Any word on MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (1942) on DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Nathan_H]

I should check out that discussion...

(Even if the trailer has just a second or two of the missing scene, it would be usable as a still to illustrate the missing scenes mis-en-scene

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Sounds like enough to give a computer something to work with to recreate the sequence...

now *that* would be some CGI worth while, IMO.

-dave

 

[Mark Zimmer]

It should be possible to do something of the sort; a fellow in alt.movies.silent has done a couple-second animation of some stills from London After Midnight that give one a fun little glimmer of that utterly lost film, and I think he knocked that off in a few hours.
Of course, I'm also a big believer in trying to recreate the lost and unfinished, as anyone who visits our site, http://www.unheardbeethoven.org will find out.

 

[JohnRice]

Looking at my CLV LD of Ambersons, I don't see any mention of a trailer.

 

[Patrick McCart]

The cut scenes do exist. They're in one of Paramount's vaults according to The History of Narrative Film.

The question is...are they in a usable form and who could take the time to sort through thousands of reels to find this.

 

[Jon Robertson]

Well, Patrick, if this were true, I'm certain hundreds of Welles enthusiasts would have volunteered to search through Paramount's vaults free of charge - God knows I would!

 

[Jeff Wilson]

Yes, if the cut footage existed in Paramount's vaults, it would have long since been located. Considering that Ambersons is one of, if not the, holy grail of lost films, there's no way it would just be sitting there waiting for somebody to dig it up. The original footage was burnt up by RKO for the silver content in the late 40s.

I checked my Criterion LD set, and while it does not have the trailer, it has the complete storyboards, complete shooting script, and Welles commenting on the new ending (from the early 80s BBC interview he did).

 

[Nathan_H]

I must admit, I wasn't thinking CGI-recreation! (I ain't that good Just something like a slide show using stills where they exist, then storey boards (need to check my CAV LD and see whether the storey boards have the dialogue written on them) if necessary, then script shots, where nothing else is available.

I don't think anyone would find it entertaining, other than Welles fanatics. But what the heck.

Of course, I was thinking I could work solely from the Criterion LD info and "The Magnificent Ambersons : A Reconstruction" by Robert L. Carringer, and assume I was doing the right thing. After reading the stuff on Wellesnet, I'm no longer so sure! Gotta think it through some more.