The Magnificent Ambersons (2000)

From Orson Welles' Original Screenplay

Finally, Orson Welles' masterpiece has been refilmed to reflect his original artistic vision. The Magnificent Ambersons, Welles' follow up to Citizen Kane, fell victim to a bitter struggle between the filmmaker and RKO Pictures, which radically re-edited it for release, cutting over an hour of footage and shooting a new ending.


After 60 years, Welles' vision of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Booth Tarkington novel has finally been realized. Using the original shooting script, director Alfonso Arau (Like Water For Chocolate) and an extraordinary cast featuring James Cromwell (Babe, L.A. Confidential), Madeleine Stowe (12 Monkeys, Short Cuts) and Gretchen Mol (Sweet and Lowdown), have re-filmed every scene according to Welles' directions. The result is a haunting story of a wealthy Midwestern family's struggle to adapt to the rapidly changing world at the turn of the 20th century, and the long overdue restoration of a missing piece of American cinematic heritage.