Epic story of Tristan, destined to either become crazy, or become a legend.

Rating: Null/10 (3 February 2008)

I had seen this movie years ago, shortly after its release, and didn't remember much of it, especially how good a movie it is. Thanks to one of the sweetest college freshmen in the whole world, who gave me the DVD as a gift, I was able to appreciate it again today.
The movie begins with a narration in what is probably close to present time, at least later than 1963, that explains the key theme -- some hear their inner voice very clearly and choose to follow it instead of the rules of the world, and as a result they become crazy, or become a legend.
Brad Pitt is the feature actor as Tristan Ludlow, who clearly hears his own inner voice and follows it. For a period of time during the middle one-third of the movie it appears 'crazy' will be his fate. However in the end we see that he indeed did become a 'legend.' The story begins in 1913, and the mountainous Montana homestead has Anthony Hopkins, retired Army Col. William Ludlow, as the patriarch of the family which includes three quite different young men. The middle one was Tristan, blonde and with a fire inside him that made him follow a different path. He was not afraid of anything, and he was not afraid of dying. As a teenager he had a close encounter with a Grizzly, wounded on his arm, but quick with a knife cut off one of the bear's toes. It is said that after such an encounter the man and the animal remain part of each other.
The oldest son was Aidan Quinn as Alfred Ludlow, intelligent but dull, a straight-arrow sort who believed in and followed the rules, at least until he found out how the world and politics really work. The youngest son was Henry Thomas (of 'E.T' fame) as Samuel Ludlow, idealistic but timid, and his older brothers always tried to protect him.
One day Samual brings home his fiancé', Julia Ormond as Susannah Fincannon, a young lady who had no family of her own. He considers himself very fortunate to have her, and his two brothers are obviously taken with her also.
The big event that begins to cause tension in the family is the war in Europe that we now know became World War I. In 1914 the three young men travel to Canada to join up, in spite of the protests of their dad, soured against the all governments and their wars. He wanted them to stay within the safety of their isolation in Montana. They end up in France, fighting the Germans.
The movie has an epic feel to it because of the 50 years it spans. It is primarily Tristan's story, to see whether he will be crazy or be legend. In that process it touches all in his immediate and his extended family. All the performances are good, but Pitt and Hopkins especially show why they are two of the best. The musical score and the scenery are beautiful.
SPOILERS FOLLOW: During the fighting in France, Tristan takes it upon himself to protect Samuel, who goes to the front line anyway, unprepared for what was to occur. Tristan went to save him, but instead saw him gunned down. After he dispatched with the two Germans who killed Samuel, and saw he couldn't save his brother so he cut out Samuel's heart, in the old Native American tradition he learned. The heart was sent home for a proper burial on their land.
The two older brothers became estranged, Alfred blaming Tristan for their brother's death, even accusing him of wanting Samuel dead so that Tristan could have Susannah for himself. Tristan went away for several years, traveling the world, experiencing all he could, always on the verge of insanity. Susannah had told him she would wait for him for as long as it took, but after one letter from Tristan proclaiming himself 'dead' and not to wait any longer, married his brother Alfred. So Tristan came home to a dad partially paralyzed from a stroke, and his fiancé' married to his brother.
Many additional things happen, Alfred getting into politics, Tristan bootlegging whisky during Prohibition, other people close to him die, but Tristan always seems to pull through. Then finally, in 1963, he dies in an encounter with a Grizzly, somewhere in the north. As the narration tells us, it was "A good way to die."