Orson Welles’ second film after 1941’s classic “Citizen Kane” was another gem based on a 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington. “The Magnificent Ambersons” tells the story of the trials and tribulations of a wealthy Indianapolis family in the early 1900’s, with the new “horseless carriage” prominent in the storyline. Director-screenwriter Welles put together an engrossing melodramatic motion picture whose quality has held up over time.
The cast includes several actors of Welles’ Mercury Theater from “Kane” and others including Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorehead, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, Dolores Costello, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Richard Bennett, Don Dillaway, and Orson Welles as the narrator.
The watchable classic movie “The Magnificent Ambersons” under-performed at the box office, which lead to a financial loss for producer Orson Welles, Mercury Productions, and RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Moorehead), Best Black-and-White Cinematography (Stanley Cortez), and Best Art Direction.
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
cinema
My Review
Orson Welles’ second film after 1941’s classic “Citizen Kane” was another gem based on a 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington. “The Magnificent Ambersons” tells the story of the trials and tribulations of a wealthy Indianapolis family in the early 1900’s, with the new “horseless carriage” prominent in the storyline. Director-screenwriter Welles put together an engrossing melodramatic motion picture whose quality has held up over time.
The cast includes several actors of Welles’ Mercury Theater from “Kane” and others including Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorehead, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, Dolores Costello, Ray Collins, Erskine Sanford, Richard Bennett, Don Dillaway, and Orson Welles as the narrator.
The watchable classic movie “The Magnificent Ambersons” under-performed at the box office, which lead to a financial loss for producer Orson Welles, Mercury Productions, and RKO Radio Pictures. It was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Moorehead), Best Black-and-White Cinematography (Stanley Cortez), and Best Art Direction.