THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS
US, 1942, 88 minutes, Black and white.
Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins, Erskine Sandford, Richard Bennett. Narrated by Orson Welles.
Directed by Orson Welles.
The Magnificent Ambersons is now considered a flawed masterpiece. Originally running at 148 minutes, it was cut for preview to 131 minutes and finally for release to 88 minutes. Despite so many cuts, against director Orson Welles’s wishes, the film was still nominated for best film at the Academy Awards as other nominations.
The film was based on a novel by Booth Tarkington, source of a number of films like Monsieur Beaucaire and, from his Penrod novels, the Doris Day features On Moonlight Bay and By the Light of the Silvery Moon.
Welles uses a number of his regular players, especially from Citizen Kane, released the year before, including Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead and Ray Collins. Dolores Costello is the leading lady, Anne Baxter her rival and, especially, a strong performance by Tim Holt as the very spoilt young man.
The film moves over the decades in its portrait of a wealthy and snobbish family, a young man, played by Joseph Cotten, who wanted to marry the daughter of the family but who marries someone else instead. Later, he pursues her after he becomes a widower and she is interested in marrying him but is attacked by her spoilt son.
The film is a piece of Americana, tracing the atmosphere of rich families in the late 19th century. It is also striking in the style of direction by Welles who had burst on the world of cinema with Citizen Kane and was to make a number of striking films in the 40s and 50s including Journey into Fear, Lady from Shanghai and his versions of Shakespeare, Macbeth and Othello.
1. How well does this film stand as a classic of the forties? Quality of technique and content? Orson Welles and his film-making? The development of the Citizen Kane mystique?
2. How well adapted was the original novel for the screen? The use of Morgan's narrative device? Involvement of the audience in the story via narrative?
3. How significant the presentation of the Ambersons as representing the past? The Morgans representing the future in America? The picture of an American family and its history, representing recent American history? What insight into America and Americans?
4. What comment did the film make on the changes of history, the nature of society and the effect of changes, money, manners, human relationships? The significance of cars as a symbol of the change, the future, materialism?
5. Comment on Orson Welles' cinematic techniques of the use of light and darkness, quality of editing, realistic and symbolic sets?
6. The initial portrayal of the past, the Amberson's house, the quality of society and their manners, the Ambersons and their reputation, people's reactions to them, Morgan's? The disdain of the Ambersons for Morgan?
7. Isobel Amberson and her wilfulness? Rejection of Morgan, motivation for marrying Wilbur? The birth of George, an obnoxious child, people's hostile reaction, George's growing older and his doting mother and father, grandfather?
8. The contribution of the minor characters, the Major, Fanny and her relationship to Isobel, to George? Jack? The Amberson household and servants? What picture of aristocratic American society did this give?
9. How repellent a character was George? His wilfulness as a child? His being spoilt as he grew older? People wanting to see his comeuppance? How much did the audience want to see this?
10. The central focus of Morgan and his love for Isobel? His mistake? His life of marriage and his daughter? A man of the future, inventing cars? The significance of his return, the kind of man he was, his impact on Isobel? His love for Lucy? George's hostility and thwarting his mother's love for Morgan? His hatred of Morgan?
11. The complex relationship between Lucy and George? The fact that it could not come to fruition? The reasons for their relating well? The possibility of love?
12. George as wilful in society? Overspending money? Not taking account of the future?
13. The pathos of Isobel's death? George's hostility? Morgan's sorrow? The repercussions in terms of money?
14. Fanny and her devotion to George? The relationship between the two? What kind of woman was Fanny? How inexplicable? The changes of moods?
15. Fanny's protection of George and caring for him in his difficulties?
16. The theme of money, the Morgans and their having it, Lucy’s wanting to help George? George's losing it and searching for a job? His accident? His need for forgiveness?
17. How interesting a drama of human relationships? How interesting a development of the themes of history, change, society, Americanism?
