Small Town Film Series: The Magnificent Ambersons
Thursday, March 6, 2025
6:00 PM–7:30 PM
Auditorium
(See the event location map)
Get directions to the Clark
The Clark presents a series of films highlighting the charm of small towns.
The series kicks off with The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). Spanning the turn of the nineteenth century into the twentieth, Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons follows the declining fortunes of the wealthiest family in town, through the spoiled young heir, George (Tim Holt). This twisting family saga is propelled by nostalgia, jealousy, and disappointed hopes. As the Ambersons fall, the town they were once the talk of begins to change as it, too, absorbs the shifts of the new century. Adapted from Booth Tarkington’s 1918 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, this was Welles’ second feature film. The film ultimately spiraled out of Welles’ control as the studio, RKO, significantly cut the film and reshot the ending. As Welles recalled in a conversation with Peter Bogdanovich (whose 1971 ode to Welles, The Last Picture Show, will also be shown as part of this series), “My whole third act is lost because of all of the hysterical tinkering that went on.” This third act remains lost to history, haunting the ending that remains. (Run time: 1 hour, 28 minutes)
Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524.
Image: The Magnificent Ambersons, Orson Welles, 1942
The series kicks off with The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). Spanning the turn of the nineteenth century into the twentieth, Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons follows the declining fortunes of the wealthiest family in town, through the spoiled young heir, George (Tim Holt). This twisting family saga is propelled by nostalgia, jealousy, and disappointed hopes. As the Ambersons fall, the town they were once the talk of begins to change as it, too, absorbs the shifts of the new century. Adapted from Booth Tarkington’s 1918 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, this was Welles’ second feature film. The film ultimately spiraled out of Welles’ control as the studio, RKO, significantly cut the film and reshot the ending. As Welles recalled in a conversation with Peter Bogdanovich (whose 1971 ode to Welles, The Last Picture Show, will also be shown as part of this series), “My whole third act is lost because of all of the hysterical tinkering that went on.” This third act remains lost to history, haunting the ending that remains. (Run time: 1 hour, 28 minutes)
Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524.
Image: The Magnificent Ambersons, Orson Welles, 1942
