The Magnificent Ambersons

The Magnificent Ambersons
by Orson Welles

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DVD Cover Information

Director: Orson Welles
Primary Contributor: Joseph Cotten
Primary Contributor: Dolores Costello
Primary Contributor: Anne Baxter
Primary Contributor: Tim Holt
Primary Contributor: Orson Welles
Commentary: CategoryUSA
Commentary: CategoryClassicFilms
DVD: Region Code 2.0
Audio: English (Unknown); Spanish (Unknown); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: PAL
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 88 minutes
Studio: Manga Films

Movie Reviews of The Magnificent Ambersons

Movie Review: The Magnificent Orson Welles
Summary: 5 Stars

This 1942 classic was written, produced and directed by Orson Welles (who is also the narrator) and based on the 1918 novel of the same name by Booth Tarkington.

The movie chronicles the life of Isabel Amberson/Minafer (Dolores Costello) - a matriarch of an Indianapolis family dynasty - and her pompous son, George Minafer (Tim Holt), who destroys what has taken several generations to create due to his jealousies and greed.

With the backdrop of old money and the new ways to seize a slice of the American Dream, it is a timeless story of a perilous journey on eroding trails in life during the heavy rains and cold crosswinds that are bringing permanent change.

The original rough cut by Welles clocked in at an epic length of 2-hours, 28-minutes, but he ultimately lost control of the final editing to the studio, RKO. About one hour was deleted and a different ending was shot. There are no surviving prints of the rough cut.

In 1991, the movie was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. It was included in Sight and Sound's 1972 and 1982 lists of the top 10 films ever made.

This film deserves to be released in a special set that brings to the forefront its importance in cinematography.

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Summary of The Magnificent Ambersons

Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o Spanish (subtitles) o English (Mono) o Spanish (Mono) Synopsis: Orson Welles' followup to Citizen Kane (1941) was utterly different from Kane in style and texture, but just as brilliant in its own way. Welles does not appear on camera, but his voiceover narration superbly sets the stage for the movie's action, which fades in valentine fashion on Amberson Mansion, the most ostentatious dwelling in all of turn-of-century Indianapolis. Its mistress is the haughtily beautiful Isabel Amberson (Dolores Costello). When Isabel's beau, erstwhile inventor Eugene Morgan (Joseph Cotten), inadvertently humiliates her in public, she breaks off the relationship and marries colorless Wilbur Minafer. The neighbors are certain that, since Isabel can't possibly love Wilbur, she will spoil her children rotten. As it turns out, she has one child, George Minafer (Tim Holt), and that one is enough as far as the rest of Indianapolis is concerned. There are those who live for the day that the arrogant, insufferable George will get his comeuppance. When George returns home from college, his mother and grandfather (Richard Bennett) hold a gala reception in his honor. After the death of Wilbur Minafer, the widowed Eugene feels emboldened enough to propose to Isabel again. This time she is willing, but the obstreperous George refuses to allow his mother to see Eugene. His imperious bullheadedness will lead to tragedy for all concerned--and, at long last, a chastened George Minafer will indeed receive his comeuppance. The film's real villain is not George but that old intangible bugaboo called "Progress." As the automobile age comes to fruition, the elegant, cloistered lifestyle of the Ambersons fades from view, finally disappearing altogether. Special Features: o Filmographies o Interactive Menu o Scene Access o Trailer(s)

Citizen Kane is considered by many to be Orson Welles's masterpiece, but more than a few prominent critics have argued that his second film, 1942's The Magnificent Ambersons, is an even greater artistic achievement. It's certainly the source of the most painful injustice of Welles's brief career in Hollywood, having been seized from the director's control, drastically cut from over two hours to merely 88 minutes, and reshot with a different, upbeat ending that Welles vehemently disapproved of. Adapted by Welles from the novel by Booth Tarkington, it remains a truncated masterpiece, as impressive for what remains as for the even greater film it might have been. The story is set during the late 19th century and follows the rise and fall of the wealthy Amberson family of Indianapolis, Indiana. Central to the drama is George Amberson Minafer (Tim Holt), who is snobbishly to the manor born, and whose petty jealousies and truculent pride compel him to prevent a wealthy inventor (Joseph Cotten) from marrying his widowed mother (Dolores Costello). This in part is the cause of the Ambersons' downfall, and ultimately leads to George's humbling "comeuppance" at the film's dramatic conclusion. It's an absorbing tale of fading traditions and changing times, and it's also a magnificent showcase for Welles's cinematic audacity, famous among film students for its long, fluid shots and ambitious compositions. Responding to the film's drastic cutting and re-editing, Welles justifiably complained that "they destroyed the heart of the film, really." And yet, the director's stamp of genius is evident throughout--the work of a young master (Welles was only 26 when the film was made) that still shines despite its unfortunate fate. --Jeff Shannon

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