5/20/2023 0 Comments The magnificent ambersons novel![]() ![]() The plot is arguably not very plausible in several places, and is certainly tedious in the second half of the film. There is a dark bleakness that pervades the film, in part because of the story of this family's fall from grace while the world changes around them, but also in part because of Welles' heavy-handed treatment. The film feels emotionally sterile, and there is little believability in the connections between characters. On the other hand, the main character - the spoiled, entitled son - is so unlikeable that it makes watching often unpleasant. Lastly, Agnes Moorehead turns in probably the best performance in the film as the boy's frustrated aunt. ![]() It's ironic that Holt's character loves Cotten's daughter in turn, and Anne Baxter plays that part well, including a scene where she feigns indifference to his leaving town and toys with him, even though it's killing her inside. The scene where he calmly and rationally responds to an attack on cars is good. ![]() Joseph Cotten is full of grace as an automobile inventor who loves an Amberson widow, but has to contend with her hothead son (Tim Holt), who is as spoiled as they come. There are certainly positive aspects: Director Orson Welles was an artist and there are several beautiful shots, camera angles, and tracking sequences that are nice to see. I wanted to love it as a classic, but for me, 'The Magnificent Ambersons' fell well short of that. ![]()
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