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The Magnificent Ambersons is Orson Welles's second feature, which followed his film debut and now bonafide classic Citizen Kane less than a year later. In many ways it is his most personal and most impressive feature, but it's also the one most damaged by insensitive studio re-editing, which sliced off 45 minutes of Welles's footage and tacked on a few disappointing new scenes. For the most part, The Magnificent Ambersons is a very close adaptation of Booth Tarkington's novel about the relentless decline of a wealthy Midwestern family through the rise of industrialization. Welles makes the story even more powerful through his stylish mastery of production design, lighting and cinematography. The film also features some of the best acting – alternatingly stylized and restrained – to be found in American movies, including that of Agnes Moorehead, Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, and Ray Collins.
The Magnificent Ambersons was added to the National Film Registry in 1991.