Other It's All True docus

[Jeff Wilson]

This will be going on the site shortly, but I thought I'd post it here first. If you didn't look at the Brazilian film festival thread a couple weeks ago, this was one of the selections being screened. I happened upon a copy from a grey market dealer.

ALL IS BRAZIL (TUDO E BRAZIL)
directed by Rogerio Sganzerla
1998, 82 minutes

When does 82 minutes seem like an eternity? When it's spent watching a documentary like the diffuse, frustrating All Is Brazil. Directed (or more to the point, pasted together) by Rogerio Sganzerla, the film presents a collage of sound and imagery related to Welles and Brazil. This is the third of three films on Welles by Sganzerla, the first two also relating to Welles' time in Brazil. While I haven't seen those two films, I imagine they're more straightforward than this one.

All is Brazil uses stock footage, stills, art work, and other graphics to stand as visuals for audio clips from Welles, mainly from his radio work. Clips from series such as Hello Americans, the Campbell Playhouse, Lear Show, and others are used, as well as interview clips and movie clips. Music from Brazilian artists is also included. Often, clips are pasted together, as if to present one complete thought.

The problem with all this is that is doesn't appear to go anywhere. There isn't much, if any, of a narrative thread anywhere to be found. We bounce around in the chronology of Welles, but without rhyme or reason. Further, the visuals used sometimes clash incomprehensibly or nonsensically with the audio. For example, the film gets into some clips relating to War of the Worlds. We are shown footage from a Japanese sci-fi film multiple times during this sequence. On other occasions, we see stills of the Graf Zeppelin (?). Sometimes, the connection is too clear; late in the film, we see footage of a jangadeiros style boat being overturned. Insert stock footage of sharks. Cut to footage of politicians. Cut back to sharks. Cut to overturned boat.

I obtained my copy of the film through Video Search of Miami, who deal in grey market/bootleg copies of hard to find films. Their print of the film is subtitled in Portugese, and has a pretty clear picture, all things considered. Audio is more problematic, as the radio clips have a flanging sound to them that requires careful listening on some occasions to make out.

In the end, even if you're a completist, this isn't really worth the time and expense to acquire. Boring to sit through and without much to offer in terms of insight, All is Brazil stands only as a bizarre testament to Welles' time in that country and little else.

Video Search of Miami

[Le Chiffre]

Thanks for the review, Jeff. That's too bad the program doesn't amount to much. Sounds like an interesting idea poorly executed. Or maybe just a half-baked idea.

[jaime marzol]

does any one know of another documentary about "it's all true" by a south american film maker that had access to a lot of welles footage? some of you that search for international films, could you look into this?

[Jeff Wilson]

Brazilian director Rogerio Sganzerla has made three documentaries on Welles, one of which, It's Not All True, focused on It's All True. The other two are more loosely related, and one, All is Brazil, is a collage work combining Welles footage, audio and other tidbits to create an impression of his time in Brazil. It's not for everyone; I found it pretty tedious after a while. Haven't seen the other two.

[tony]

I showed a Brazilian couple "It'sAll True" and "It's All Brazil" yesterday; fascinating experience. They are both about 50, and say that Wells is still a hero in Brazil today.

Here's an interesting link to the Lilly Library material, and I'm particularily interested in the listings for research done and scripts done for "It's All True", especially as the legend is that there was never a script for IAT.

[ToddBaesen]

-

Tony:

What link are you talking about? Did you forget to include it?

Meanwhile here's the telegram that led to the mutilation of AMBERSONS, and theoretically at least, the entire downfall of Welles career in Hollywood. Imagine if Welles had never gone to Rio, how different things might have been...


JOHN HAY WHITNEY TO ORSON WELLES:
December 20, 1941

DEAR ORSON:

WE UNDERSTAND YOU ARE WILLING AND MAY BE ABLE TO UNDER TAKE TRIP TO BRAZIL WHERE YOU WOULD PRODUCE MOTION PICTURES IN COOPERATION WITH BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT. IF THIS CAN BE ARRANGED IT WILL BE ENORMOUSLY HELPFUL TO THE PROGRAM OF THIS OFFICE AND ENERGETICALLY SUPPORTED BY IT. WE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED EXPRESSIONS ENTHUSIASTIC APPROVAL FROM RIO. PERSONALLY BELIEVE YOU WOULD MAKE GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO HEMISPHERIC SOLIDARITY WITH THIS PROJECT.

REGARDS,
JOHN HAY WHITNEY

[tony]

Sorry, Todd: must have been late when I posted that; here's the link, which looks boring but which is one of the most fascinating things about Welle's actual work I've ever read; in fact I was thinking today that IAT and TOSOTW both have reputations as out of control projects, but as we now know both had scripts, even though OW told PB he always improvised on the set, the opposite of Hitckcock.

http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/guides/welles/film.html

[Alan Brody]

The picture quality is not great, but Youtube has this highly regarded short documentary about Orson Welles' South American venture in two parts. It's pretty cryptic but fascinating:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... rch=Search

Watch it while you can!

[Glenn Anders]

Rough as the two parts are, and confusing as bits of them might be to someone who knows little about Welles, these films in their total concision are little masterpieces.

Thank you, Alan.

Glenn

[Alan Brody]

Rough, no question, but I wonder if some Hollywood resources couldn't tidy it up a bit. It would make a great DVD extra.

In it's playful use of audio snippets and "found footage", Linguagem de Orson Welles reminds me quite a bit of F For Fake. I especially like the part where footage of Rockefeller and Disney arriving in Rio is shown while, on the soundtrack, Welles as the Shadow is heard saying, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?". I also find myself curious as to why the film ends with a shot of New York's Chrysler Building.

[tony]

Thanks for posting this Alan; I have the "It's All Brazil" film on dvd; I showed it to two Brazilian friends of mine; they're both educated and love films; they couldn't make head nor tail of it- said it was the strangest thing that'd ever seen!

[Alan Brody]

Shit, just as I was afraid of: it's been taken off already.

[Wellesnet]

It's back up again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWhmxCfUvOI