Movie #87 - Legends of the Fall

"After the Fall from Innocence the Legend begins."

Marking the beginning of a stellar, versatile career, Brad Pitt is the main driving force behind a solid cast in this time piece from 1994. Following critically acclaimed roles in Cool World, A River Runs Through It, and Interview with the Vampire, Pitt is able to capture the audience with his portrayal of Tristan Ludlow.

The whole plot revolves around the exploits of the Ludlow family and how love and sibling rivalries tear the family apart over the years. The story is narrated from a third person perspective, following the life of middle brother Tristan, alongside the other brothers Samuel (Henry Thomas) and Alfred (Aidan Quinn). The love interest of the film is the beautiful British actress, Julia Ormond and her influence on the three brothers is what makes this film so passionate.

Although I acknowledge that this movie is in fact a love story - because its a tragic love story makes it an entertaining story to follow. Combined with the fact that Anthony Hopkins does a wonderful job as Colonel William Ludlow and that the entire film is shot in B.C. with beautiful landscape scenes, this make the movie a great film.

Pitt steals the show from a great cast of good performances and he follows this role with a number of hit films in the mid to late 90's such as Se7en, Twelve Monkeys, Seven Years in Tibet, and Fight Club. With this handful of roles that followed, it is not surprising that Pitt showcases his talents here in Legends of the Fall, which are probably what landed him successive roles in the films listed.

If you have yet to watch this movie, please do so. You will be compelled until the very end, especially the final 10-15 minutes in which the entire storyline is brought together for a stunning conclusion. If you watch this movie and skip to the end, its still a powerful set of scenes, but is difficult to understand the emotion behind the events. This film is highly recommended in my books despite being labeled as a Pitt chick flick by many. Admittedly, its a great film from that era.