The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

Calificación de los usuarios:

8.0/10   

Director:

Orson Welles
(más)

Escritores:

Booth Tarkington (novel)
Orson Welles (screenplay)
(más)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

10 julio 1942 (USA)

Género:

Drama

Frase comercial:

From the Man who Made "The Best Picture of 1941"

Plot:

The spoiled young heir to the decaying Amberson fortune comes between his widowed mother and the man she has always loved.

Plot Keywords:

Spoiled Child | Marriage Proposal | Progress | Pulitzer Prize Source | Small Town

Premios:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins

Comentarios de los usuarios:

A marvellous portrait of a by-gone era

Reparto

Joseph Cotten	...	Eugene Morgan
Dolores Costello	...	Isabel Minafer
Anne Baxter	...	Lucy Morgan
Tim Holt	...	George Minafer
Agnes Moorehead	...	Fanny Minafer
Ray Collins	...	Jack Minafer
Erskine Sanford	...	Roger Bronson
Richard Bennett	...	Maj. Amberson
Orson Welles	...	Narrator (voice)
listado alfabético del resto del reparto:
Edwin August	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Georgia Backus	...	Matron (uncredited)
Olive Ball	...	Mary - Maid (uncredited)
Jack Baxley	...	Rev. Smith (uncredited)
William Blees	...	Young Man at Accident (uncredited)
Lyle Clement	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Bobby Cooper	...	George Minafer as a Boy (uncredited)
Don Dillaway	...	Wilbur Minafer (uncredited)
John Elliott	...	Guest (uncredited)
Keenan Elliott	...	Workman (uncredited)
William Elmer	...	Servant (uncredited)
James Fawcett	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Mel Ford	...	Fred Kinney (uncredited)
Nancy Gates	...	Girl (uncredited)
Jesse Graves	...	Servant (uncredited)
Nina Guilbert	...	Guest (uncredited)
Maynard Holmes	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Edward Howard	...	Chauffeur (uncredited)
Harry Humphrey	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Elmer Jerome	...	Attendee at Funeral (uncredited)
J. Louis Johnson	...	Sam - Butler (uncredited)
Lew Kelly	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Del Lawrence	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Bert LeBaron	...	Citizen (uncredited)
John Maguire	...	Young Man (uncredited)
Philip Morris	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Lillian Nicholson	...	Landlady (uncredited)
Anne O'Neal	...	Mrs. Foster (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Charles Phillips	...	Uncle John (uncredited)
Robert Pittard	...	Charles Johnson (uncredited)
Hilda Plowright	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Drew Roddy	...	Elijah (uncredited)
Henry Roquemore	...	Hardware Man (uncredited)
Jack Santoro	...	Barber (uncredited)
Gus Schilling	...	Drug Clerk (uncredited)
Kathryn Sheldon	...	Matron (uncredited)
Dorothy Vaughan	...	Mrs. Johnson (uncredited)
James Westerfield	...	Policeman at Accident (uncredited)
Joe Whitehead	...	Citizen (uncredited)

Dirigida por
Orson Welles
Fred Fleck		(additional sequences) (uncredited)
Robert Wise		(additional sequences) (uncredited)

Créditos del guión
Booth Tarkington		(novel)
Orson Welles		(screenplay)
Jack Moss		(additional scenes) uncredited and
Joseph Cotten		(additional scenes) uncredited

Producida por
Jack Moss	....	associate producer (uncredited)
George Schaefer	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Orson Welles	....	producer (uncredited)

Música original por
Bernard Herrmann		(uncredited)

Fotografía por
Stanley Cortez
Jack MacKenzie		(uncredited)
Orson Welles		(uncredited)

Montaje por
Robert Wise
Jack Moss		(uncredited)
Mark Robson		(uncredited)

Diseño de producción por
Albert S. D'Agostino		(uncredited)

Decorados
Darrell Silvera		(uncredited)

Departamento de maquillaje
Mel Berns	....	makeup department head (uncredited)
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Maurice Seiderman	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Ayudante de dirección
Fred Fleck	....	assistant director (as Freddie Fleck)

Departamento de Arte
A. Roland Fields	....	set dresser (as Al Fields)
Mark-Lee Kirk	....	set designer
Chesley Bonestell	....	background paintings (uncredited)

Departamento de sonido
Bailey Fesler	....	sound recordist
James G. Stewart	....	sound recordist
James Thompson	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Efectos especiales
Vernon L. Walker	....	special effects (uncredited)

Especialistas
David Sharpe	....	stunt double: Tim Holt (uncredited)
Helen Thurston	....	stunt double: Anne Baxter (uncredited)

Cámara y Departamento Eléctrico
Russell A. Cully	....	cinematographer: additional scenes (uncredited)
William Eglinton	....	camera department head (uncredited)
Eddie Garvin	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Ralph Hoge	....	grip (uncredited)
Alexander Kahle	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Bill McLellan	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Russell Metty	....	additional photographer (uncredited)
Russell Metty	....	cinematographer: additional scenes (uncredited)
Earl Miller	....	electrician (uncredited)
Nicholas Musuraca	....	cinematographer: additional scenes (uncredited)
Howard Schwartz	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Bert Shipman	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Harry J. Wild	....	cinematographer: additional scenes (uncredited)

Departamento de reparto
Rufus Le Maire	....	casting: Hollywood (uncredited)
Robert Palmer	....	casting: Hollywood (uncredited)
Arthur Willy	....	casting: New York (uncredited)

Departamento de vestuario
Edward Stevenson	....	wardrobe: ladies
Claire Cramer	....	wardrobe department head (uncredited)
Earl Leas	....	wardrobe: men (uncredited)
Margaret Van Horn	....	wardrobe: women (uncredited)

Departamento de Edición
Mark Robson	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
I.J. Wilkinson	....	negative cutter (uncredited)

Departamento de Música
Dave Dreyer	....	music department head (uncredited)
Bernard Herrmann	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Roy Webb	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Departamento de Transporte
Elroy G. Cline	....	transportation captain (uncredited)

Otros miembros del equipo
William Alland	....	assistant: Mr. Welles (uncredited)
John Barada	....	ranch manager (uncredited)
Leda Bauer	....	script reader: New York (uncredited)
Howard Benedict	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Herbert Drake	....	publicist (uncredited)
H. Emolieff	....	film export manager (uncredited)
Winifred Hablam	....	production notes (uncredited)
John Hamilton	....	first aid (uncredited)
Ross Hastings	....	production attorney (uncredited)
G.B. Hobe	....	production treasurer (uncredited)
Amalia Kent	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
J.B. McDonough	....	business manager (uncredited)
Elizabeth McGaffey	....	research department head (uncredited)
Ivy R. McLean	....	public relations (uncredited)
L. Messenger	....	script reader: Hollywood (uncredited)
Howard Nelson	....	maintenance (uncredited)
J.J. Nolan	....	office manager (uncredited)
Roy S. Otto	....	dailies projectionist (uncredited)
Sid Rogell	....	backlot manager (uncredited)
Ann Rogers	....	secretary: Mr. Welles (uncredited)
Louis Shapiro	....	location manager (uncredited)
Richard Wilson	....	assistant: Orson Welles (uncredited)
H. Winnicar	....	studio teacher (uncredited)

Compañías Productores

• Mercury Productions
• RKO Radio Pictures

Distribuidores

• RKO Radio Pictures (1942) (USA) (theatrical)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Radio Filmes (Portugal)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Turner Classic Movies (TCM) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)

También conocida como:

El cuarto mandamiento (Spain) [es]
Soberbia (Venezuela) [es]

Duración:

88 min | 148 min (original cut) | 131 min (preview)

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés

Color:

Negro y Blanco

Relación de Aspecto:

1.37 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Clasificación:

USA:TV-PG | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:12 | UK:U

Locaciones de Filmación:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Compañía:

Mercury Productions

Trivialidades:

One of former silent star Dolores Costello's last roles. She was forced to retire from the film business as her face had become badly scarred by early film make-up which was highly caustic.

Errores:

Personal o Equipo Visible: Towards end of long tracking shot with George and Lucy in horse-drawn carriage, portion of rear end of camera car and some sort of filmmaking equipment briefly enters left side of frame.

Citas:

[first lines]
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 who wore silk or velvet...

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in "House Calls: The Magnificent Weatherbys (#2.16)" (1981)

Banda de Sonido:

The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo

A marvellous portrait of a by-gone era

As most reviewers have stated, Welles' film suffered at the hands of studio interference and it is to the film's credit that, despite such butchery, it still remains a marvellous piece of entertainment.

The emotional story revolves around family relationships, about love denied, unrequited or made to suffer. It is also a social portrait of the failure of one family to come to terms with progress (symbolised by the motor car in the film).

Tim Holt is excellent as George Minafer and I think we are meant to view him ambivalently: he is both a loveable ne'er do well as well as a spoiled egotist who puts his emotions/feelings before everyone else's. Agnes Moorehead deservedly won praise for her portrait of the plain Aunt Fanny. Her final disintegration (blackly comic when George thinks she's scalding herself at a hot boiler only to be told that there's no water due to their reduced circumstances) mirrors the descent of the Ambersons into obscurity and genteel poverty. The only memory of their faded glory is in the names they give to the new roads leading to the suburbs.

As with ‘Citizen Kane', wealth does not always protect people from unhappiness. And it's interesting to note how the Amberson's huge mansion, once the social centre of town with its balls & serenades, becomes an empty derelict monument to a by-gone age.

In a sense, the whole film is ambivalent. You can't stop progress as Eugene (Joseph Cotton) states in the dramatic scene where he & George clash over motor cars, but Gene is also aware that things might not necessarily change for the better. Life will become faster etc. After George receives his comeuppance, I quite liked the symbolic irony of him falling victim to a car accident.

Finally, it would be nice if production companies could have the courage of their convictions and actually left capable, intelligent directors to make films without interfering with their vision. Prod companies are still obsessed with preview viewings and initial reactions to films. Yes, sometimes a film might need altering, and most studios want a decent return on their investment but it would be good if they could keep faith even if a film receives an initially hostile reaction. Many great works of art have been initially misunderstood; and great films, like great art, stand the test of time.