Francis Ford Coppola Believes This Orson Wells' Movie “Would Have Been Better Than ‘Citizen Kane’”

Filmmaking has always been a tug-of-war between art and commerce, but perhaps never more so than in the 1940s.

The Magnificent Ambersons was Orson Welles's second feature film, released shortly after his success with Citizen Kane. It was supposed to be another triumph, but the production company turned it into an absolute disaster. Nevertheless, Coppola still recommends watching it.

Francis Ford Coppola Advocated for ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’

“My dear friend and wonderful colleague, the late Billy Friedkin said that understanding the riddle of The Magnificent Ambersons is the Holy Grail of cinema,” Coppola said to TCM.

The movie tells the story of the wealthy Amberson family and their decline in the early 20th century. Based on the novel by Booth Tarkington, it tells a story of love, loss, and the end of an era.

Despite the film not matching Welles' original vision, Coppola thinks it still deserves a watch.

“We never got the final Welles cut, but to see the film, it’s so beautiful and so unusual, that it just breaks your heart that we lost the chance of knowing… Who knows, maybe someday the real version will turn up. But even in its current form, it’s a masterpiece,” he concluded.

Where Is the Lost Footage of ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’?

Unfortunately, the production company destroyed the original footage once and for all. Welles himself explained the tragedy best in his book “This is Orson Welles,” writing:

“Even if I'd stayed in the US to finish ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’, I would've had to make compromises on the editing, but these would've been mine and not the fruit of confused and often semi-hysterical committees.”

Welles' original cut ran 131 minutes. What we see today is just 88 minutes of it. Perhaps the most gut-wrenching part is that the reason the film was cut is greed. RKO simply wanted to make room for other productions.

What Do Viewers Think About ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’?

• On Rotten Tomatoes, The Magnificent Ambersons has 89% from critics and 84% from the audience.
• On IMDb, The Magnificent Ambersons is rated 7.6/10.

“Welles’s masterpiece, imo. Even with the whole ending thing, it’s still the most satisfying movie he’s ever made for me - it’s just such wonderfully rich, vivid storytelling. And absolutely should have won Moorehead an Oscar,” Redditor glennyfromtheblock wrote.

“I really liked it. The ending obviously could have been better but I don't think it takes too much away from the rest of the movie,” Redditor edub1783 pointed out.

Where to Watch ‘The Magnificent Ambersons’ for Free?

You can watch the movie on Plex completely free of charge.