Overview
A tale of love, jealousy, and the consequences of privilege unfolds in a small town.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- wistful
- somber
- melancholic
- classic cinema evening
- literary drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Orson Welles's adaptation as a richly atmospheric and emotionally powerful study of family privilege, romantic regret, and social decline.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
George Minafer's wealth and social position foster entitlement, cruelty, and indifference to the consequences facing his family.
Eugene Morgan and Isabel Amberson remain emotionally connected despite her earlier marriage and the passage of years.
The Amberson family's fading status is contrasted with Eugene's successful automobile business and changing social values.
The film's Amberson interiors and family confrontations reflect Orson Welles's theatrical, highly composed visual approach.
Films like The Magnificent Ambersons, and why
The Age of Innocence
period family drama about class privilege, romantic regret, and social change
Howards End
emotionally restrained historical romance shaped by class expectations and thwarted love
The Heiress
classic domestic drama examining wealth, family pressure, and romantic sacrifice
The House of Mirth
American period melodrama about family status, desire, and personal consequences
Movie Details
- Director
- Orson Welles
- Release Date
- 1942-07-10
- Runtime
- 88 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (498)
Cast
- Joseph Cotten
- Dolores Costello
- Anne Baxter
- Tim Holt
- Agnes Moorehead
- Ray Collins
- Erskine Sanford
- Richard Bennett
- Orson Welles
- Edwin August
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Magnificent Ambersons about?
- A privileged young heir sabotages his widowed mother's second chance at love as his family's old-world status begins to collapse.
- What is The Magnificent Ambersons like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Magnificent Ambersons as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Magnificent Ambersons violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Magnificent Ambersons.
- What did critics think of The Magnificent Ambersons?
- Critics broadly regard Orson Welles's adaptation as a richly atmospheric and emotionally powerful study of family privilege, romantic regret, and social decline.
- Which films are like The Magnificent Ambersons?
- Films with a similar feel include The Age of Innocence, Howards End, The Heiress, and The House of Mirth.
- How long is The Magnificent Ambersons?
- The Magnificent Ambersons runs 88 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Magnificent Ambersons?
- In United States, The Magnificent Ambersons is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
