It is too bad that RKO cut this work of genius Orson Welles. We are perhaps able to imagine what could have been viewed if allowed to be released in its original form. The second unkindest cut of all is that it is not available in U.S. format at this writing, on DVD. There are possibly two generations of Americans who have not seen it. Those lucky foreigners who DO have the movie. It is a great and bittersweet story of a family at the turn of the century, their relationship dramas and the trauma of going from a pioneer society to an industrialized one--one that we are similarly going through now because of the techno-revolution. Products become outdated as soon as they are manufactured, fortunes are lost, new fortunes are gained, the "haves" trade places with the "have-nots" and back again several times over. The acting is superb with a special thank you to Agnes Moorehead, a real pro. The thing that gets you in this movie, is the camera work.