Rating: 
Summary: That meddling studio!
Review: This is Welles's other great film. Even in the truncated version, it's worth a look - and wow, it looks beautiful. What an eye. You can actually see the very moment towards the end when the stupid studio ending begins, for without Welles at the helm it suddenly looks ordinary, not dazzling. But the majority of the film is a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT!
Review: We all can think back at what has come before in our lives with all types of emotion and "what ifs" It is apparent that many filmgoers feel the same ..after the fact. After Welles profound artistry in " Citizen Kane" he was practically doomed in hollywood. " Ambersons, merely put the final exclamation point on the final sentence. " Surely, " The Magnificent Ambersons" is much more emtional to view and to revel in. This is because Tarkington,s work is really meloncholy and probing. Instead of a tyrant ( Kane) we can swim in the pools of the characters in " Ambersons" with much more attachment. We can also suppose that Welles, was rather naive in thinking RKO would allow him to edit " Ambersons" while in South America shooting that " disaster" All the history is more or less in place...for sure..certain lines spoken by Joseph Cotten are more relevant today than ever. one item always seems to come up....when you consider all that happened with "Kane" ..why would Welles assume anything with regards to the studios intent. When the Ambersons are stunned by the reality of their financial ruin..we must feel for them because some know of that same path in life.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent Masterpiece
Review: Welles' 1942 butchered masterpiece is a magnificent film.
(Even with the missing footage now lost to us, presumably, forever.)
The film boasts stunning performances by Agnes Moorhead and Joseph Cotton, remarkable camera work, and Welles' own powerful opening narration. Ambersons was a logical "next step" for Welles as a director. His breathtaking Citizen Kane detailed the life of a power hungry man. This same strain is played out through an entire family in Ambersons, and the symphony Welles has composed is amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant followup to "Kane"
Review: What a travesty it is that as of this writing, Orson Welles' "The Magnificent Ambersons" is not available on DVD, while the far inferior 2002 remake is. Welles' managed to follow up his landmark debut "Citizen Kane" with another masterpiece, despite studio meddling which reduced the film's length by 43 minutes. Eschewing "Kane's" fragmented structure, "Ambersons" employs a linear narrative to chronicle the rise and fall of the Amberson family, who become an allegory for pre-industrialized America. Though the film undeniably laments the passing of the simpler, 19th century way of life (most effectively in a nostalgic prelude narrated by Welles himself), the conflict between past and progress is complicated by the impudence of George Minafer (Tim Holt), scion of the Ambersons, and the amiability of Joseph Cotten as the inventor whose automobiles contribute to the decline of the Ambersons' magnificence. "Ambersons" is characterized by masterfully choreographed long takes, which allow Welles to extract thematic content from the material through sheer compositional virtuosity. "The Magnificent Ambersons" remains a powerful experience despite the loss of several key scenes; RKO chopped Welles' diamond, but could not obscure its brilliance.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant followup to "Kane"
Review: What a travesty it is that as of this writing, Orson Welles' "The Magnificent Ambersons" is not available on DVD, while the far inferior 2002 remake is. Welles' managed to follow up his landmark debut "Citizen Kane" with another masterpiece, despite studio meddling which reduced the film's length by 43 minutes. Eschewing "Kane's" fragmented structure, "Ambersons" employs a linear narrative to chronicle the rise and fall of the Amberson family, who become an allegory for pre-industrialized America. Though the film undeniably laments the passing of the simpler, 19th century way of life (most effectively in a nostalgic prelude narrated by Welles himself), the conflict between past and progress is complicated by the impudence of George Minafer (Tim Holt), scion of the Ambersons, and the amiability of Joseph Cotten as the inventor whose automobiles contribute to the decline of the Ambersons' magnificence. "Ambersons" is characterized by masterfully choreographed long takes, which allow Welles to extract thematic content from the material through sheer compositional virtuosity. "The Magnificent Ambersons" remains a powerful experience despite the loss of several key scenes; RKO chopped Welles' diamond, but could not obscure its brilliance.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant followup to "Kane"
Review: What a travesty it is that as of this writing, Orson Welles' "The Magnificent Ambersons" is not available on DVD, while the far inferior 2002 remake is. Welles' managed to follow up his landmark debut "Citizen Kane" with another masterpiece, despite studio meddling which reduced the film's length by 43 minutes. Eschewing "Kane's" fragmented structure, "Ambersons" employs a linear narrative to chronicle the rise and fall of the Amberson family, who become an allegory for pre-industrialized America. Though the film undeniably laments the passing of the simpler, 19th century way of life (most effectively in a nostalgic prelude narrated by Welles himself), the conflict between past and progress is complicated by the impudence of George Minafer (Tim Holt), scion of the Ambersons, and the amiability of Joseph Cotten as the inventor whose automobiles contribute to the decline of the Ambersons' magnificence. "Ambersons" is characterized by masterfully choreographed long takes, which allow Welles to extract thematic content from the material through sheer compositional virtuosity. "The Magnificent Ambersons" remains a powerful experience despite the loss of several key scenes; RKO chopped Welles' diamond, but could not obscure its brilliance.
Rating:
Summary: Welles' best film by miles
Review: While it's impossible to think about the cutting of "The Magnificent Ambersons" without regret, it's also pretty easy to forget about it while watching the finished work, which is difficult for me to think of as anything less than perfect (save in theoretical comparison to the lost version). Since I'm unencumbered by expertise, I have no technical grounds on which to argue that "The Magnificent Ambersons" is a better movie than "Citizen Kane, " all I know is that it's a much more important movie for me emotionally. And I can't help wondering if Welles felt the same way about it to some extent. Certainly, Welles' biographers suggest an overwhelming emotional involvement with the story-not least because of his claim that Tarkington had Welles' father in mind when he created the character of Eugene-and that this was the source both of the movie's power and its sad fate. Although I dislike kneejerk psychoanalysis of artists, it does seem clear that Welles' colluded to some extent in the destruction of his film. He refused to take the role of George, with which he'd had so much success in the radio version; I don't mind Tim Holt's performance, but he was very poorly received at the time. More seriously, Welles insisted on a drastic cut of all the footage between Isabel receiving Eugene's letter, and the gathering of her family in the hallway outside her sickroom. He replaced the cut footage with a single, ludicrous scene of Isabel getting the letter, reading it, and dropping dead. This version is the one that was shown at the disastrous premiere in Pomona. The second screening, for which the excised footage was restored by Robert Wise, received a reasonably warm reception from the good people of Pasadena. And it's telling that even though Welles had signed away his right to a final cut at the commencement of shooting, the studio refrained from making the daft substitution I've just described. The ins and outs of the editing process are described exhaustively in Richard Carringer's "The Magnificent Ambersons-A Reconstruction," which contains the full shooting script of the lost version--as well as storyboards and stills of missing footage--and is an indispensible aid to understanding both the released and the lost version. It also presents copious evidence of Welles' conflicted emotions about the project. To me, that Welles' was emotionally driven to sabotage his greatest film--or was too involved in it to use proper judgment--is far more interesting than the hackneyed, almost impersonal myth of the genius whose work is destroyed by greedy and uncomprehending philistines; the myth is attractive, and lets us take a vicarious stand against the bad guys, but things are seldom that simple in real life. No doubt "The Magnificent Ambersons" could've been better, but to this ignoramus, one minute of it is worth five of "Citizen Kane," or the entirety of the vastly overrated "Touch of Evil."
Rating:
Summary: The most painful "what if?" in film history
Review: While my personal favorite Welles film is "Touch of Evil" (when do we get the new version on DVD?) I can definitely say that "The Magnificent Ambersons" had the potential to be his greatest work. Even after being trimmed by a third of its running time, however, it remains a marvelous spectacle, even if it is the worst example of studio interference. While Welles must be held somewhat accountable (for thinking his film would be safe after the fight over "Citizen Kane"), the actions taken by RKO Studios regarding "Ambersons" must be considered the most atrocious in film history. The missing footage is almost certainly gone forever (an unearthed print of said footage would be the holy grail of lost film), but there are numerous books mentioned by previous reviewers available for study, and hopefully one day Criterion will update their laserdisc edition to DVD. It includes the film's complete shooting script and storyboards, a film historian commentary, and Welles' Mercury Theater radio production of "Ambersons". This edition is probably the closest we'll ever get to seeing what "The Magnificent Ambersons" might have been.
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