The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

96% of critics liked it
(24 reviews)
86% of users liked it
(5,532 ratings)

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… More 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 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. This is superbly foreshadowed in the "winter outing" sequence (filmed in an L.A. icehouse) in which George's two-horse sleigh is abandoned in favor of Eugene's clunky horseless carriage. Welles evokes performances that his actors seldom (if ever) matched in later years; even the very limited Tim Holt is wholly believable-and even a bit pitiable-as the blinkered George Amberson Minafer. The current version, however, is but a pale shadow of Welles' original concept. Out of time and overbudget, the movie previewed badly and was eventually sliced down to an abrupt 88 minutes (by, among others, editor Robert Wise, who would go on to direct such films as West Side Story and The Sound of Music). Even though the film therefore must be regarded as a marred masterpiece, the remaining two-thirds of Welles' original concept is still a thrilling cinematic experience, especially whenever Agnes Moorehead is on the screen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Orson Welles
Written By: Booth Tarkington, Orson Welles
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jul 10, 1942 Limited
Studio: RKO Radio Pictures

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The emotional sense of America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries is so palpable you can taste it.
Don Druker, Chicago Reader
A masterpiece in every way (but ignore the awkward ending the studio tacked on without Welles's approval).
Thomas M. Pryor, New York Times
All in all, The Magnificent Ambersons is an exceptionally well-made film, dealing with a subject scarcely worth the attention which has been lavished upon it.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
I must say that I much prefer it to Citizen Kane (1941). So sue me.
J. Hoberman, Village Voice
A pretty sensational movie.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Even with so many cuts reducing the final third to a frustrating mish-mash of disjointed segments, it retains the occasional power to mesmerize and amaze.
Richard T. Jameson, Parallax View
The essence of the Ambersons and of Ambersons is mortality.
Shawn Badgley, Austin Chronicle
This is Orson Welles' lost movie, one he might have been able to rescue, had he been less brash -- and a film he and others believed to be superior to Citizen Kane.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Having mastered film technique in Citizen Kane, Welles devotes more attention to the characters, all of which are all individual creations rather than types. It's a deeper, more personal work than Kane even if it lacks the latter's narrative pull.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
Even mutilated, the movie's grace, cinematography and performances denote a superior achievement.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Hacked about by a confused RKO, Welles' second film (from the novel by Booth Tarkington) still looks a masterpiece.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Told in a magnificently opulent cinematic style.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Not 'Citizen Kane,' but what is?
Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser
Orson Welles' heavily chopped up drama, it is still a nostalgic, dramatically powerful tale and should ultimately be savored for what it is rather than rejected for what it is not.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
A domestic drama that is every bit the equal of Welles' Citizen Kane.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Ambersons - even in its mutilated form - has a resonance most movies can only dream of.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Oh, what might have been...

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Kalel J

Familial and small-scale in immediate pictures; grand and adventurous in scope. 'The Magnificent Ambersons' is an amazing film - it is a narrative spanning decades, holds many characters, and covers timely insights into turn of the century industry, power, and the downwards… More
Familial and small-scale in immediate pictures; grand and adventurous in scope. 'The Magnificent Ambersons' is an amazing film - it is a narrative spanning decades, holds many characters, and covers timely insights into turn of the century industry, power, and the downwards tilt of high-life. Yet the film drags. It is an amazing effort that something so crammed together can be a vapid and slow greeting to an uninviting family. Welles' film is well-known for it's extreme studio interference - and it shows heavily - but the result remains as a film with no real purpose, no interesting characters or ties, and no impact on the themes surrounding them. There was a lot happening in the world that these families lived in, it's just too bad we weren't shown very much of it.
First L

That staircase. After watching The Magnificent Ambersons, I'm still struck by the staircase of the Amberson mansion. Director Orson Welles somehow gives the impression the staircase winds up story after story, hundreds of feet into the rafters, and without a window to be found.… More
That staircase. After watching The Magnificent Ambersons, I'm still struck by the staircase of the Amberson mansion. Director Orson Welles somehow gives the impression the staircase winds up story after story, hundreds of feet into the rafters, and without a window to be found. The Ambersons live in this mansion of nitemares, all shadows and endless, winding stairs. The Ambersons are a family of great Shakespearean tragedy. Eugene (Joseph Cotten) and Isabel (Dolores Costello) are sweethearts until Eugene embarrasses himself (when coming to serenade Isabel, he accidentally trips and smashes his bass fiddle) and becomes the laughing stock of the town. Isabel can't settle for any imperfection as she's the daughter of a very important family. She chooses security over love, and marries a plain but well off businessman. When their child comes, he's spoiled horribly, and grows into an even more obnoxious adult. Meanwhile, Eugene has returned to his hometown a successful car manufacturer, recently widowed and with a beautiful daughter. Isabel's son, George (Tim Holt) falls in love with Eugene's daughter, or at least what passes for love in someone so self-absorbed and egotistical. Eugene and Isabel strike up where they left off, much to the envy of the jealous Aunt Fanny (Agnes Moorehead). Fanny schemes to convince George to intervene in the newly re-burgeoning relationship between Eugene and his mother, and the results are tragic for all involved. Aunt Fanny and George are a pair of lost souls, George especially is filled with impudence yet doesn't really understand why things happen around him the way they do, only that they don't happen the way he wishes. Visually, there aren't alot of films as stunning and on as many different levels as this. It's a unique vision and just about as daring a film (visually) as has ever been made. Welles original edit of the film has been lost and bastardized through the years, and the film's final tone of forgiveness rings somewhat at odds with the rest of the film's general feel. However unfortunate this situation may be, it matters little when every frame of the Magnificent Ambersons is a work of art in it's own right.
Tim S

I'd love to Welles' actual version of this, becuase this pretty boring.
Tim S

I enjoyed it a little bit more than Kane.
jay n

agnes moorehead is brilliant in this
Michael G

Stunning visuals and camera angles. Possibly the most boring and least driven story ever.
Chris B

Orson Welles proved to the world that he was a Director to be watched with his debut masterpiece Citizen Kane and even with the studio cutting nearly 1/3 of Welles' original vision still made a masterwork. The Magnificent Ambersons was his second feature film and having mastered… More
Orson Welles proved to the world that he was a Director to be watched with his debut masterpiece Citizen Kane and even with the studio cutting nearly 1/3 of Welles' original vision still made a masterwork. The Magnificent Ambersons was his second feature film and having mastered filming technique, Welles' focused on giving extraordinary depth to his characters. The film is just as wonderful as Citizen Kane in its own unique way and carries a serious and very meaningful message. Even with the studio's enforced ending that Welles' didn't endorse, and the film being drastically cut due to time and budget restraints, remains a butchered masterpiece. If you view it and understand the film for what it is, you can still enjoy and gain great insight into what Welles' original vision was. Citizen Kane may be The greatest film made (arguably but AFI confirmed twice) but Welles has many other masterworks in his repertoire!
Mike T

The sheer ambition of Orson Welles projects is always exciting to witness, and this film is a prime example of bold ideas. It's a picture full of intricate character relationships and conflicts imbedded into an engrossing story, but unfortunately the interference of studio… More
The sheer ambition of Orson Welles projects is always exciting to witness, and this film is a prime example of bold ideas. It's a picture full of intricate character relationships and conflicts imbedded into an engrossing story, but unfortunately the interference of studio executives prevents it from being the masterpiece it deserves to be. RKO chopped off a substantial amount of the film's content, and it is very noticable. The film moves more briskly than it should, and doesn't provide enough emphasis at times. It does do some damage to the overall effect, but it doesn't prevent it from being a remarkable feat. Welles gives the story a glossy appearance with his trademark technical mastery, and almost any film buff will relish some of the things he achieves with a camera.

Read all 8 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Joseph Cotten as Eugene Morgan

            Dolores Costello as Isabel Amberson Minafer

            Anne Baxter as Lucy Morgan

            Tim Holt as George Amberson Minafer

            Agnes Moorehead as Fanny Minafer

            Ray Collins as Jack Amberson

            Erskine Sanford as Bronson

            Richard Bennett as Major Amberson

            Donald Dillaway as Wilbur Minafer

            Edwin August as Man

            Georgia Backus as Matron

            Olive Ball as Mary

            Jack Baxley as Rev. Smith

            William Blees as Youth at Accident

            Billy Elmer as House Servant

            Nancy Gates as Girl

            Louis Hayward as Ballroom Dancer

            Maynard Holmes
            
            Elmer Jerome as Funeral Spectator

            J. Louis Johnson as Sam the Butler

            Lew Kelly as Citizen

            John McGuire as Young Man

            Philip Morris as Cop

            Anne O'Neal as Mrs. Foster

            Charles Phipps as Uncle John

            Hilda Plowright as Nurse

            Drew Roddy as Elijah

            Henry Roquemore as Hardware Man

            Gus Schilling as Drugstore Clerk

            Kathrun Sheldon as Matron

            Dorothy Vaughan as Funeral Spectator

            James Westerfield as Cop at Accident

            Bob Cooper as George as a Boy

            Orson Welles as Narrator

            Nina Guilberg as Guest

            Edward Howard as Chauffeur

            Jack Santoro as Barber

            Lillian Nicholson as Landlady

            Bob Pittard as Charlie Johnson

            Sam Rice as Man at Funeral

            John Elliott as Guest
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