You won't be disappointed!

the audience applauded

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A cliched sweeping drama starring Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt, Legends of the Fall is a middling affair dampened by its length and disposition to playing with your emotions. However the cinematography is amazing and the vistas of the American wilderness and seldom looked as good as they have here. Why on earth would the 3 brothers fight for Julie Ormond? Brad Pitt was an emerging heartthrob back then and this film probably solidified that status as he looks ravishing here. But the film is a sentimental chore to sit through.

Short and Simple Review by WubsTheFadgerLegends of the Fall depicts a somber and sorrowful story of loss and a broken family. It deals with the loss of a son, a brother, and a husband. It has some extremely touching and powerful moments. The characters are all unique and have different strengths and weaknesses that further the story. The story is graphic and the ending is heartfelt and genuine. The ending truly made the movie because turns from heartfelt to somber in a matter of moments. The end credits music really helps the movie set in and makes you think about the bond of family.The acting is very good. Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt both deliver powerhouse performances. They both convey so much emotion and Brad Pitt really surprised me with this performance. Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond, Henry Thomas, Karina Lombard, Tantoo Cardinal, and Gordon Tootoosis all perform very well.The pacing is very slow and the runtime is overly long.Pros: Emotional and sorrowful story, great ending, good acting, amazing performances by Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt, good cinematography, and a good use of musicCons: Very slow pacing, an overly long runtime, and the film could have been edited down by a lotOverall Rating: 8.1

OK, can't really fault the acting in this movie, except perhaps from Brad Pitt. I can't fault the production value. It's beautifully shot. It held my attention well enough. But I had problems with it when I first saw it back in1994, and having watched it again more than twenty years later, I haven't changed my mind. The primary issue? Pitt's character, Tristan. He's the heart of the story, he's meant to be, if not heroic, at least sympathetic and compelling. Instead, to me, he's just a self-absorbed, arrogant, emo jerk. His hair drove me crazy. That might seem shallow, but he looked like a man on the cover of a trashy romance novel. It's like his hair WAS his character. Like Pitt was kind of acting with his hair. I found myself siding with Aidan Quinn's character, Alfred, instead. Not that Alfred isn't meant to be sympathetic too, but overall I think the movie judges him unfairly, as do the other characters. Maybe it's because Aidan Quinn is just a much better actor, IMO, but mainly I just felt he got a raw deal. I won't say why because I don't want to spoil anything. As for the others, Anthony Hopkins is great as always. Julia Ormond is GORGEOUS here and performs quite well. Her character broke my heart. Finally, I thought the treatment of the Native American characters and how they informed the themes was rather pat. Not racist, just stereotyped. And it's a sexist movie too. I'm not usually a stickler about that, but here, for some reason, it really bothered me. But again, I'd say Tristan is the central problem. And when the central character doesn't work for you, the movie probably won't work for you either. I completely understand why so many viewers love this movie. It's just not for me.

More than 20 years after this film was made, here is my contribution to these wonderful comments. This story is transformative. It is simple yet complex, tragic but uplifting, flawed yet perfect. It is the story of all of us, for we will all have tombstones one day, but whilst we live, we make right and wrong choices or life makes them for us. Life also creates moments that we treasure when those we love are healthy and happy and youthful. This movie permits us to share these moments with the Ludlows, frozen in time, looping over and over. I watch it and imagine different life choices: what if Susannah really grew to love dear gentle Alfred, for what greater gift in life is there than to be truly and deeply loved? What if she said to Tristan in that cell, wounded and crushed as he was, that she and Alfred will care for his children until he is free? What if Tristan didn't bootleg? The tombstones will still be there, the bear may still have raged within Tristan, but life would have been richer and kinder for all.