Légendes d'automne

Zwick is simply talented. I can't imagine anyone else in the director's chair who could transform such a minimal plot into a more than two-hour epic spectacle, captivating the audience like a magnet with John Toll's beautifully executed camera work, and keeping them engaged without a moment of boredom. The prominent actors deliver strong above-average performances within their capabilities, which is not surprising for Anthony Hopkins or Aidan Quinn, but even Brad Pitt tries to achieve "something more," although he occasionally slips into a heavily dramatic delivery of his role. Even though similarly grandiose epic spectacles were never quite my thing, I can't find a single reasonable reason to justify not giving this film a perfect review. (15/10/2005)

Long before I could fully appreciate the sagas of the early 20th century, I fell in love with the sorrows of Colonel Ludlow's family of three sons, set first in the magical time before World War I and then extending into the Prohibition era. The impeccable production design, the superb cast (Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond, Henry Thomas, Karina Lombard, and Gordon Tootoosis), and the gradations of drama in a timeless form make Legends of the Fall a bold successor to the legend of Tristan and Isolde, with the only slight difference that in this version, Tristan is acquired by the young half-breed Isabel. (21/06/2010)

It's a big movie with everything. Anthony Hopkins gives yet another great performance, and the then budding Brad Pitt also does some pretty impressive things with a relatively simple character, and certainly doesn’t lose his way – when his Tristan is supposed to be just sweet, he’s sweet, andwhen he comes back from the fight bloodied and festooned with scalps and he’s supposed to be terrifying, well, he is. Zwick's sweeping direction makes this story from the Red Library an epic with some unexpected and very suspenseful moments, all of course with the hearty help of James Horner's bombastic score. (21/04/2019)

A bit of a guilty pleasure. Everything looks hauntingly beautiful, Horner's heartbreakingly romantic soundtrack is superb, and the actors give the action a realistic emotional gilding that must get the women's tear ducts (and maybe even the salivary glands at times) flowing considerably. Indeed, the audiovisual form is flawless and completely overshadows the heavily patriotic narrative, which is subordinated to surface effect at the expense of deeper effectiveness, and, unlike films like Dances with Wolves, brings us neither a significant intellectual insight nor a fully convincing biography of an individual. Zwick's grandiosity is sustained in its individual parts, but the narrative over a large span of time stumbles to the finish line, it’s too piecemeal at times and doesn't provide space for its individual, differently moody stages to flow smoothly. Still, I love Edward, if only because of the intoxicating magical touch, the beautiful scenery and a little bit because of Anthony Hopkins, who is by and large an acting giant... 80% (29/01/2012)

Wonderful cinematography, an excellent Hopkins, a charismatic Pitt and a not very groundbreaking story, plus a clichéd "last minute" ending. It's a nice watch, but without any added value and I have no reason to watch it again. I'm sure Pitt's fans are of a different opinion, though, because the long mane and beard really suit him. (11/05/2003)