War II, Orson Welles was mobilized in the propaganda effort, within the Good Neighbor Policy with Latin American countries, to shoot a film in episodes. It’s All True would consist of four episodes: a Mexican one, My Friend Bonito; two Brazilian ones, Carnaval, about the popular festival in Rio, and Jangadeiros, about a protest trip by fishermen from Fortaleza to the then federal capital; and an American one, The Story of Jazz, inspired by the life of Louis Armstrong.
Only the first three episodes were filmed. Under Welles’ guidance, Norman Foster filmed in Mexico in late 1941. Between February and July 1942, Welles filmed in Brazil, facing increasing resistance of all kinds, undermined by the fierce opposition of the new management of RKO, the Hollywood studio to which he was linked and which coordinated production. Jazz never got off the ground.
Orson Welles died in 1985 without ever having access to the filmed material to edit It’s All True. Through the efforts of one of his assistants in Brazil, Richard Wilson (1915-1991), a documentary with a partial reconstruction came to light in 1993, It’s All True – Based on an Unfinished Film by Orson Welles, written by Wilson, Myron Meisel and Bill Krohn, for which Benamou’s participation as researcher and producer was decisive.
The preservation of Welles’ extensive Brazilian footage has largely bypassed Brazil. The nitrate negatives of It’s All True were acquired by Desilu Productions in 1957 when it acquired RKO. A decade later, in a new corporate succession, they arrived at Paramount Pictures, the current owner of the rights. In the 1980s, the filmed material was donated to the American Film Institute, which entrusted its preservation to the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
After a long hiatus, in 2023 Paramount began the process of digitizing the material in 4K, fortunately under Benamou’s consultancy.
“At the moment, I am dedicated to seeing how the nitrate materials of It’s All True can be preserved and used in a conscientious and educational way,” said the researcher at the Conference. Unreleased scenes shot by Welles in Ouro Preto will be used, she already reveals, “in a new documentary, Welles in the Land of Silence, to be directed by Laura Godoy and produced by Marcella Jacques, in Minas Gerais”.
Digitalization is a great success, but it is essential to heed the warning sounded by Catherine L. Benamou and Carlos Augusto Calil. From the point of view of film preservation techniques, an essential step is not being taken: copying the nitrate rolls onto safety film.
“According to UCLA, this backup copy is necessary, but it depends on Paramount to finance this preservation,” Benamou explained. “Paramount opted for a direct transfer to 4K” — that is, a digital copy only, not a backup film. The involvement of our Ministry of Culture in this financing would be a beautiful and fair return to the cinematic treasure bequeathed to the country by Orson Welles.
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(Editor’s note: Amir Labaki is a Brazilian curator, film critic, filmmaker and playwriter. He is the founder and director of É Tudo Verdade – International Documentary Festival. He graciously granted Wellesnet permission to publish this English translation of his article, which first appeared on April 25, 2025 at etudoverdade.com.br/br/noticia/2384-PRESERVANDO-ldquoITrsquoS-ALL-TRUErdquo).
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