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

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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   7,620 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 13% in popularity this week. See rank & trends 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:
(10 articles)
Stweeps #3
 (From FilmExperience. 21 June 2009, 11:03 AM, PDT)

In the meadow, we can pan a snowman
 (From Roger Ebert's Blog. 24 December 2008, 9:04 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Irony in the ending more

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:
Welles later described the 88 minute version as if "it had been edited by a lawnmower". 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...
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Lianna (1983) more
Soundtrack:
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
18 out of 21 people found the following comment useful:-
Irony in the ending, 15 April 2004
Author: dave-302 from New Jersey

This is a wonderful film, one of great pathos and sensitivity. Orson Welles was drawn to Tarkington's novel because Tarkington had been a friend of Welles' father and Welles identified strongly with the story, seeing something of his own family's history there.

Whether it is better than Kane is a fun question for film clubs to debate (I did once but I don't now), but it is interesting to note that while Orson Welles was particularly bitter that RKO re-shot his ending to make it more appealing to audiences, if you read the novel you will see that it is the novel's ending that RKO tacked on. Welles' ending was of his own invention and would have given the film a completely different tone.

So it is ironic that Welles always seemed to claim that RKO had destroyed the integrity of the novel's story when they only preserved it, if rather poorly in execution.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Vote for a Dvd Release on TCM.com avril_mairowitz
Notes on THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS JSlack3
Screening in Sydney DalloLama69
Overrated or under-viewed? subtlenuance79
Was The Original Cut Actually Better? evildead167
Airing on TCM March 9, 2009 @ 4:30 AM seandirector
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