The Magnificent Ambersons 04

Orson Welles - prod.,dir.,script (1942)
from the novel by Booth Tarkington (1918)

stars Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, Agnes Moorehead and Ray Collins. Welles provides the voiceover narration.

Welles lost control of the editing of The Magnificent Ambersons to RKO, and the final version released to audiences differed significantly from his vision for the film. More than an hour of footage was cut by the studio, and a new, happier ending was shot and tacked on to the film. Although Welles' extensive notes for how he wished the film to be cut survived, the excised scenes have not.

Prologue
NARRATION:

The magnificence of the Ambersons began in 1873. Their splendor lasted throughout all the years that saw their Midland town spread and darken into a city. In that town in those days, all the women who wore silk or velvet knew all the other women who wore silk or velvet and everybody knew everybody else's family horse and carriage. The only public conveyance was the streetcar. A lady could whistle to it from an upstairs window, and the car would halt at once, and wait for her, while she shut the window, ... put on her hat and coat, ... went downstairs, ... found an umbrella, ... told the 'girl' what to have for dinner...and came forth from the house. Too slow for us nowadays, because the faster we're carried, the less time we have to spare.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• orson
• welles
• magnificent
• ambersons

[therightstuff14]

Is the whole movie on here because i'm only seeing bits and pieces

[goback3spaces]

@belisariusorb You shouldn't hate him. He gets his comeuppance. He repents. Tries to do his best for Aunt Fanny at the end.

[SteveDurnin]

Notice the carriage scene with George and Lucy is filmed outdoors and doesn't use back projection as was common then, yet they give fine performances and the set seems to go on forever - this must have taken a lot of rehearsal.

[ammccoy]

Poor Agnes, following Morgan around like a little lost pup starving for attention :'-(

[nuttalex]

agnes moorehead, a fine actress

[belisariusorb]

My hatred and contempt for George are building by the minute

[mtxfan]

like the transition from the car drive through the country side straight to the funeral