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Excellent movie. Great story line and the casting was superb. A lot of action and a real love story. Really enjoyed.
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An epic story about a family. I don't know that it is the greatest movie ever, but every time I put it on I get sucked in and watch it through.
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What can I say, just a really GREAT MOVIE & would tell anyone to watch it. Ok for teens too.
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If you understand what this movie was intended to be and surrender yourself to that intent, you will have an immensely enjoyable and emotionally satisfying movie-watching experience, with some of the most breathtaking cinematography and scenery you will ever see, married to a beautiful musical score. I fall in love with this movie anew each time I watch it, as has everyone to whom I've introduced it.
The movie and the Harrison novella (which I highly recommend reading) draw upon a long tradition of Biblical, mythological, and literary models for character and plot. The personnae in LOTF are archetypes of characters from this tradition, and do not need subtlety of characterization, although each is a fully realized human being in the movie despite the minimalist dialogue.
LOTF echoes the stories of Cain and Abel (the Lord favoring the roaming shepherd over the settled farmer), Jacob and Essau, the Prodigal Son, the preference by Priam in the "Iliad" for his wild irresponsible son Paris over the responsible rule-abiding Hektor, the berserker warrior (Achilles) who lives beyond his society's norms, the medieval tradition of courtly unrequited love. Susannah is Cathy from "Wuthering Heights", pining after the brooding bipolar Heathcliffe rather than the nice English gentleman who loves her, or Scarlett pining for Ashley over Rhett. What other posters have criticized as melodrama or plot predictability is not a fault for this type of storytelling (and I disagree about the melodrama), but very much an essential aspect of it. The narration by One Stab and quotations from the letters capture very nicely the spare poetic prose of Harrison's novella.
There is a reason the movie is called "Legends" (myths) of the "Fall" (of humanity from a state of Edenic happiness and innocence).
This is a movie about the effects of mental illness and post traumatic stress disorder on family structure and personal happiness. (Unfortunately, the script did not make as clear as it should have the fact from the novella that Susannah suffered from manic-depression, which explains her paralysis and weepiness.) LOTF is also a story of how the seeds of fraternal jealousy, sorrow, self-indulgence and irresponsibility are carelessly sown by parental favoritism. It is a story of wanting to have what we think we love, instead of learning to love what we have.
Even without the literary echoes, LOTF tells a powerful story of family relationships in an emotionally true way. The acting is mostly very good. I would especially like to commend Aidan Quinn as the older, responsible, repressed brother Alfred, who represents encroaching civilization and governmental control. What Quinn did with Alfred's inarticulate, fumbling, utterly vulnerable declaration of love for Susannah made that scene one of the most poignant in the movie. Quinn can say more in a look than most actors can in several lines, and his portrayal of Alfred's stoic pain, goodness, and longing for family connection was so moving that his Alfred was able to be a memorable presence despite the flamboyant and charismatic Tristan of Brad Pitt. I am not a big Pitt fan, but I thought he did a particularly good job here and showed real emotional depth. Anthony Hopkins' commanding, domineering, libertarian Col. Ludlow was well done, although I wish he had played down the physical effects of the stroke in the second half. I liked very much how Julia Ormond portrayed Susannah - which was how the part was written! Gordon Tootoosis added gravitas.
If you are in the mood for a sad, sweeping, visually breathtaking (amazing scenery!), emotionally powerful movie, surrender yourself to this one, and you will not be disappointed.
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Purchased "Legends of the Fall" and was very satisfied with the timely shipment, condition of the DVD, and ease of making a purchase via internet. I'm not computer savvy, but Amazon makes it easy for people like me to find and purchase a product.
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