Dir: Orson Welles
1942
****
The Magnificent Ambersons may not be the finished article that Orson Welles wanted as it stands today but I can only imagine what he actually had in mind. It is beautifully directed and includes some fantastic performances by Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello and Tim Holt to name but a few. It's pure theatre, more theatre than cinema anyway but that's not a bad thing, particularly when it's Welles at the helm. It is famous for being cut to pieces in the editing room while Welles was out of the country and deemed a bit of a missed opportunity but without seeing the would be finished piece it's hard for anyone to comment but I would argue that it was in safe hands, those hands belonging to the great Robert Wise. Great but no Citizen Kane but then that's exactly the same unfair comparison that lead to its unpopularity.
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