Legends of the Fall (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Legends of the Fall', directed by Edward Zwick (Glory) tells an epic Rocky Mountain tale of nature & war concerning a retired colonel, his 3 sons, & the woman they love in the early 1900's. The 3 main characters are the Ludlow brothers: Alfred (Aidan Quinn), the eldest & most logical; Tristan (Brad Pitt), the middle son with an affinity for nature; & Samuel (Henry Thomas, of E.T.), the youngest & most naive. Their father, Colonel Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) was a respected officer, but left the army when he disagreed with their treatment of Indians. The 4 men, along with a plethora of Indian friends, live far away from government & civilization in Montana's wilderness. These men love each other very, very much. But the years go by. They mature; go their separate ways. And their once strong affection for one another starts to change when one particular woman arrives on their land.
This woman is the beautiful Susannah Finncannon (Julia Ormond), a Bostonian who is now engaged to Samuel. Alfred soon finds himself falling for her, & things get worse when it appears that she may have an eye for Tristan! But war intervenes. Despite their father's objection, the 3 brothers join WWI, fight over in Europe, & tragedy befalls the family. Tristan returns to Montana, but he is a changed man. As wild as the mountains he calls home, he embarks on a journey. And upon his arrival home - many yrs. later - he will have found that everything he once knew has changed, as well.
'Legends of the Fall' is an extravagant production. I loved the 'big sky country' cinematography (by John Toll). The set constructions & costumes are very impressive. And James Horner's lush score should get nominated for an Oscar - that said, in some scenes, the characters are smothered by the music; blaring over them to convey a certain emotion. As gorgeous as it is, the music was an intermittent distraction. The real meat of the drama in 'Legends ...' revolves 1) around Tristan's volatile nature (post-WWI tragedy). And 2) the love quadrangle btwn. his brothers & Susannah. It seems that - no matter how much familial love there is - none of the Ludlow clan can overcome the betrayals & jealousies of one another. I enjoyed 'Legends of the Fall' as a grand-scale epic melodrama (landscapes, battle scenes, attractive characters, etc.). The film tells a story, & tells it well. There are majestic moments, happy moments, & MANY sad moments.
You know, the characters get a lot of screen time. We get to know their likes, dislikes, & goals. Things happen to them. We get invested. And the dialogue is actually pretty decent. All that said, with exception to the Tristan character (and that isn't even saying too much), we don't really 'know' these people. We're just going along for the ride. The film has cliches, & is episodic in plot. So it's actually all the plot points which drive the movie ... not deep characterization. Thematically, the film is a bit better; speaking about the corruption of government - which is the source of another of the tragedies to befall the Ludlow family. And another theme is that of the healing power of nature - which is how Tristan deals with the sorrows of his life.
Brad Pitt is very impressive as the tormented, rogue Tristan. I felt Tristan's melancholy thanks to Pitt's fairly introverted performance. Anthony Hopkins has some powerful moments when both quiet & loud. Aiden Quinn is wonderful as the eldest brother, Alfred. In some ways, we feel for him the most. And Julia Ormond gives an ethereal quality to Susannah. She's impressive (emotionally), if only because the source of so many tragedies revolves around her character. Overall, though the last scene (epilogue) is kind of curt, it also sums up the entire film; which is to say, we all leave legacies. We all have a story. Though I was quite depressed watching a lot of the storyline unfold, there's a sort of remote, mournful catharsis (but a catharsis, nonetheless) to be had by seeing this film. I was entertained by its grandness more often than not. And I'm glad that I saw it.
This woman is the beautiful Susannah Finncannon (Julia Ormond), a Bostonian who is now engaged to Samuel. Alfred soon finds himself falling for her, & things get worse when it appears that she may have an eye for Tristan! But war intervenes. Despite their father's objection, the 3 brothers join WWI, fight over in Europe, & tragedy befalls the family. Tristan returns to Montana, but he is a changed man. As wild as the mountains he calls home, he embarks on a journey. And upon his arrival home - many yrs. later - he will have found that everything he once knew has changed, as well.
'Legends of the Fall' is an extravagant production. I loved the 'big sky country' cinematography (by John Toll). The set constructions & costumes are very impressive. And James Horner's lush score should get nominated for an Oscar - that said, in some scenes, the characters are smothered by the music; blaring over them to convey a certain emotion. As gorgeous as it is, the music was an intermittent distraction. The real meat of the drama in 'Legends ...' revolves 1) around Tristan's volatile nature (post-WWI tragedy). And 2) the love quadrangle btwn. his brothers & Susannah. It seems that - no matter how much familial love there is - none of the Ludlow clan can overcome the betrayals & jealousies of one another. I enjoyed 'Legends of the Fall' as a grand-scale epic melodrama (landscapes, battle scenes, attractive characters, etc.). The film tells a story, & tells it well. There are majestic moments, happy moments, & MANY sad moments.
You know, the characters get a lot of screen time. We get to know their likes, dislikes, & goals. Things happen to them. We get invested. And the dialogue is actually pretty decent. All that said, with exception to the Tristan character (and that isn't even saying too much), we don't really 'know' these people. We're just going along for the ride. The film has cliches, & is episodic in plot. So it's actually all the plot points which drive the movie ... not deep characterization. Thematically, the film is a bit better; speaking about the corruption of government - which is the source of another of the tragedies to befall the Ludlow family. And another theme is that of the healing power of nature - which is how Tristan deals with the sorrows of his life.
Brad Pitt is very impressive as the tormented, rogue Tristan. I felt Tristan's melancholy thanks to Pitt's fairly introverted performance. Anthony Hopkins has some powerful moments when both quiet & loud. Aiden Quinn is wonderful as the eldest brother, Alfred. In some ways, we feel for him the most. And Julia Ormond gives an ethereal quality to Susannah. She's impressive (emotionally), if only because the source of so many tragedies revolves around her character. Overall, though the last scene (epilogue) is kind of curt, it also sums up the entire film; which is to say, we all leave legacies. We all have a story. Though I was quite depressed watching a lot of the storyline unfold, there's a sort of remote, mournful catharsis (but a catharsis, nonetheless) to be had by seeing this film. I was entertained by its grandness more often than not. And I'm glad that I saw it.