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The Magnificent Ambersons
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The Magnificent Ambersons

1942
Drama
1h 28m
The young, handsome, but somewhat wild Eugene Morgan wants to marry Isabel Amberson, daughter of a rich upper-class family... (imdb)
Directed by:
Orson Welles Orson Welles
Written by:
Orson Welles Orson Welles Joseph Cotten Joseph Cotten Booth Tarkington Jack Moss
+3 more
Starring:
Joseph Cotten Joseph Cotten Agnes Moorehead Agnes Moorehead Tim Holt Tim Holt Anne Baxter Anne Baxter Dolores Costello Dolores Costello Ray Collins Ray Collins Erskine Sanford Erskine Sanford Don Dillaway Richard Bennett
More
Genre:
Drama
Country:
USA
Language:
English
imdb More information at IMDb
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The Magnificent Ambersons

1942
Drama
1h 28m
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Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 68.03% from 1093 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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fredericg54frederic_g54
Rated 22 Nov 2015
6
34th
Shot in gloomy, shadowy B&W, TMA seemed more interested in capturing a specific mood, time and place rather than telling a heartrending love story. Particularly frustrating since the latter is told through the film's most annoying character, George, rather than Eugene, rendering the entire romance tepid and unsatisfying. Earns some points, however, for what's perhaps the most unintentionally hilarious end credits sequence I've ever seen. Yes, we know you directed this film, you fat fuck.
Rated 22 Nov 2015
kasperlKasperL
Rated 08 Oct 2010
60
50th
Welles' first-rate narration and the solid introduction to the Amberson family were promising. Regrettably, the story never really takes off and Holt's insipid performance doesn't give us an in to the unlikable lead character of George. There's a lot left to admire (staging/framings, Baxter) and a few scenes stand out (Cotton being turned away at the deathbed of his beloved, Baxter laughing off Holt's theatrical goodbye) but in the end this is a merely okay melodrama with some very nice touches.
Rated 08 Oct 2010
eric_wkEric WK
Rated 15 Jun 2009
85
81st
It's ridiculous to think that a year after being given full control over Citizen Kane (and creating a masterpiece), the studio restricted Welles with this film. And yet there's still a lot of brilliant scenes and moments here, due in large part to the tone Welles used. Cotten is as good (and Baxter as beautiful) as ever, and the closing credits are a great touch.
Rated 15 Jun 2009
eveeluneveelun
Rated 22 Jan 2007
78
70th
Both intriguing and maddening, this film has a number of fascinating sequences (I particularly like Welles' melancholy narration) and shots, though as it is there's nothing as splendid or as daring as Kane. I wish we had Welles' original cut and not the studio version; the film is at its best when it's somber (the reported original ending) rather than sentimental (the ending we have)
Rated 22 Jan 2007
luna6ixLuna6ix
Rated 20 Jun 2009
75
52nd
While I failed to see the magnificence of the Ambersons--they were at times unlikable and much less interesting than the title would indicate--I did, however, see Welles' competence as a film maker, but not exactly as a writer. The best thing about this movie is the introductory narration by Welles, which is extremely satisfying. This movie does get a tad better toward the end, but the generally overly-theatrical nature of the characters counteracts that.
Rated 20 Jun 2009
mattorama12mattorama12
Rated 15 Apr 2019
63
42nd
It starts off so promising. I was really intrigued with opening narration and the set up, but the story just didn't really keep my attention. Plus George was an exceptionally annoying screen presence. I understand this was edited by the studio and probably accounts for the stiltedness of the story, but it's a little perplexing to me that this is considered one of Welles' masterpieces.
Rated 15 Apr 2019
billyshearsBillyShears
Rated 29 Dec 2020
80
77th
I’m afraid the great parts of this review are lost but what’s left is pretty stunning in parts. Orson Welles should’ve read every movie’s credits.
Rated 29 Dec 2020
paradigmaParadigma
Rated 03 Jan 2010
80
89th
Wish we could see the director's cut.
Rated 03 Jan 2010
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 24 Apr 2007
84
77th
A very good film that could have been great. You get a real feel that the movie is looking towards greatness but it doesn't get there. The ending especially is a big let down in several ways.
Rated 24 Apr 2007
ocelotOcelot
Rated 29 Jan 2014
70
73rd
God, it's like seeing a massacre on film. Welles said that the movie was "edited by a lawnmower," but I think that's an understatement. Welles's brilliant tracking shots and character arcs are ravaged by suits who seemed to make it their goal to lose even more money. This should have been one of the greatest films ever made, but alas, I have to rate it as what it is: flashes of genius butchered by lesser men. Fly the flag at half mast for this one, boys.
Rated 29 Jan 2014
tonydaltonydal
Rated 29 Sep 2007
65
29th
Don't know how they can say this is some kind of major triumph. Plodding and dull.
Rated 29 Sep 2007
jwestjwest
Rated 19 Aug 2007
80
79th
This is a good film, but it's too bad we will never get to see it as Welles intended.
Rated 19 Aug 2007
alex_watkinsAlex Watkins
Rated 17 Jun 2009
5
91st
The tacked on ending is obviously frustrating, but until that point it's a highly effective melancholy drama with a great cast of characters and (of course) beautiful, dark photography. It's not as fulfilling as it might have been otherwise because of the studio intervention but it's still well worth a look and a fantastic entry in Welles' catalogue. "For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been.'"
Rated 17 Jun 2009
andaghandagh
Rated 16 Aug 2009
77
50th
Welles' original cut would have probably been a masterpiece. As it is, the cinematography and Anne Baxter's cuteness are the main event.
Rated 16 Aug 2009
damildamil
Rated 25 Oct 2012
85
95th
Even though the studio tampered with this film a lot, I saw many instances of brilliant film-making. His theatre background showed itself once again here. The performances were good. I was particularly impressed by Agnes Moorehead. Yeah, I liked it a lot. It's probably one of the best portrayals and critiques of the wealthy I've seen. Recommended.
Rated 25 Oct 2012
walkearthwalkearth
Rated 30 Oct 2021
75
88th
2. A captivating film reminiscent of a big theater set piece with spectacular and extravagant set pieces, quirky lighting and bizarre angle shots. The script is so strong that it keeps the viewer enticed to all the beautiful writing that is present here. The story and the set of characters are intriguing, where the cast is so well picked and the roles are so splendidly enacted, that even an insufferable character such as the main protagonist becomes a major point of interest to the viewer.
Rated 30 Oct 2021
nobambanobamba
Rated 18 Feb 2019
95
97th
Can't help but wonder what was cut from this film. Even as-is, this has all the ingredients I enjoy: rich people problems, annoying prideful person gets his comeuppance, period movie, generational family drama. I agree with Orson Welles that the happy ending was stupid. Fav scene: heartbreaking one of mom not getting to see her love at her deathbed.
Rated 18 Feb 2019
clopinetteClopinette
Rated 07 Sep 2008
60
21st
Would've probably been so much better if the producers had kept their hands off Welles' work. The quickly thrown-together and slapped-on happy ending in which everything turns out alright via a three-minute monologue is especially ridiculous and left me with a feeling that can only be described as "lol wut".
Rated 07 Sep 2008
future42future42
Rated 10 May 2021
20
13th
Spoiled rich people being annoying for 1.5 hours. Very slow movie yet major plot events occur instantly, with no reason to make you care. Some good acting and filming bump this up from a 1 star to a 2 star.
Rated 10 May 2021
staryarabbistaryarabbi
Rated 25 Mar 2017
20
9th
Looking from today, it's terribly dated and has no subtlety at all. We have a Stavrogin-like character, George, who indeed has to be hanged because he tries to stay as an arsitocrat against a bourgeois. Some long shots and the self-reflexive part at the end don't suffice to make this a significant achievement in cinema. I don't have to endure this arrogant bastard George and Welles's overconfidence that he tells something revolutionary. No Orson, it's too pretentious and dumb. I don't buy this.
Rated 25 Mar 2017
cosmicmonkeyCosmicMonkey
Rated 23 May 2017
68
28th
I'll be generous and blame it on the mutilation of the final cut by RKO executives, but, (as one character would say,) By Jove! What a tediously boring mess! Granted there's some downright beautiful camerawork and long-takes, if anything, Welles knew how to compose a shot, but everything else about this: the story, the characters, the pacing, the editing, the sound, the acting; is completely uninteresting and unremarkable.
Rated 23 May 2017
yiannosYiannos
Rated 09 Dec 2018
80
92nd
The current 'butchered' version of T.M.A has greatness in it, but that tacked on 'happy' ending is totally counterintuitive and out of synch with proceeding events, which plot a clear downward trajectory for the titular family. Nonetheless, it's a finely acted eulogy for a bygone era, a sentiment evoked astonishingly in its opening montage that, combined with the dulcet tones of Welles' narration, communicates a tremendous feeling of nostalgia, sadness and loss.
Rated 09 Dec 2018
ratedarghratedargh
Rated 13 Jul 2012
80
65th
A very good drama about lost opportunities, pride and entitlement. It's a snapshot of a particular time and place of a people losing their grips on what they recognize as reality. It's a shame that it's so fragmented due to the studio interference. I did, however, really enjoy Welles' reading the credits in lieu of listing them visually. Nice, intimate touch.
Rated 13 Jul 2012
billkerwinbillkerwin
Rated 15 Mar 2010
99
98th
Marred by a studio-butchered ending, but possibly even greater than Kane. An elegaic film, filled with sadness for a vanished age. Dolores Costello is luminous, Joseph Cotton is excellent, and Agnes Moorehead's scene of emotional breakdown is incredibly moving.
Rated 15 Mar 2010
michaelm2391michaelm2391
Rated 08 Apr 2020
59
45th
it comes as no surprise to the knowed that this familial fuckfest is another turgid turd from orson. it's bearable only for its aesthetics and quick-moving plot (for a change), but i'm still unconvinced the big O shouldn't have preferred the frozen peas business instead of bothering with this faux-brained neutra-piece. "great shading", i would add, if i were quoting my high school art teacher. one extra point for george's hatred of cars.
Rated 08 Apr 2020
farzanFarzan
Rated 29 Mar 2009
70
59th
The Magnificent Ambersons is a good film, if not a tad boring. It is good, but its standard plot kept it from being a classic. Sorry Orson.
Rated 29 Mar 2009
twincinematwincinema
Rated 05 Jan 2022
80
75th
This is about a young man who tries to stop his mom from having sex. Orson Welles, you did it again!
Rated 05 Jan 2022
cerclerougeCercle_Rouge
Rated 15 Jun 2020
62
49th
Underwhelming and disappointing. There are some nice shots, but a lot of the acting is pretty hammy and the central themes, shoved down your throat, just do not grip, possibly because I couldn't bring myself to give a shit about what happened to any of the characters. The notoriously incongruous ending does not help, of course, but I'm not sure I'd enjoy the lost original much better. Would probably repay repeated viewing.
Rated 15 Jun 2020
djrossdjross
Rated 14 Aug 2007
91
98th
A second masterpiece from Welles that, extremely unfortunately, was butchered by the studio's insistence on appending an utterly wrongheaded conclusion.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
nobletNoblet
Rated 29 Apr 2011
79
67th
There's a lot to like-the film is directed brilliantly, the acting is great, and the sets are great. But the story is just too messy in it's cut down form and the ending is really bad.
Rated 29 Apr 2011
jschlanskyJSchlansky
Rated 14 Jun 2019
77
70th
Welles' narration is so good I might actually prefer just an audiobook version of the source material read by him
Rated 14 Jun 2019
moraesfelipemoraesfelipe
Rated 26 Oct 2018
90
95th
Family saga through the eyes of unspeakable heir, a man who just spends money - no career, no dreams, just pure greed. Gold is the ruin. He kind of falls for the daughter of Morgan, an inventor of automobiles, as his family starts tearing apart with deaths and the advance of technology. He also makes everything so his mom never marries the man she always loved - Morgan. So profoundly sad and ahead of its time. Third act is a mess without anything about the family's decay the city's modernization
Rated 26 Oct 2018
mentaculusMentaculus
Rated 10 Sep 2008
94
94th
I actually like this kind of plot, so Welles' take on the rise and fall of these American aristocrats has a certain poignancy and awe about it (just think of Cotten's monologue on automobiles and you'll find yourself reevaluating life). The acting is great all around - especially Cotten and Moorehead, which shouldn't be surprising at all. The ending however doesn't fit the tone of the rest of the picture and cheapens the overall experience; which even heavily edited, is still a tremendous one.
Rated 10 Sep 2008
nathanbatesNathanBates
Rated 03 Mar 2019
80
78th
This is a beautiful reminiscence of a past era, but, as most viewers know, gets stuck with a choppy ending that really takes away from what could have been a masterpiece.
Rated 03 Mar 2019
martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 14 Aug 2007
91
95th
Not as innovative as Kane or as daring as The Trial, it's still wonderfully constructed. Welles had a special talent for positioning characters. I'm a sucker for Joseph Cotten, and the rest of the cast is great, too (Agnes Moorehead may be a tad over-the-top). And the ending credits are superb. A truly fine experience, although ultimately frustrating because of the studio intervention.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
mandymandy
Rated 21 Mar 2013
5
18th
Feels somewhat disjointed and not the epic family saga that it should have been.
Rated 21 Mar 2013
caimancaiman
Rated 08 Mar 2013
69
34th
Note that I'm reviewing this film as it is, not as it should be. With that said, this was a big disappointment. Throughout it all I sensed the greatness within individual moments - the characters and dialog were written with the utmost attention to tone and theme. But these moments are strung together in a rushed, haphazard way, causing them to never gel into anything substantial. The movie needed about 45 more minutes. And that ending... my god what a sloppy tack-on.
Rated 08 Mar 2013
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 18 Jun 2009
65
65th
Better than Welles' inexplicably canonized feature debut Citizen Kane, with which it overlaps thematically, but not as good as his later works The Trial and Touch of Evil.
Rated 18 Jun 2009
caocaocaocao
Rated 12 Mar 2009
74
81st
A well crafted Orson Welles pic, The one that did him in. The acting is strong and the mansion set is fantastic which Welles makes compelling use of. It sort of falls apart at the end when the family declines so rapidly it's hard to tell just exactly what happened. The super sweet ending doesn't fit at all either.
Rated 12 Mar 2009
tjekhovTjekhov
Rated 21 Jun 2011
50
40th
Beautiful staging in depth and at times a clever narrative structure but nonetheless an incredibly unengaging story, overrated. 10 points for the ending credits.
Rated 21 Jun 2011
flatlandsFlatlands
Rated 28 Nov 2010
71
42nd
A perfectly interesting, but ultimately not that exciting Orson Welles film. Sporadically funny as well as confusing and bewildering, the plot bounds along at a fair pace, but aside from the (no doubt impressive) cinematographic improvements this film brought, there is little to really grab the imagination.
Rated 28 Nov 2010
punqPUNQ
Rated 15 Nov 2018
80
99th
Really stiff. Oozing of high pride and unconventional emotional response by Hollywood standards. Framed claustrophobically in dazzling elegance only matched by that of Josef von Sternberg, as if the presentation is more important than the personalities in it, also very unlike Hollywood. Orson Welles delivers a very self-centered project, where his vision is what it has to present. The downfall, and he loved downfalls, is magnificently done, but it only serves as the motion in his atmosphere.
Rated 15 Nov 2018
graveyardtangraveyardtan
Rated 09 May 2015
80
57th
Orson Welles continues his ruminations on avarice, industrialization, and loneliness, this time as a period melodrama. Joseph Cotton is brilliant, but Agnes Moorehead is the film's real tragic figure, a woman never respected as a woman, filled with grand loves and hopes that never materialize, only wither away with the cruel passage of time.
Rated 09 May 2015
sellissellis
Rated 07 Jul 2009
85
75th
The best scenes show so much promise that it becomes nearly impossible to give this any rating that truly represents how I feel about it. The snappy, at times powerful dialogue and elegant and masterfully inventive visualization is top notch Welles. However, I do believe from what I’ve read about the intended final product, that even the best version of this wouldn’t have surpassed CK. It treads over familiar thematic territory, making it impossible not to compare.
Rated 07 Jul 2009
theyshootpicTheyshootpic
Rated 17 Apr 2007
95
96th
# 51
Rated 17 Apr 2007
peyrinpeyrin
Rated 31 Aug 2019
60
32nd
A promising start that seemed like Welles was going to delve deeper into the distinctly American hedonism he explored in Kane gives way to a whole lot of melodrama that hardly feels like it resonates with anything in particular. I love his spoken credits.
Rated 31 Aug 2019
jpfergusonJPFerguson
Rated 11 Jul 2020
80
89th
Understandably when watching this one feels much is missing, and that's because it is. What's left is the impression of a great film, which no doubt would have been a masterpiece had Welles been given the right to edit as he saw fit. The studio enforced ending is one of the worst endings in film, and indeed a crime against good cinema. Nevertheless, what remains is still a powerful portrayal (I could watch the Holt-Moorehead relationship all day) of the downfall and disintegration of a family.
Rated 11 Jul 2020
valenzettiValenzetti
Rated 18 Oct 2010
89
84th
The studio butchering left the first half somewhat choppy and confusing, but riding it out and keeping my imagination going, by the time I was nearing the end the missing elements had become phantom limbs, and I found some sense of wholeness. A few of the shots rival Kane for wow-factor, yet they're all so masterfully subtle that they never threaten to pull you out of it. I'm not going to dwell on what could have been; I'm glad just to have another beautiful work by Welles.
Rated 18 Oct 2010
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 25 Jan 2015
85
59th
Man, this is great now, but think about how great it could have been. The final shot is easily the most badass thing a film director has ever done.
Rated 25 Jan 2015
theyshoot07theyshoot07
Rated 01 Mar 2008
98
96th
# 36
Rated 01 Mar 2008
kercKerc
Rated 26 Apr 2015
25
82nd
Better than Kane until the 83rd minute, then it picks up again at the 87th minute.
Rated 26 Apr 2015
nepetaNepeta
Rated 12 Mar 2013
80
68th
The film is expertly put together. The lighting both shrouding and revealing, the sets and costumes glorious, rich in detail and splendid to look at, the film's ability to charm, to entertain, to move. But the studio have left their mark - I would like to see someone try and come up with a more out of place, silly, cloying ending.
Rated 12 Mar 2013
braddad68braddad68
Rated 09 May 2012
96
91st
Excellent and very watchable, especially the first 30 minutes. Great job Orson Welles and the cast.
Rated 09 May 2012
lexlex
Rated 30 Jul 2012
95
91st
Stupid tacked on ending aside, Ambersons remains one of the greatest examples of Welles' innovative and directorial genius which stands on par with Citizen Kane in many aspects. Unlike some of Welles' other butchered works, it is still very easy to cherish and enjoy this (completely coherent) masterpiece of cinema and storytelling.
Rated 30 Jul 2012
bownBown
Rated 08 Nov 2022
78
46th
A really strong but obviously unfinished feature that kind of just ends up feeling like a bunch of stuff happening to a jerk without the structure a fuller version would have given it.
Rated 08 Nov 2022
zmoatszmoats
Rated 31 Jul 2016
86
75th
Orson Welles' juxtaposition of an industrializing America and a deteriorating family in The Magnificent Ambersons works on multiple levels. The adaptation of Booth Tarkington's book is the first, but Orson's direction brings it to a new place, specifically with the lighting and use of shadows that he so eloquently cultivated in Citizen Kane. Tim Holt (George Minafer), Joseph Cotten (Eugene Morgan), and Agnes Moorehead (Fanny Minafer) all give great performances, elevating the movie even further.
Rated 31 Jul 2016
kirschwasserKirschwasser
Rated 23 Mar 2020
100
98th
Perfect as it exists. We have to trust the hired gun editors were able to trim the fat from Welles' behemoth, because the film proceeds with great care towards its nihilistic ending. The real ending, I mean.
Rated 23 Mar 2020
theyshoot08theyshoot08
Rated 19 Dec 2008
98
96th
43
Rated 19 Dec 2008
brrrpbrrrp
Rated 19 Feb 2024
55
31st
What remains are moments of something wonderful: the monologue about the sun, or the montage of the city streets.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
stainStain
Rated 30 Mar 2007
80
68th
Good tragedy. Many things to admire
Rated 30 Mar 2007
greygwardargreygwardar
Rated 18 Apr 2024
80
72nd
aflickeringAFlickering
Rated 04 Jan 2014
5
73rd
on the horizon lurks the automobile-age and great upheaval (fitting that the film itself was befouled by corporate drives), but the artistically-tempered autobiographical protag clings to his rosebud at all costs. the aunt skulks around, a premonition of his approaching irrelevance, no longer needed to push the cart, perhaps no longer able. time doesn't march on so much as disappear into the miasma of the spreading city, whilst welles mourns a boy and an america lost.
Rated 04 Jan 2014
davidchoatedavid_choate
Rated 12 Jul 2016
91
76th
This is a film that is magnificent in spite of its studio butchering- beautifully fluid one-shot sequences have been chopped through the middle, inspired Shakespearian monologues have been hushed with fade-outs, intense close-ups have been ravaged with voiceover, and endings have been sweet-ified. Studio interference has practically become eponymous with Hollywood Welles, yet it is so easy to see the film this almost was, just under the surface of all that tampering.
Rated 12 Jul 2016
torontodogtorontodog
Rated 29 Mar 2008
95
97th
The "other" Orson Welles classic. Surprisingly, Citizen Kane is more famous, and yet this movie is a lot more accessible. This sweeping drama is pretty standard plot with good acting and directing. Somehow it reminded me of "It's a Wonderful Life", although it is sort of the opposite of that film, in terms of the plot. Still, it has aged well, even as the subplot about the good or bad qualities of the automobile still plays itself out in the real world.
Rated 29 Mar 2008
napolenbradynapolenbrady
Rated 09 Mar 2019
89
69th
89.00
Rated 09 Mar 2019
fenixdownfenixdown
Rated 16 Jan 2020
81
79th
What's left of it is pretty good!
Rated 16 Jan 2020
glm01glm01
Rated 29 Sep 2013
85
83rd
84.500
Rated 29 Sep 2013
sirstuckeySirStuckey
Rated 27 Feb 2017
55
28th
I was going to come on here and complain about how uneven it felt in regards to pacing and random jumps of time and I find out the studio took control of the editing and chopped it to shit. It's hard for me to rate. There are things that I liked but it's not a movie that appeals to me in the first place and I don't want to dog it too bad because the studio famously took a dump on it.
Rated 27 Feb 2017
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 02 Sep 2009
5
93rd
We all know the great tragedy of this film's fate, but what is done is done. Even so, studio bureaucracy could not completely snuff out the extraordinary feeling of Welles's raw footage. What a sad requiem about the bitterness of lost love and time. The years barrel forward, the world never stops spinning. The effect of a vanished epoch is remarkable: the very texture of the images seems antique. In some unfortunate and twisted way, the fact that half of this film is lost to the ages is apropos.
Rated 02 Sep 2009
puyaPuya
Rated 29 Mar 2009
90
90th
some how you can feel welles's power
Rated 29 Mar 2009
hulothulot
Rated 10 May 2010
100
96th
watched: 2010, 2020
Rated 10 May 2010
treyatwoodTreyAtwood
Rated 16 Jul 2009
67
33rd
The magnificient Ambersons: 9 // 7 // 7 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 5 // menos 2 pontos pela falta de foco
Rated 16 Jul 2009
paulinpaulin
Rated 06 Jun 2012
83
59th
my first Welles. by Jove was I excited!
Rated 06 Jun 2012
pianosamaPianoSama
Rated 20 Mar 2020
65
45th
The script is well put together, the cast turn in fine performances, the cinematography is great, & there's a lot of really clever attention to period detail. However, this failed to "click" with me on any level whatsoever, so there isn't a whole lot I can say about it. I found the characters very flat & uninteresting, the family drama bland, & the pacing unbearably slow. I do still wonder what it would have looked like had footage not been lost.
Rated 20 Mar 2020
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 13 Feb 2016
70
82nd
Amazing camera work.
Rated 13 Feb 2016
oskarhuoskarhu
Rated 04 Jul 2014
82
83rd
The structure of the film really suffered from the excessive editing. What a shame.
Rated 04 Jul 2014
pompousasspompousass
Rated 07 Dec 2010
100
98th
Welles himself isn't on screen in this one. The portentous Expressionism of Stanley Cortez's lighting, which transforms and denatures the bygone Midwest, is a more tangible force than Progress; and this alone accounts for the feeling of debilitation and desperation that pervades the cavernous home of American aristocracy, with its steep staircases, tiered balustrades, chilly foyer, and its unseen ghosts of forefathers and traditions.
Rated 07 Dec 2010
glmglm
Rated 04 Jul 2012
91
94th
90.500
Rated 04 Jul 2012
doyler29doyler29
Rated 18 Nov 2022
100
96th
Even in it's extremely compromised form, this is one of the greatest films ever made. I think if the final hour of the film hadn't been decimated into the nearly incoherent form we currently have, it would be known as Welles's greatest achievement. Agnes Moorehead is just astonishing here.
Rated 18 Nov 2022
theyshoot10theyshoot10
Rated 13 Jan 2010
98
96th
46
Rated 13 Jan 2010
davidthomsonDavidThomson
Rated 10 Sep 2012
90
80th
This might have been the greatest of American pictures, the clear and present expression of the tragedy that occurred in the land when such things as the motocar, personal obsession, and "development" eclipsed the late-eighteenth-century republic. I am speaking as if the movie we have is not our great tragedy. But it is, in two ways: as the masterwork on the screen, and as the story of its own ruin. The full film was lost - but its full meaning was vindicated.
Rated 10 Sep 2012
snallygastersnallygaster
Rated 03 Jun 2011
58
60th
Manages to be a very good movie despite having been recut by the studio against Welles' will -- the "happy ending" isn't the problem so much as getting there -- a turn that should have taken place over a good chunk of the movie instead happens seemingly overnight, among other skimmed-over plot points. It's still a very good film in its own right, and there's no guarantee that the original cut would have been better, but the viewer can't help wonder "what if?"
Rated 03 Jun 2011
icarusIcarus
Rated 30 May 2009
95
96th
I'm going to willfully ignore the final five minutes of this film, which were so obviously tacked on after the fact and have no tonal relationship with the rest of the film at all. Instead, allow me to heap praise on the typically (for Welles) varied use of the camera, offering what appears to be an infinite number of perspectives on the action, the expressive lighting that engulfs characters in the darkness or thrusts them into the light, and the melancholy tone that holds until that ending.
Rated 30 May 2009
mike365365mike365365
Rated 03 Jan 2021
58
27th
It is hard to care for these absolutely idiotic characters. I wonder if the uncut version would have made me care more?
Rated 03 Jan 2021
theyshoot11theyshoot11
Rated 30 Nov 2011
97
94th
#51
Rated 30 Nov 2011
karamazovkaramazov.
Rated 07 May 2019
46
61st
Kind of unratable.
Rated 07 May 2019
boxcarsBoxcars
Rated 15 May 2015
9
89th
While studio interference prevented "The Magnificent Ambersons" from equaling Welles's "Citizen Kane", it's nonetheless plain to see that the film is a masterful piece of elegiac storytelling, competently weaved on all fronts.
Rated 15 May 2015
jazzalohaJazzaloha
Rated 22 Nov 2009
58
25th
Terrific filmmaking at times, but it really does feel tampered with.
Rated 22 Nov 2009

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