An engrossing study by director Orson Welles of a Midwestern American family in terminal decay, set against a series of crowd scenes and backdrops that look like black-and-white etchings from an earlier era. Boasting imposing performances from Joseph Cotten, Tim Holt and especially Agnes Moorehead, the film is full of scenes of thudding impact. To its undying shame, RKO, not content with hacking the original by 50 minutes, tacked a new ending on to the film behind Welles' back and almost ruined it, leaving us with an unsatisfactory conclusion. In its original form (no longer in existence), it could almost have been the equal of Welles' previous film Citizen Kane. The perfect narration is by Welles himself.

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