Review of The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) by Randy P — 17 Jan 2009

Just awful. The characters were all so dull and insipid, and the whole movie came off as a boring mess. The acting, when it had my attention, was solid, and as with all Welles' pictures the cinematography was very well executed.

The lighting however was atrocious, and I imagined while watching this movie that with all of the darkness around the edges and narrowly focused lights that this must be what it's like to have glaucoma.

I feel like I should give it another try, but I really don't want to sit through it again. I'll chalk this one up to the fact that the studios had their way with it, cutting and re-editing Welles' finished product, because this is the first of his films I haven't liked.

And boy, did I not like it.