The Magnificent Ambersons [Region 2]
by Orson Welles, Fred Fleck, Robert Wise
![The Magnificent Ambersons [Region 2]](/images/The-Magnificent-Ambersons-Region-2-B000ACRDNK-L.jpg)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Agnes Moorehead, Anne Baxter, Dolores Costello, Joseph Cotten, Tim HoltDirector: Fred Fleck, Orson Welles, Robert Wise
Writer: Joseph Cotten
Writer: Orson Welles
Producer: George Schaefer
Writer: Booth Tarkington
Writer: Jack Moss
DVD: Region Code 2
Audio: English (Unknown); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language)
Format: PAL
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 88 minutes
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Manga Films
Movie Reviews of The Magnificent Ambersons [Region 2]
Movie Review: Pure poetry...
Summary: 5 Stars
While `Citizen Kane' is a masterful film to say the least, and one that I will always admire, respect and laud; `The Magnificent Ambersons' is, without question, Orson Welles's masterpiece. A film that is the epitome of poetry in motion, `The Magnificent Ambersons' can certainly steal descriptions from its very name, for it is `magnificent'. The fact that the studio could go in without the director's consent, completely butcher his film (taking out roughly forty minutes or so of footage), change the ending and strip away the films `heart' as Welles would put it, and yet still leave us with such a brilliant picture is outstanding.
I am saddened that I will never see the film Welles intended me to see, but I cannot fathom how this could be much better than it already is.
Despite the short running time, the film never lacks in character development, which is a true testament to the script, the acting and Welles impressive grasp of direction. The film is beautifully fluid, allowing each scene to simply float into the next, giving us a relaxed composition that aids in our attentiveness and willingness to get to know each character. I loved Welles's narration, which really helped tie up lose ends, and I felt that the films overall construction is really to be desired. It just fits, each piece, perfectly together.
The story told is that of a wealthy and well known family living in Indiana during the late 19th century. The film chronicles the fall of the Amberson household at the hands of the young, selfish and rather spoiled George. The film shows how his actions pay a heavy toll of his family, most notably his mother Isabel, ruining her shot at a second love with the wealthy inventor Eugene. His Aunt Fanny is also affected by his manipulative interferences, not to mention Lucy, the girl who is tangled up in his heart (and he in hers).
The film is littered with wonderful performances, but for me it is two names that really outshine the rest. Joseph Cotton is outstanding as Eugene, really developing his disappointment and disapproval without appearing clichéd or predictable. He delivers a superb and memorable performance that is so close to `best in show' it's not even funny. Those honors though, go to the brilliant Agnes Moorehead, who delivers one of the greatest supporting performances of all time. She just commands every scene, and her teary emotional explosion in the boiler room is just unforgettable.
This is a hard one to find, but if you find it HOLD ONTO IT! TCM plays it occasionally (if you can DVR it, protect it!) and I think you can find it youtube, so you can at least see it (in parts). It is a film that I deeply respect, adore and highly recommend.
Summary of The Magnificent Ambersons [Region 2]
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: English ( Mono ), Spanish ( Mono ), Spanish ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Black & White, Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), 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. Writer/director 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 (Donald Dillaway). 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. Among the guests is the older-and-wiser Eugene, now a prosperous automobile manufacturer, and his pretty daughter Lucy (Anne Baxter). George takes to Lucy immediately, but can't warm up to Eugene, especially after learning from his uncle Jack Amberson (Ray Collins) and his maiden aunt Fanny (Agnes Moorehead) that Eugene and Isabel had once been sweethearts. After the death of Wilbur Minafer, the widowed Eugene feels emboldened enough to propose to Isabel again. This time...Magnificent AmbersonsCitizen 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
Similar DVD Movies
Belle de Jour (Criterion Collection)Image Entertainment; Release date: 2012-01-17; DVD
Best price: $19.59
Price in other shops:
Mysteries of LisbonRelease date: 2012-01-17; DVD
Best price: $23.49
Price in other shops:
![Spellbound [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Spellbound-Blu-ray-B0065N6KNW-X.jpg)
Spellbound [Blu-ray]Release date: 2012-01-24; Blu-ray
Best price: $12.98
Price in other shops:
The Overcoat (IL Cappotto)Koch International; Release date: 2012-01-17; DVD
Best price: $13.43
Price in other shops:
RebeccaSony; Release date: 2008-10-14; Published: 2008-10-01; DVD
Best price: $6.55
Price in other shops:
NotoriousSony; Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $7.06
Price in other shops:
Man in the Iron MaskRelease date: 2012-02-14; DVD
Best price: $14.75
Price in other shops:
Count of Monte CristoRelease date: 2012-02-07; DVD
Best price: $15.97
Price in other shops:
A Star Is BornImage Entertainment; Release date: 2004-12-07; Published: 2004-12-01; DVD
Best price: $38.95
WingsParamount; Release date: 2012-01-24; DVD
Best price: $15.75
Price in other shops: