Episode 143 · Film year 1942
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
- Special Guests
- William Friedkin, Joseph McBride, Christopher Welles Feder, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Rosenbaum
- Guest Co-Hosts
- Roger L. Ryan, Rob St. Mary, Justin Bozung
Show notes
An episode two years in the making...
Orson Welles's follow-up to Citizen Kane adapted Booth Tarkington's Pulitzer prize-winning novel about industrial progress and the loss of innocence set against a tumultuous family, the Ambersons.
Welles infamously lost control of The Magnificent Ambersons before its final release. We'll examine its production, its destruction, and attempts to restore what many consider Welles's forgotten masterpiece.
We're joined by guest co-host Roger L. Ryan. And...there's a special appearance by Mondo Justin!
Orson Welles's follow-up to Citizen Kane adapted Booth Tarkington's Pulitzer prize-winning novel about industrial progress and the loss of innocence set against a tumultuous family, the Ambersons.
Welles infamously lost control of The Magnificent Ambersons before its final release. We'll examine its production, its destruction, and attempts to restore what many consider Welles's forgotten masterpiece.
We're joined by guest co-host Roger L. Ryan. And...there's a special appearance by Mondo Justin!
Labels: Jonathan Rosenbaum Joseph Cotten Joseph McBride Mondo Justin Pick Orson Welles Peter Bogdanovich William Friedkin
Watch
Music credits
- The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo - Charles Coburn
- The Union Forever - The White Stripes (Redd Blood Cells mix)
- Sources:
- Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story
- BBC Four - Arena, The Orson Welles Story
- This is Orson Welles
Links & resources
- Buy The Magnificent Ambersons on Blu-ray (opens in a new tab)
- Visit a comprehensive Magnificent Ambersons website (opens in a new tab)
- Read Mike Thomas's The Decline & Fall of The Magnificent Ambersons (opens in a new tab)
- Read David Kamp's Magnificent Obsession (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Jonathan Rosenbaum's Discovering Orson Welles (opens in a new tab)
- Visit the Jonathan Rosenbaum website (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Joseph McBride's Whatever Happened to Orson Welles? (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Joseph McBride's Orson Welles (opens in a new tab)
- Visit the Joseph McBride website (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Peter Bogdanovich's This is Orson Welles (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Robert L. Carringer's The Magnificent Ambersons: A Reconstruction (opens in a new tab)
- Buy Chris Welles Feder's In My Father's Shadow: A Daughter Remembers Orson Welles (opens in a new tab)
- Read ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’: The Fascinating Story of Orson Welles’ Studio-Tainted Masterpiece at Cinephilia and Beyond (opens in a new tab)
- Read ‘Magnificent Ambersons’ reconstruction to use animation for lost scenes by Ray Kelly (opens in a new tab)
- Download The Magnificent Ambersons audio book (opens in a new tab)
- Visit the WelleNet website (opens in a new tab)
- Special thanks to Peggy Daub of the Special Collections Library at the University of Michigan (opens in a new tab)
Related episodes
Episodes that share keywords with this one.
The Other Side of the Wind
Shared: Director Orson Welles, Peter Bogdanovich, Orson Welles
Joseph McBride, Andrew J. Rausch
Othello (1951)
Shared: Director Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles
Samantha White, Joseph McBride
The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
Shared: Director Orson Welles, Erskine Sanford, Orson Welles
Spencer Parsons, Peter Flynn
F for Fake (1973)
Shared: Director Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles
Matthew Asprey Gear, Peter Flynn, Spencer Parsons
Chimes at Midnight (1965)
Shared: Director Orson Welles, Orson Welles
David MacGregor, Spencer Parsons
Comments (2)
ejluther I'm quite a ways into this epic episode and it's, well, Magnificent! I only hope we find out how we can see this Ryan reconstruction edit of this wonderful film. Thanks for all the hard work - your enthusiasm and professionalism make your podcast a true gem...cheers!Anonymous Another excellent job of cultural archeology... intrigued about the Ryan reconstruction and while looking around, found these on YouTube - a bunch of film students reenacted those missing sections as a thesis project Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H3Va84XDq4 Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMUL2CdS9Ug Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVzKgGQeB9k