The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
Directed by Orson Welles, Fred Fleck

Film Review

Like Citizen Kane (1941), the film which Orson Welles directed immediately before it, The Magnificent Ambersons has acquired something of a legendary status and is often cited as one of the finest examples of cinematic art that came out of Hollywood in the Twentieth Century. But, unlike Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons was the victim of one of the most dreadful acts of misguided, profit-motivated vandalism that has befallen any work of art.  In spite of a blundering hatchet job imposed on the film by its production company RKO, the splendour of Welles's artistic vision still shines through.  We can only wonder at how great the film might have been had it survived intact as its creator had intended.

The Magnificent Ambersons is, if anything, a more ambitious work than Citizen Kane, in both the scale of its narrative and the grandness of its artistic design.  Based on the 1919 Pulitzer Prize winning novel of Booth Tarkington (which had previously been adapted for cinema as Pamperered Youth in 1925), the film recounts the fortunes of two families whose destinies are linked by unrequited love and the vagaries of great economic and social changes at the turn of the century.  The decline of the aristocratic Ambersons coincides with the rise of the resourceful Morgans, as the horse-drawn cart gives way to the automobile, as one way of life, marked by peace and dignity, is superseded by another, governed by haste and self-interest.  The changing times are reflected in the attitudes of the two generations portrayed in the film - the forbearance and humanity of Isabelle conflicting with the impetuosity and selfishness of her son George.

In what remains of the film, Welles's inspiration and attention to detail surpass what we see even in Citizen Kane (which is almost universally acknowledged to be his masterpiece), even if the narrative is at times choppy and confusing.  The Amberson mansion set - constructed as a realistic full-size interior - was one of the largest and most elaborate sets ever made in Hollywood; its leviathan scale dominates the film, providing an apt visual metaphor for both the Ambersons' power and status, and ultimately the extent of their tragic fall into ruin.

With his meticulous cinematographer Stanley Cortez, Welles brings a rich visual composition to every shot, skilfully using deep focus, long shadows and reverse cuts to evoke an eerie dreamlike quality, which Welles subverts brilliantly with some striking naturalistic touches (such as use of improvised dialogue).  The film is a haunting evocation of the ravages that time and human intolerance can bring, and of the transience and meaninglessness of material wealth.

It is indeed ironic that a film which is so fundamentally about the conflict between wealth, public perception and genuine human feeling should end up being mauled by film executives whose sole motivation was to win an audience and make a fast buck.  Fearful that The Magnificent Ambersons would meet with the same viewer antipathy that befell Citizen Kane a year earlier, RKO gathered feedback from various test screenings of the film.  Acting on the widely held view that the film was far too long (at 131 minutes) and too depressing for a wartime audience, RKO executives pressurised producer George Schaefer into making some radical changes to the film.  Out came the scissors - or rather the heavily rusted garden shears.

As Welles was out of the country at the time (he was busy shooting a propaganda film in Brazil), the job of making these changes fell to the film's editor Robert Wise (future director of West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music) and an unknown writer-director named Freddie Fleck.  Not only was the length of the film vastly reduced (down to 88 minutes), but new scenes were added, including a more optimistic (and totally unconvincing) ending.  Even with these changes (and quite possibly because of them), the film proved to be a commercial disaster.  Worse, RKO destroyed all of the unused footage so that any future restoration would be impossible.  Despite this, the film won critical acclaim and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Agnes Moorehead.

The failure of The Magnificent Ambersons tarnished the reputations of both Orson Welles and his producer George Schaefer.  It wasn't until 1946, with The Stranger (1946), that Welles was trusted with directing another film.  Schaefer was dismissed from RKO and gave up working in the film business.  The longevity and artistic excellence of The Magnificent Ambersons shows just how badly treated both men were by a short-sighted industry which is too often focused on getting a quick financial return, at the expense of artistic integrity.

Film Synopsis

In the later half of the 19th Century, the Ambersons have become one of the wealthiest and most revered families in Indianapolis.   The beautiful young Isabel is loved by Eugene Morgan, the son of a neighbouring family, who aspires to be a great inventor.  When Isabelle chooses to marry the wealthy Wilbur Minafer, Eugene leaves the county, and returns many years later having made his fortune as an automobile manufacturer.  Isabelle's union with Wilbur was loveless but produced an heir, George, who, thanks to his over attentive family, has grown up selfish and spiteful.  After Wilbur's death, Isabelle tries to rekindle her erstwhile love affair with Eugene, himself a widower with a daughter, Lucy, who catches George's eye.  When his aunt Fanny tells him of Isabelle's intention to marry Eugene, George is incensed and sets out to thwart the union, at any cost...