Cut from above

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

Directed by Orson Wells this film based on the novel of the same name stars Joseph cotton, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter and Tim Holt. The youngest member of a rich family grows up in a changing America.

The plot of this film is very much about the changing ways of life in America from the old upper class with money to the new industrial giants and the story works well as a metaphor for that. Behind the scenes there were was a large battle between the studio and Wells over the final edit and it does seem like the film may have lost some of it's more impressive sequences thanks to this. It is a shame that this is a good film that may have been a great one but for studio meddling.

4/5