Legends of the Fall (1994)

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers (WGA):

Jim Harrison (novel)
Susan Shilliday (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 January 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War | Western

Tagline:

He was a rock they broke themselves against however much he tried to protect them

Plot:

Epic tale of three brothers and their father living in the remote wilderness of 1900s USA and how their lives are affected by nature, history, war, and love.

Plot Keywords:

USA | Heart | Epic | Passion | Canadian Army

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 8 nominations

Cast

Brad Pitt	...	Tristan Ludlow
Anthony Hopkins	...	Col. William Ludlow
Aidan Quinn	...	Alfred Ludlow
Julia Ormond	...	Susannah Fincannon Ludlow
Henry Thomas	...	Samuel Ludlow
Karina Lombard	...	Isabel Two Decker Ludlow
Gordon Tootoosis	...	One Stab
Christina Pickles	...	Isabel Ludlow
Paul Desmond	...	Decker
Tantoo Cardinal	...	Pet
Robert Wisden	...	John T. O'Banion
John Novak	...	James O'Banion
Kenneth Welsh	...	Sheriff Tynert
Bill Dow	...	Longley
Sam Sarkar	...	Rodriguez

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, and for some sexuality and language.

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) | Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (w) | Netherlands:12 | Peru:14 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

43 Powell Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

Calgary was chosen as the main filming location because of its dry weather. Naturally, once the production started there, they were met with record rainfalls.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the end, the position of the dead thugs moves between shots.

Quotes:

[First lines]
One Stab: Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness and they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy, or they become legends.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Getaway: (#17.3)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Twilight and Mist

Great drama taking place before, during and after World War I

Normally love dramas don't interest me, since I find them boring and predictable. This film, while being more than "just" a good love drama, really impressed me. Many of the scenes are quite visually beautiful, some in cinematography, others in content. As a love drama, it's moving, and at times almost poetically beautiful. It involves three men, brothers, who are all in love with the same woman. She has a relationship with each of them, but ultimately realizes that she only loves one of them. The plot is very good, and evolves at the right pace for this type of story. Not terribly fast, but never stands still either. The actors all portray their respective characters well, nearly all of them giving a perfect performance. Anthony Hopkins is great, as always. There was not really anything in this movie that disappointed me. The ending scene involves some of the best cinematography I've ever seen. There is a very emotional scene near the end which is also one of the most visually beautiful I've ever seen in a movie. I recommend this to most fans of love dramas, and, to a lesser extent, fans of war dramas. 8/10