In the autumn, people want to feel nature and experience every feeling from the autumn vibe. Since it is difficult to enjoy enough cultural activities outside these days, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) recommends for Kingos to watch the classic movie, Legends of the Fall.
The Great Masterpiece, Legends of the Fall
Introduction of Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall is a classic movie that was released in 1995. The movie was based on Jim Harrison’s 1994 novel of the same name, and the content involves a family’s life story with the background set from 1880 to 1960. The movie is famous for its well-systemized, smooth explanation using the symbolic meaning of a bear, and the surprising story of one’s family with the appearance of one woman. The movie received a lot of attention due to the competent actors and actresses, including Brad Pitt. Not only the casting, but also the unique style of explaining the movie, caught the audience’s eyes. The movie starts with a narrator, who is a native American called One Stab. He explains the Ludlow family’s overall life story. With this style, the audience can feel like they are listening to an interesting historic story.
Summary (*Including Ending Spoiler)
The stories of Ludlow’s family start with Tristan’s childhood. During a fight with a wild bear, Tristan is badly injured. However, he succeeds in attacking the bear’s feet and cuts the bear’s claw off at the end. From that moment, he is shown to have a wild personality as if a bear is living inside him. After this traumatic event, his youngest brother, Samuel comes home with his fiancée, Susannah. Susannah is a beautiful woman that the three brothers, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel, all fall in love with. Unfortunately, before Samuel and Susannah get married, the three brothers decide to join a war, and Samuel dies cruelly in front of Tristan’s eyes. Tristan becomes deeply traumatized due to the sense of guilt and wrath because he fails to protect his brother. Susannah, who is alone after Samuel’s death, falls in love with Tristan. However, Tristan’s mental illness grows worse, and he leaves home. At that moment, Alfred approaches Susannah, and they get married. After a few years, Tristan comes back home, and he marries a woman named Isabel. After the marriage, Tristan is blessed with a son and a daughter. One day, however, policemen attack Tristan’s family to arrest Tristan for violating the prohibition law. During the confrontation, his wife Isabel is shot by one of the policemen. This kindles Tristan’s wild inclination, and he starts to avenge her death. Meanwhile, after Susannah’s suicide, Alfred and Tristan are faced with similar situations, and the two brothers become much closer. After understanding each other’s feelings and hardship, they start to feel the true love of the family. The movie ends with a scene of old Tristan fighting with a wild bear, and almost being killed during the fight.
Why Is It Still Loved?
Impressive Visuals
The natural scenery in the movie satisfies the audience’s eyes. Various natural environments such as wide meadows and blue skies make the audience feel like they can release from all of the stress. Simultaneously, the audience can experience the freedom and feel like they are traveling. As the movie visually stands out, Legends of the Fall was granted the best cinematography award of Academy Awards in 1995. Moreover, the visuals of the actors and actresses shining in the movie attracted large audiences. In particular, Brad Pitt appears at the peak of his powers in the movie, which makes audiences still enjoy watching this film.
Sophisticated Soundtrack
All of the soundtrack songs in the Legends of the Fall have no lyrics and are based on the classical music genre. Since soundtracks with lyrics might interrupt the focus on the movie, the soundtracks included in this movie only convey the moods of the scene and make audiences pay more attention to the movie itself. On the album, 13 tracks are included and all of them are composed by James Horner, legendary for the soundtracks of movies Avatar and Titanic. Among the tracks, the main theme track, The Ludlows, is highly recommended. Since this track is played when Tristan appears, it makes the audience focus more on Tristan’s entrance.
Deep and Compact Description
The movie starts and ends with compact stories of one family’s life. Superficially, this movie seems like a tragic story of three brothers falling due to one beautiful woman, but eventually, this movie delivers the importance of love among family members. If the movie ended with Susannah’s death, it may have been criticized for being a bad movie. However, after Susannah’s death, the movie contained a description of Alfred and Tristan having a reconciliation and forgiveness, which shows the movie’s exact message. Moreover, the movie gives enough explanation about the title’s double meanings. Among audiences, the title of the movie, Legends of the Fall, has two divided meanings: legends of the autumn and falling legends. The movie fits both of the titles since it has the beautiful scenery of autumn and also depicts Tristan’s fall from both family and love. Thinking of the title’s meaning while watching this movie, Kingos can enjoy the movie much more!
