Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorehead d/ Orson Welles
His second film was an adaptation of a novel by Booth Tarkington. Working again with Greg Toland he created a masterpiece that was tighter than Kane, a rich and satisfying portrait of wealth, changing times, love and devotion, intra-family conflict and shifting social values.
Several times the acting got too...well just too. AM's meltdown went on too long and Tim Holt's spoiled brat was...too spoiled, too obvious, too unreflective, too unaware. Even as a child of privilege he would have been more subtle in his selfishness. And of course the studio-forced end scene was idiotic.
But JC was excellent and the arc of the story engaging. We care about these people and wonder how their lives will evolve. Tarkington was a master chronicler of American small town life. And Welles was a master showman. Together they produced a film that will last forever.
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