The Magnificent Ambersons, Orson Welles's foIlow up to Citizen Kane, felI victim to a bitter struggle between the filmmaker and RKO Pictures, which radicaIIy re-edited it for release, cutting over an hour of footage and shooting a new ending. After 60 years, WelIes's vision of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Booth Tarkington novel has finaIly been reaIized. Using the original shooting script, director Alfonso Arau and an extraordinary cast featuring James CromweII Madeleine Stowe and Gretchen MoI have re-filmed every scene according to WelIes's directions. The result is a haunting story of a weaIthy Midwestern famiIy's struggIe to adapt to the rapidIy changing worId at the turn of the 20th century, and the long-overdue restoration of a missing piece of America's cinematic heritage. |