The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
The spoiled young heir to the decaying Amberson fortune comes between his widowed mother and the man she has always loved.
22,568
Cast & Crew
Top Billed Cast
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Eugene Morgan -
Isabel Amberson Minafer -
Lucy Morgan -
George Minafer -
Fanny Minafer -
Jack Amberson -
Roger Bronson -
Major Amberson -
Full cast
Directors:
Orson Welles , Fred Fleck , Robert WiseWriters:
Booth Tarkington (from the novel by), Orson Welles (script writer)All Cast & Crew
Reviews & Commentary
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The preview of the movie occurred a short time after Pearl Harbor. Because of this, most of the audience review cards stated that they didn't want to see a depressing movie, and that it should have more laughs and a happy ending. With Orson Welles out of the country, the production team had to make the cuts and changes without his input.
Quotes
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 ...
Goofs
When Eugene and Lucy leave the Amberson mansion after the big party and drive away in the Morgan automobile, the top of the painted "trees" back drop can then be seen at the top of the Frame for most of the shot as they both drive away.
Crazy Credits
All of the credits except the RKO logo, the film's title and the copyright notice are recited orally (by Orson Welles) at the end of the film, not written out onscreen. As Welles recites the names of the production crew, we see such items as a motion picture camera when he says "Director of Photography," a pair of hands turning knobs as he says the words "Sound Recording By," etc.
Alternate Versions
From "Magnificent Obsession," a Vanity Fair article by David Kamp from April 2000: "On March 11, Wise sent a 132-minute composite print (a print with picture and soundtrack synchronized) to Rio for Welles to review. This is the version that scholars and Wellesophiles consider to be the 'real' Magnificent Ambersons. Curiously enough, the first blow against this version was dealt not by RKO but by Welles himself. Before he'd even received the composite print, he impulsively ordered Wise to cut 22 minutes from the middle of the film, mostly scenes concerning George Minafer's efforts to keep his mother and Eugene apart. Wise complied, and on March 17, 1942, The Magnificent Ambersons, in this form, had its first preview screening, in the Los Angeles suburb of Pomona. Sneak previews are a notoriously unreliable gauge of a film's worth and potential for success, and RKO did The Magnificent Ambersons a particular disservice by previewing it before an audience composed mostly of escapism-hungry teenagers, who had come to see the movie at the top of the bill, The Fleet's In, a feather-light wartime musical starring William Holden and Dorothy Lamour."
Soundtracks
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo(1892) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Fred Gilbert
Sung a cappella by Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter,
Tim Holt, Agnes Moorehead and Ray Collins
Storyline
Plot Summary
Genres
Drama | RomanceDetails
Release Date:
10 July 1942Language
English
Country of Origin
USAFilming Locations
Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USABox Office
Budget:
$850,000 (estimated)
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