Review of Legends of the Fall (1994) by Terhi T — 29 Apr 2010

I feel almost embarrassed to admit that I watched this three times at the cinema, when I was 15 I held it in such high regard that it was amongst my favourite films of all time. However, as time has gone by and my tastes have matured to appreciate more traditional classics such as Citizen Kane, The Godfather, etc.

I realise that this movie isn't that great, neither is it terrible. The storyline is very soap-opera, pitting a family that is torn apart by the introduction of a beautiful woman. I really appreciated Brad Pitt as a serious actor in this, and Aidan Quinn and Julia Ormond provide great support.

Anthony Hopkins, however, comes across as hammy, with an over-the-top performance only a notch down from his turn in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Edward Zwick's direction is good, especially during the WWI scenes and mentions have to go to John Toll for his breathtaking cinematography and James Horner's poetic music, we could've done without Henry Thomas singing that song about "Twilight & Mist" in the first half hour though.