I was thinking about the black/white-realism issue when I saw IT'S ALL TRUE
this weekend.  The film shows us how Welles assembled his images, talks to
some of the "real people"/"actors," throws a little history in... then
shows us what's left of the film.  To me in 1994 it seems almost 100%
staged and "arty."  But if it had been shown in 1942 it most likely would
have seemed very realistic to Americans getting this look at Brazil... and
it might even have gone into the film history books as a landmark of screen
realism.
 
Carol Slingo