IMDb > The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
The Magnificent Ambersons
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The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) More at IMDbPro »

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The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   8,004 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Orson Welles
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Writers:
Booth Tarkington (based on the novel by)
Orson Welles (script writer)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Magnificent Ambersons on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 July 1942 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
From the Man who Made "The Best Picture of 1941" more
Plot:
The spoiled young heir to the decaying Amberson fortune comes between his widowed mother and the man she has always loved. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins more
NewsDesk:
(19 articles)
Citizen Kane? Of course I’ve seen it!
 (From t5m.com. 23 October 2009, 2:50 AM, PDT)

20 Most Anticipated Period Films (Part 1)
 (From The Movie Fanatic. 18 October 2009, 9:18 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A marvellous portrait of a by-gone era more (80 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
88 min | 148 min (original cut) | 131 min (preview)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Attempts to send Robert Wise to Brazil so that he could work alongside Welles were prevented due to wartime travel restrictions. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: Towards end of long tracking shot with George and Lucy in horse-drawn carriage, portion of rear end of camera car and some sort of filmmaking equipment briefly enters left side of frame. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Narrator: 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...
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "House Calls: The Magnificent Weatherbys (#2.16)" (1981) more
Soundtrack:
String Quintet In E, Op. 13 No. 5: Minuet more

FAQ

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16 out of 18 people found the following comment useful.
A marvellous portrait of a by-gone era, 12 March 2002
8/10
Author: nqure from North Wales, UK

As most reviewers have stated, Welles' film suffered at the hands of studio interference and it is to the film's credit that, despite such butchery, it still remains a marvellous piece of entertainment.

The emotional story revolves around family relationships, about love denied, unrequited or made to suffer. It is also a social portrait of the failure of one family to come to terms with progress (symbolised by the motor car in the film).

Tim Holt is excellent as George Minafer and I think we are meant to view him ambivalently: he is both a loveable ne'er do well as well as a spoiled egotist who puts his emotions/feelings before everyone else's. Agnes Moorehead deservedly won praise for her portrait of the plain Aunt Fanny. Her final disintegration (blackly comic when George thinks she's scalding herself at a hot boiler only to be told that there's no water due to their reduced circumstances) mirrors the descent of the Ambersons into obscurity and genteel poverty. The only memory of their faded glory is in the names they give to the new roads leading to the suburbs.

As with ‘Citizen Kane', wealth does not always protect people from unhappiness. And it's interesting to note how the Amberson's huge mansion, once the social centre of town with its balls & serenades, becomes an empty derelict monument to a by-gone age.

In a sense, the whole film is ambivalent. You can't stop progress as Eugene (Joseph Cotton) states in the dramatic scene where he & George clash over motor cars, but Gene is also aware that things might not necessarily change for the better. Life will become faster etc. After George receives his comeuppance, I quite liked the symbolic irony of him falling victim to a car accident.

Finally, it would be nice if production companies could have the courage of their convictions and actually left capable, intelligent directors to make films without interfering with their vision. Prod companies are still obsessed with preview viewings and initial reactions to films. Yes, sometimes a film might need altering, and most studios want a decent return on their investment but it would be good if they could keep faith even if a film receives an initially hostile reaction. Many great works of art have been initially misunderstood; and great films, like great art, stand the test of time.











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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
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Isn't the 131 version available at ALL? summerfields
Vote for a Dvd Release on TCM.com avril_mairowitz
An overrated movie suel41452
This is the worst movie I've seen in many years. HomerDPoe
Overrated or under-viewed? subtlenuance79
Ending ... I'm losing ,my hearing .... What happened LesterFester
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