Roger Ryan's Magnificent Ambersons reconstruction

[RayKelly]

I have gone through the forums and I really don't understand what Mr. Ryan's reconstruction is. If I have missed it, I am sorry to be a pest. Does it use actors to recreate the missing scenes? Stills with voiceovers? It sounds like an ambitious project and one that if done properly would be a great bonus for Warners to put on an eventual DVD release.

[Store Hadji]

Stills with voiceovers. Some of the stills are animated. So, that would make them animations, not stills! Ha! That's grammar!

Roger used music cues that were left out by RKO (he got them from an OOP CD.)

The reconstruction runs 20 minutes or so longer than the release version.

It follows the 131-minute continuity, and not Orson's "Big Cut" version which previewed at Pomona.

I think there was some interest at Locarno for an "official" reconstruction to be done. But at the moment we luckily have Roger's version and the Jamie/Mteal version to let us better appreciate the film and get a glimpse into what might have been.

[RayKelly]

Thanks for the info. That sounds like a great project. I have a couple of original Ambersons stills. I was amazed with the ones shown in the Carringer book. It would be a great bonus on an official release.

[Store Hadji]

check out the stills on ambersons.com - amazing stuff.

[Roger Ryan]

Something I suspected but only got confirmation this year is that some of the "Ambersons" stills are actual frame blow-ups from the original film negative, not just publicity stills. Reportedly, Welles had these made himself (possibly to use as visual references in the post-production stage). He allowed Peter Bogdanovich to use a number of them in the "This Is Orson Welles" book and Robert Carringer used others in his book. I'm fairly certain that the stills showing the party guests arguing over the olives, George reading his mother's letter and a number of stills showing Eugene and Fanny in the boarding house are actual frame blow-ups from the lost footage. Some of these photos are in the Lilly Library collection; they are smaller in size (roughly 5" x 9") than the larger format publicity stills and are all stamped "Feb. 9th, 1942" or "Feb. 18th, 1942" on the back. These photos seem to catch the performers "in action" as opposed to the more obvious staged poses of the publicity shots and the ones that correspond to shots that still exist in the released film replicate the camera angle precisely.

Joseph McBride told me personally that Bogdanovich showed him dozens of these "frame blow-ups" around 1970 including one of the film's original final matte shot: Eugene's auto driving away from the boarding house surrounded by tall buildings with dark smoke wafting between them. Unfortunately, that still and many others seem to have disappeared or been misplaced over the past thirty years.

[mteal]

That is a real shame. That final matte shot is definitely not in the Lilly Library's Welles archive, but then, Bogdanovich recently donated his own career archive to Lilly, including several boxes of stuff devoted to the THIS IS ORSON WELLES book project. Who knows, maybe it's in there somewhere, although I doubt it.

[A Sled in Flames]

I recently acquired this through a trade, and I must say: brilliant reconstruction! I was well absorbed into the experience. This was my first experience watching Ambersons and what a story! I liked the conclusion of this, especially the wonderful narration towards the end. The animated pictures were nicely done and story wise, this feels like a complete film. Thank you, Roger Ryan for making this!

[noirio]

So... where can one actually watch this edition? I have never seen Ambersons, in fact I want to wait until a decent version comes out (or a restoration, after all I am still under 30, damnit, one can dream), but this sounds intriguing.

[Kane76]

I know I'm late to the party, but could I please get copies of Roger's and Jaimie's reconstructions? I would be happy to send discs and return postage, or trade some interesting Welles videos I have. Email me at ghatfield@gmail.com if you can help.

Thanks.

Kane76

[RayKelly]

A student attempt at recreating the ending of Ambersons.
It is no Roger Ryan, but give the kids credit for trying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVzKgGQeB9k

[mteal]

Thanks Ray, I like that. I think they've done an interesting job with their limited resources, especially with the use of the mirror, which I think was an important thematic element in the film. Maybe this will inspire someone with more resources to do a more accurate version.

[Roger Ryan]

A student attempt at recreating the ending of Ambersons.
It is no Roger Ryan, but give the kids credit for trying:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVzKgGQeB9k

This project was done by students at Macalester College in St. Paul, the same institution that my son is currently studying at. In fact, my son was invited to attend the final day of this Media Studies course when this project was shown (I think this had something to do with the fact that his old man is really into AMBERSONS). I thought the students did a wonderful job in a short time period and the recreation of the "boarding house" scene appears to be quite accurate in terms of shot placement and editing.

[mteal]

I agree Roger, I should have said more accurate in terms ofdetails, like a grammophone instead of a phonograph, for example, plus the fact that Fanny tenses up when Eugene begins the line "..it seems there was someone else in that room...". In general, it's a very fine and accurate job they've done with camera movements and placement, and it's terrific to see a new generation of young people still taking such an interest in this great film. Have they seen your reconstruction?

[Roger Ryan]

...In general, it's a very fine and accurate job they've done with camera movements and placement, and it's terrific to see a new generation of young people still taking such an interest in this great film. Have they seen your reconstruction?

I believe the instructor who was teaching the class gave the students copies of my reconstruction...whether or not they watched it, I have no idea

[tonyw]

I've just watched the first part of Roger's new reconstruction which I must commend him on. It is a great improvement on the first one (which was not bad). The trouble I had with students when I ran the first one in class was that they tended to laugh when the cut-out figures moved back and forth. Now, due to the stills and storyboards, this version flows much better. I hope it may be available soon in other formats.