______________________________________________________
Legends
of the Fall
(By Gerry Wang)
VIDEO PICK OF THE WEEK #2
by Gerry Wang
LEGENDS OF THE FALL
(starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Julia Ormond, Aidan
Quinn, Henry Thomas; directed by Edward Zwick)
_____This week, my
VPOTW is LEGENDS OF THE FALL, the first movie that really
catapulted Brad Pitt to stardom. Am I a fag? Nope. I
don't like Brad Pitt, probably 'cause he's buffer than
me, but I have to admit I like his performances and the
characters he plays.
_____This movie
captured me w/ its fine performances, cinematography, and
music score. Musical score? Gerry's such a friggin' liar.
I can prove it. I bought the stinkin' soundtrack.
Anyways, LEGENDS OF THE FALL was directed by Edward
Zwick, the same guy who brought you GLORY and COURAGE
UNDER FIRE. So you can see that Zwick is quite talented
at presenting epic and sweeping scope in his movies. You
see this ambition in the WWI scenes in LEGENDS OF THE
FALL. They boast the new innovations brought upon by WWI,
barb wire and the machine gun, and use to illustrate a
key plot point. Watch for it. Also watch for the use of
tear gas. Another weapon introduced at WWI.
_____But perhaps the
most attractive part of this movie is characters, and how
the plot advances. The plot involves 3 brothers who all
love the same woman, played by Julia Ormand, who is
engaged to Henry Thomas' character, the youngest son.
Tristan (Brad Pitt) is the hunkish free-spirited brother
that instantly gets the attention of Julia Ormond, but
she is bound by her commitment to the younger brother.
You can see the soap opera elements in this story, but
it's Brad Pitt's charismatic performance that makes this
movie endearing.
_____I refuse to give
away plot points, but I will tell you this, a lot of
tragedy happens to these brothers, but in the end,
brother love wins out. Anthony Hopkins plays the
patriarch of the Ludlow family, and he has a commanding
presence.
_____Somehow, this
movie made me very nostalgic. I think it was the lush
Montana scenery and heart-wrenching tragedies, plus the
fine performances. It has an epic scope, kinda like
Beowulf, and it works because love is the ultimate
nostalgic theme. Love for a woman, love for a father. But
primarily, brotherly love.
*** (out of 4)
Chick-o-meter: 5 (out of 4! all girls will keel over and
die seeing Brad Pitt's naked body)
|