Amberson rumor on the web

[smartone]

it is probably nothing but recently there have been posting on turner classic movie site.

I am sure it is a fake but we can dream can't we.


http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=683&atid=27328&category=User%20Reviews

roberto
Date: 05/24/2008
Ameberson film
Ambersons film sent to Welles at his hotel the Copacabana Palace. Film did not leave Brazil after that due to customs problems. Adhemar Gonzaga did not destroy fil as directed, unclear why. So film ends up back at the Palace. Hotel finds film cans after the war and for whatever reason sends film to the Cinemateca. Sometime between 1946 and 1976(?) film probably in unauthorized private hands beacause if still at Cinemateca it would have burned in 1957 fires. It ends up at the São Paulo Cinemateque in 1976(?), cans labeled correctly but ignored by over-worked local perservation staff which assumed it was regular print of film. In 2006 their archivist contacted Warner about film cans which turned out ot be complete print in poor but salvagable condition. Film flown to US once Warner gets o.k. from Brazilan court.

roberto
Date: 05/13/2008
DVD in 2008/09.
Warner will be releasing the 131 minute restored version of Ambersons in late 2008 or early 2009. A complete print was located in a Brazilian film archive. The print is undergoing the 4k restoration process.

[abasak]

Hi Smartone, this has already been discussed in the "Preliminary Magnificent Ambersons DVD info on amazon.com" Thread

[purplepines]

So what have we found out about Roberto.
Is he in the industry.
What's his credibility.
Why am I asking questions with periods.

[MartynH]

A number of years ago I used to corespond with a Roberto Bargual from Madrid. He also ran a Touch of Evil website. Could this be the one. There is quite a bit of detail in his piece.

[Roger Ryan]

"Ambersons film sent to Welles at his hotel the Copacabana Palace. Film did not leave Brazil after that due to customs problems. Adhemar Gonzaga did not destroy film as directed, unclear why. So film ends up back at the Palace."

So Gonzaga (the head of Brazil's Cinedia film studio at the time) disobeys the R.K.O. order to destroy the AMBERSONS reels and, instead, sends them back to the hotel?

[MartynH]

So what happened next?

[Tony]

We're not taking this seriously, are we?

[Sir Bygber Brown]

in case its unclear, there was a general consensus by all here when this was last brought up that a quick google produces no further news, and if this had been discovered, there would be big news from several sources. Undoubtedly this won't be the last time this rumour is aired here.

[Tony]

It's been well researched and there's no evidence the 131 minute cut exists. This was know back in the 80s,when they did a search of the old RKO vaults and found It's all True but no Ambersons, and that was before Welles died. Since then several searches have turned up nothing but an RKO missive to the RKO Rio office to destroy the work print in their possession. Vault earches there have turned up nothing. I suppose it's not impossible, but it's extremely unlikely. And you're right: if it had been found, Warners would have announced it to the world, as part 1 of the ad capaign.

The passage quoted is clearly a fantasy: check this sentence:

"Hotel finds film cans after the war and for whatever reason sends film to the Cinemateca. Sometime between 1946 and 1976(?) film probably in unauthorized private hands beacause if still at Cinemateca it would have burned in 1957 fires. It ends up at the São Paulo Cinemateque in 1976(?)"

Nice fantasy.

[nhu]

Not a rumor but still an interesting response:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/rob ... ost3407960

[atcolomb]

Very interesting and brief. He could have given a update on the dvd release or maybe he knows nothing?.......

[Alan Brody]

Ask him what he knows that can't be discussed. Maybe he'll fall for it.

[nhu]

Ask him what he knows that can't be discussed. Maybe he'll fall for it.

Oh yeah! That'll work!

[Michael O'Hara]

That's good enough for me! Uncut Ambersons, here we come!!

[purplepines]

So this Harris archivist is with Universal?

Thanks for the curt tone, archivist. Curiosity not allowed.