On the occasion of watching ‘Legends of the Fall‘ (1994) directed by Edward Zwick, I found out an interesting piece of trivia related to the title of the film. ‘Fall’ in the title refers to the fall from Paradise. However in several versions in other languages (including French and Romanian) ‘Fall’ has been translated as autumn. Wrong, because this film it’s not about autumn at all. It rather tells one of those great American stories that takes place on a ranch at America’s frontier, a story of the fall from a Paradise that may not have existed ever except in the romanticized image of the pioneers of the West to the harsh realities of the American society in the first half of the 20th century. It is also a story about family, about fathers who disown their sons and brothers who come to hate each other, and of course it all starts and revolves around a mesmerizingly beautiful woman. All the makings of a great movie, but…
The Ludlow family. Colonel William Ludlow knew America’s wars of the late 19th century: the Civil War and the Indian Wars. Disgusted by the actions of the army and the government towards the Indians, he throws down his sword (literally, in a scene that is meant to be symbolic), retires from the army and settles on a huge ranch somewhere in the West with a faithful servant and with a Cree Indian friend and his family. The colonel has three sons who are very different between them: Albert who is respectful of the laws and integrates well within the system, Tristan the handsome, rebellious and wild one, and Samuel the idealist. The colonel’s wife cannot stand the harsh life and climate of the West and leaves for the East Coast. Samuel brings home from his studies a young orphan girl of captivating beauty named Susannah to whom he becomes engaged. All four men, each in his own way, will fall under her spell. The First World War breaks out, the idealistic Samuel and the careerist Albert decide to volunteer for the front in the Canadian army (the United States had not yet entered the war). Tristan is not as enthusiastic, but he also enlists to defend Sam, the younger brother. When Sam falls on the front, the two surviving brothers will become rivals for the girl remained alone. Their rivalry tears apart the family and the father’s heart and will last for decades.
The story is told in flashbacks by One Stab, the family’s devoted Indian friend who will outlive them all. A bit too much off-screen voiceover for my taste, especially since the visuals are suggestive enough themselves. John Toll even won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 1995, the only Academy Award won by the film. The story spans the historical periods from the turn of the century to the Prohibition era and has all the elements of a historical saga, but with too much emphasis on melodrama. There is no lack of emotional elements, but they are a little too obvious. The drama does, however, provide the opportunity for some solid acting creations. Anthony Hopkins pulls off another one of those formidable roles where he manages to create yet another distinct and memorable character while still being himself (with nobility and verticality). Julia Ormond here gives one of the best roles of a career that, while not yet over, seems to have had its peak in that period of her youth. Finally, Brad Pitt is Brad Pitt – a lavish role, in which he can display all his charm and talent, but in which he still seemed a bit monotonous to me, without changing much in the two decades full of dramatic or even tragic events that his hero goes through. The conflict between Colonel Lundlow and Tristan on the one side and the rest of the characters and society on the other side alludes to an anti-government libertarianism that sounded better in 1995 than it does today. “Legends of the Fall” is closer to the classic westerns than to the films that look more critically at the American history of those times. Because of this idealistic approach, the film not only looks a little dated today, but I think it has looked aged since the time when it was released.