Legends of the Fall
Rent & Buy
In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.
What critics thought
DivisiveCritics and audiences landed in very different places on this one — audiences were swept up by Brad Pitt's star-making charisma and the film's gorgeous Montana vistas, while critics were more divided, many finding the sprawling saga too melodramatic and its characters too underdeveloped to sustain its epic ambitions. The central argument was whether the film's sweep and visual beauty compensate for a plot that keeps piling on tragedy until it strains credulity, with some feeling it belonged on television as a miniseries rather than compressed into a feature.
“yarn doesn't so much sweep as sprawl across the screen in all its panoramic idiocy”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
“The actors fit their roles exceptionally well, but Zwick rarely allows them the kinds of crucial, intimate moments that establish how the characters feel about each other. Occasionally the story grips, suggesting what might have been if the actors had been playing people instead of archetypes.”
John Hartl·The Seattle Times
“What Legends of the Fall lacks is any spirit of rigor. It buys into -- indeed, is selling -- the oldest of guff: the idea that the violence of banal men is beautiful and righteous.”
Stephen Hunter·The Baltimore Sun
“These are performances that lost too much in the editing room, smothered by music and overshadowed by a picture-postcard vision of the American West.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“pretty good ... with full-blooded performances and heartfelt melodrama”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
Accolades
Genres
Drama, Romance, War
Cast & Crew
Edward ZwickDirector
Brad PittTristan Ludlow
Anthony HopkinsCol. William Ludlow
Aidan QuinnAlfred Ludlow
Julia OrmondSusannah Fincannon Ludlow
Henry ThomasSamuel Ludlow
Karina LombardIsabel Two Decker Ludlow
Gordon TootoosisOne Stab
John NovakJames O'Banion
Robert WisdenJohn T. O'Banion
Tantoo CardinalPet
Christina PicklesIsabel Ludlow
James HornerComposer
Jim HarrisonWriter
John TollCinematographyLegends of the Fall
In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.
What critics thought
DivisiveCritics and audiences landed in very different places on this one — audiences were swept up by Brad Pitt's star-making charisma and the film's gorgeous Montana vistas, while critics were more divided, many finding the sprawling saga too melodramatic and its characters too underdeveloped to sustain its epic ambitions. The central argument was whether the film's sweep and visual beauty compensate for a plot that keeps piling on tragedy until it strains credulity, with some feeling it belonged on television as a miniseries rather than compressed into a feature.
“yarn doesn't so much sweep as sprawl across the screen in all its panoramic idiocy”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
“The actors fit their roles exceptionally well, but Zwick rarely allows them the kinds of crucial, intimate moments that establish how the characters feel about each other. Occasionally the story grips, suggesting what might have been if the actors had been playing people instead of archetypes.”
John Hartl·The Seattle Times
“What Legends of the Fall lacks is any spirit of rigor. It buys into -- indeed, is selling -- the oldest of guff: the idea that the violence of banal men is beautiful and righteous.”
Stephen Hunter·The Baltimore Sun
“These are performances that lost too much in the editing room, smothered by music and overshadowed by a picture-postcard vision of the American West.”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“pretty good ... with full-blooded performances and heartfelt melodrama”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
Accolades
Genres
Drama, Romance, War
Cast & Crew
Edward ZwickDirectorBrad PittTristan LudlowAnthony HopkinsCol. William LudlowAidan QuinnAlfred LudlowJulia OrmondSusannah Fincannon LudlowHenry ThomasSamuel LudlowKarina LombardIsabel Two Decker LudlowGordon TootoosisOne StabJohn NovakJames O'BanionRobert WisdenJohn T. O'BanionTantoo CardinalPetChristina PicklesIsabel LudlowJames HornerComposerJim HarrisonWriterJohn TollCinematographyRent & Buy