Customer Reviews

Legends of the Fall (Special Edition)

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

When people ask me about my favorite movies I give them a quick run down of my top ten: 1. The Godfather and The Godfather part II (tie), 3. The Shawshank Redemption, 4. One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest, 5. Schindler's List, 6. The Silence of the Lambs, 7. Amadeus, 8. The Princess Bride, 9. Legends of the Fall, 10. Goodfellas. I am always surprised when they laugh at the 9th movie on my list. I can't understand why people think this movie is a joke. Yes, it's melodramatic but it works beautifully. Let me also say that I am not the biggest fan of Brad Pitt. His acting pales in comparison to some of the other fine actors of his generation (ie. Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Sean Penn). That said, he is perfectly cast in this movie. His ruggedness and wildman image were established in 1992's A River Runs Through It and his role as Tristan in LOTF seems almost like an extension of his role in River. I've heard that Johnny Depp, an actor whose talents I find superior to Pitt's, was originally offered the role of Tristan. I'm glad he turned it down for no one other than Brad Pitt could have BEEN Tristan.

I've always appreciated great acting. To me, there is nothing more entertaining than watching a De Niro, Pacino or Nicholson work his magic. There is only one truly great actor in Legends of the Fall - Sir Anthony Hopkins. In my opinion, he should have won an Oscar for this supporting role. A lot of reviewers criticized the second half of his performance (after the stroke) as being a bit excessive. I thought it was necessary in this type of film.

It was because of Legends of the Fall that I took an interest in acting. Not because of Anthony Hopkins...i know I could never be half as good as he. LOTF taught me that it doesn't take great actors to make a great movie. I thought Aidan Quinn, a talented but by no means gifted actor, was brilliant in the film as the tortured victim of unrequited love. It's my opnion that Quinn delivered a top-notch performance in the film, second only to Hopkins. The scene in which Alfred (Quinn) redeems himself in his father's eyes is particularly endearing. Also, the casting of Julia Ormond as Susannah was a stroke of genius. She has such classic beauty and is wonderful at conveying emotions without speaking a word. I often wonder where the hell she disappeared to.

Finally, I cannot say enough about James Horner's breathtaking score. I first became a fan of Horner's when I saw this movie and I believe him to be the top composer in the film-scoring business (yes, even better than the great John Williams).

Don't listen to the critics. This movie is amazing. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.

I've seen all the reviews -- "overrated", "terrible". I enjoy this movie, but I do so because I watch it knowing that it is a wildly dramatic, romantic, epic tragedy.

If you enjoyed Pearl Harbor, or Gone With The Wind, you'll probably enjoy Legends of the Fall. All of the actors are beautiful, the cinemetography is amazing, and with the exception of Julia Ormond (who plays Susannah as weak and insipid), the actors all turn in great, underrated performances.

Brad Pitt, a fine actor who continues to be punished by critics for his sheer beauty, did a great job with a script that could have easily been over-acted - few actors could portray the depth of emotions he does and still seem masculine. Aidan Quinn was wonderful, playing the pathos of the "second fiddle" character with dignity and strength. He captured the essence of his character in a scene when he confronts his brother (Pitt) with the irony of his life: "I followed all the rules...and everyone still loved you best."

Anthony Hopkins is, as always, a joy to watch, though the scenes after his stroke are a little over-done. His ability to balance the tragedy of this character's illness with his strength is a testament to his talent.

So don't expect something edgy or action-based. Legends of the Fall is a great film, if you're know what your're getting when you buy (or rent) it.

Thank God for Anthony Hopkins, who somehow always delivers an impeccable performance no matter what he is in. He represents the one faintly shimmering star that I have given this movie. That said, the rest of the film is exhausting.
Of course, Brad Pitt is extremely hot. But how long can that distract you from the utter banality of this movie? The plot drags on for hours, interspersed with long, drawn out landscape shots of rolling pastures and mountains until you start asking yourself, "What is this movie about, again?"
It's basically about Julia Ormond falling in love with 3 brothers (alternately, not simultaneously) in the wild, untamed western wilderness during WWI. Mix in a few sympathetic, if stereotypical, Native Americans, a lot of unrequited love, and some convoluted storytelling, and you've got Legends of the Fall. Almost everyone dies (at least once), and those who don't are left behind to woefully mourn their losses and realise, just a few seconds too late, "what could have been".
We're forced to watch the tragic affairs of Julia's love for each of the brothers in succession, as she loses them in various ways (tragically, of course, and not always permanently), and all the time longing for Anthony Hopkins to come back on the screen.
When Brad Pitt finally shows up again after a supposed 10-year-long absence, he falls in love with his almost-sister: a gorgeous, statuesque Native American girl who was a scrawny 10 years old last time we saw her (she dies later, of course). However, (OOOPS!) Brad Pitt (and EVERYBODY ELSE) looks EXACTLY THE SAME as they did 10 YEAR AGO! Well, except for Anthony Hopkins, who tragically has a stroke before Pitt returns and looks much older. But still. Come on, people. Lets keep some semblance of reality here.
Of course, this is an epic in the truest sense of the word. But unlike "Gone With The Wind", for example, it truly fails to deliver. Just when you begin to care about the characters, something so melodramatic, horrible, and implausable happens to them that you start writing them off, one by one, as hopeless causes. Sort of like this film.

This review is of the Superbit version of the DVD.

I loved the film and believe it's one of the most underrated films of the 1990s. What an amazing cast. But this has been covered by others.

The addition of DTS audio and better video transfer were well worth the cost to upgrade my older copy of this title for the Superbit. You will have to sacrifice the extras. For me, I'd rather have the best audio/video. Some would rather have the extras. For those people, I'd recommend the SE edition of the DVD.

Rarely does a movie improve upon the original book - but this one does. The acting, the cinematography, and the additions made that were not in the book along with what the movie cut out of the book - all improve upon Jim Harrison's novellete. Regarding the book: in my opinion, so long as Americans make legends out of the types that are portrayed in Legends of the Fall, there will be senseless violence and the like. The book'
s rendation of the movie's 'hero' played by Pitt, is a drunkard, wife-abandoning, expert at murder - who scalps German soldiers (will Hollywood ever tire of having fun in re-killing them?), breaks the necks and more of other booze-runners (like himself), holds no respect for the law, curses God and the like. The theme is very school-boy level at best. Indians are all bady stereotyped as mystical warrior-types. Violence is not only condoned - but praised. Though I am myself an army veteran, I found the movie immature and disgusting in theme and content - that such characters would be portrayed as "American legends'.

'Legends of the Fall', is indeed a film title that brings a sense of fear and drudgery into the hearts of men across the globe who would inadvertently label this epic 'a chick flick'. Add this to the fact that the film stars none other than hollywood's finest - Brad Pitt - and one may assume that their preconception was accurate. However, what we are delivered is an epic tale that contradicts all previous misconceptions.

Legends of the Fall[LOTF], depicts the tale of 3 brothers, their father, an indian tribal family and a lady, set in the late 19th early 20th century. Indeed, this does not sound very interesting , but as the story unveils through an excellent and engrossing script, LOTF shines from many other hollywood incartions as a film, where thought has been applied, rather than millions of dollars on overused special effects.

The strong story is backed by some truely delightful performances form Hopkins and Pitt, and this coupled to the brilliance of Quinn and Osmond, produces a very believable tale, hypothetically of course. The cinematography employed in LOTF is nothing short of spectacular, and if watched properly on a large screen, envokes a sense of depth which is truely breathtaking at particular points. The score is strong as all epics should be and helps add depth, but may be overworked at points.

However, some parts of the story are less believeable than others, and im sure this will be resonant from other critics of the film. Examples include the war scene death ritual, and the journey scenes by brad pitt, and this adds a fictional aspect to a film that, at points, exhibits characterstics of a drama. This bipolar discontinuinity is sometime frustrating and almost non-sensical, but overall does not disrpute the course of LOFT.

In essence LOFT is a well crafted affair that will be rememebed either for its brilliance or for its length. It is not another mindless film where everything is corrected at the end and all characters exude with happiness, but rather an engrossing tale, which when rememebered will be thought of favourably.

Overall, definetaly a film to watch, especially if you have a night free and wish to be qietly surprised

A.Roy

Everyone else is reviewing the movie itself, so I'll review the Superbit DVD. In the past, whenever I had a collecter's version (with plenty of extras) versus say a DTS version (without the extras) I would choose the extras. In movies such as Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan I chose the collectors versions. I found over time that I stop watching the extras and just watch the movies over and over. SO, Legends of the Fall offers a great collector's version at half the price of the superbit version. So, why get the superbit? WEll, this is a BIG movie. The crispness of the picture and sound are stunning. I have over 50 DVDs and this one is right at the top with sound quality and picture quality. The separation of the surround sound in the dts is fantastic. A door opening, a dog howling in the distance, the battle sequence, the wind, and James Horner's music will be as clean and true as you can imagine. The quality of John Toll's amazing cinematography is a visual jewel. From the definition in the color of the faces to the divine imagery of the natural setting, you won't be disappointed. This film is as beautifully photographed as any I have ever seen. Now, is it worth double the cost of the loaded collector's edition? I don't know, but I bought the Superbit version and I couldn't be more pleased. The Superbit offers none of the extras that are in the collector's edition, just a breathtaking version of a gorgeous film. I kept finding myself thinking.. wow that's beautiful. This is a very emotional, moving film that the super-definition of sound and picture enhances into quite an experience.

This movie definitely has a mythical (hence, Legends) quality to it. One of the sons, Tristan is linked to a bear in a mysterious way. The story has its share of tragedy, with a bittersweet ending. The scenery and music are beautiful and the actors portray their parts perfectly.

The movie quite clearly deals with a few of the ways we can "fall" as humans and the anguish that results both for us and the ones who love us. The story shows we can fall by choosing to desire that which isn't good for us, and we can fall by believing that we are cursed by God and without hope. It shows how destructive those choices and beliefs can be. For this author, redemption is found in the bond of family.

If it weren't for Isabel Two, I might say that the author was very negative toward women. The mother and Susannah are shown to be weak and Susannah is described as the unwitting demise of that all important family bond. She is like "water that flows into the crack in a rock and when it freezes, breaks the rock". I was disappointed that she seemed to not see the treasure she had in front of her and to rise up and conquer her misplaced desire. Still, the story was beautifully told and reminds us to be smarter than some of the characters!

The movie paced along very well. There is quite a bit of action as well as interesting dialogue. This is not a movie that drags. There is some sex and some violence, which might be uncomfortable. However these scenes are no more shocking than a lot of movies out there.

The bond of family was beautiful in this story, but they failed to bring in outsiders and make them family while maintaining that bond. This movie is well worth seeing if only for the complex interactions between the characters. Family is precious and this movie made me treasure mine even more.

This movie was graphic in every sense of the word. It was also dramatic in every way possible. It follows three brothers and their father through a large portion of their existance. The movie is a masterpeice and makes sure that it shows even the most unpleasant aspects of life in full color. Those who don't often like movies with nudity or violence should not watch this one, but to those who can see past some of the initial shock should find this movie enjoyable.

This is truly a gripping movie with beautiful cinematography that will take your breath away. I avoided this movie for a long time, thinking of Brad Pitt as another "pretty boy" flash in the pan actor, but I have really grown to hold a lot of respect for him the past few years, and so I finally rented it. Then I had to buy it. The romantic plot is almost secondary to the story of the three brothers and the father who learn what family and brotherhood is really about. My only criticism is that they should have gotten a better actress for the lead female role.