Legends of the Fall

"After the Fall from Innocence the Legend begins."

1994 2h 13m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.4TMDB · 2,967●45Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 196,960

DramaWesternRomanceWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.

“After the Fall from Innocence the Legend begins.”

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Cast

Brad Pitt
Tristan Ludlow
Anthony Hopkins
Col. William Ludlow
Aidan Quinn
Alfred Ludlow
Julia Ormond
Susannah Fincannon Ludlow
Henry Thomas
Samuel Ludlow
Karina Lombard
Isabel Two Decker Ludlow
Gordon Tootoosis
One Stab
John Novak
James O'Banion

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Edward Zwick
Writers: Susan Shilliday, William D. Wittliff
Languages: Cornish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cornish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Edward Zwick, shot by John Toll. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Horner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Steven Rosenblum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "After the Fall from Innocence the Legend begins.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Edward Zwick directs. John Toll behind the camera. James Horner scores. Steven Rosenblum cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Cornish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 5.4× over at the box office.
232 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cornish, English.
4Directed by Edward Zwick, shot by John Toll. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by James Horner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Steven Rosenblum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinn carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "After the Fall from Innocence the Legend begins.".
9IMDB entry: tt0110322 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 23 themes, including "sibling relationship", "post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd)", "based on novel or book", "world war i".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Toll
Original score: James Horner
Editing: Steven Rosenblum
Production design: Lilly Kilvert
Costume design: Deborah L. Scott
Makeup / hair: Gail Kennedy
Sound: David E. Campbell
Stunt coordinator: Gary Combs
Runtime: 133 min · 2h 13m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $160,638,883
Return: 535% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Legends of the Fall (1994)
Metacritic: 45/100
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 196,960 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 3 wins & 11 nominations total

Academy Award for Best Cinematography

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Edward Zwick

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-01-01
★ 7/10
Similar to “A River Runs through It” but more heroic and melodramatic Near the close of the 19th Century, a disillusioned Army Colonel (Anthony Hopkins) sets up a ranch in remote western Montana with his Cree friend, One Stab (Gordon Tootoosis). He nurtures a family of a wife & three boys, plus his loyal personnel. One son is sensible and “follows the rules (Aidan Quinn) while another is wild and well-versed in Cree traditions (Brad Pitt). After a harrowing involvement in WW1, the two brothers go separate ways during the Prohibition Era of the 20s and early 30s. Julia Ormond and Karina Lombard are on hand in the feminine department. "Legends of the Fall" (1994) is similar to “A River Runs through It” from two years prior. Pitt basically plays the same character, just exaggerated here. Where these movies differ is the earlier one was based on Norman Maclean’s memoir and is therefore thoroughly realistic whereas “Legends” was based on James Harrison’s book and has a larger-than-life vibe. Like that earlier film, “Legends” effectively brings to life the era with its Model T's and bootlegging of alcoholic beverages. While I give the edge to “A River Runs through It,” this one ain’t no slouch. It begins mundane and tedious with AmerIndian mumbo jumbo (I’m talking about the eye-rolling spiritual gobbledygook, e.g. the “wild spirit of the bear”), but picks up when the boys go to Europe to fight. Like “A River Runs through It,” this is a character study of two contrasting souls, both generally likable and noble, but one functions successfully within the box of society whereas the other cannot be contained in this box. Although neither trips my trigger much, Ormond is very attractive and Lombard is stunning. At the end of the day, “Legends” is a well-done artistic Western that takes place in the early 20th Century with commentary on the masculine nature, duty, bravery, death, love, rivalry, commitment or lack of commitment, searching for meaning, familial altercations, following the rules, living “free,” tragedy, acceptance, forgiveness and honor. It’s simply about life and every family will be able to relate, one way or another. The film runs 2 hours, 13 minutes, and was shot in Alberta, Canada (Ghost River, Morley & Calgary), and Vancouver, British Columbia (the Helena scenes), as well as Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica (the exotic scenes). GRADE: B+

Production companies