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

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Dec. 25

3:00 PM

OXYGEN

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

Color:

Color (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:

Johnny Depp was offered, and turned down, the role of Tristan Ludlow.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Samuel tells his father that he's going to fight in the war, there is a shot of him where Alfred's shoulder is barely visible behind him. When he runs to the stairs to talk to Susannah there is a closeup of him. Even though he has moved about five feet he is still in the same position as earlier in the closeup, and Alfred's shoulder is still visible.

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 Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007)

Soundtrack:

Twilight and Mist

absolutely breathtaking

This movie has a little bit of everything. It cannot be classified as a "love story", a "war movie", etc. That's the main reason why it is my most absolute favorite movie of all time. An amazing array of feelings are shown - love, lust, happiness, anger, sadness, helplessness, restlessness, jealousy, betrayal, revengefulness... and they are all portrayed wonderfully.

The actors are positively brilliant. There is not a single spoken line or action in this movie that seems "rehearsed". It all just seems to flow so naturally. And I love each and every one of their physical appearances. I'm not saying they all look "perfect" if perfection can even be defined. (And I'm not saying "ohmygod Brad Pitt is so freakin' hot!" either.) I'm just saying they each have distinct physical features that set them apart and make them seem to 'fit the part'.

The music in this movie also needs to be recognized. I just couldn't imagine the movie without it. This soundtrack is my absolute favorite one written by James Horner. It is his best work, in my opinion, and that is saying a lot. James Horner has written music for many, many movies, including Titanic, Braveheart, Star Trek, The Rocketeer, and Apollo 13.

Call me crazy, but sometimes I can watch a movie and there will be certain scenes where the music, the lighting, the landscape, the events taking place, the things being sad, etc. will just literally take my breath away and make my heart feel like it's about to burst. I am even brought to tears on occasion. There is not a single scene in this movie that doesn't make me feel that way. It's such an incredibly beautiful movie.