An excellent Critique of Civilisation

Rating: 7/10 (29 June 2013)

This movie is not, as advertised on the video cover, one of the best movies released. There are far better ones out there. Legend of the Fall is not a bad movie though; in fact it is quite a good and well constructed movie. There is a lot in this movie if one looks closely, the major theme being a criticism on civilisation.
The movie is set on a ranch in Dakota and goes from the late 1800's to the mid 1920's and chronicles the life of three brothers: Samuel, Tristan, and Matthew. These three brothers symbolise three things: Samuel is naivety; Tristan is the wild; and Matthew is the civilised. Samuel's naivety kills him pretty quickly when World War I breaks outs. Matthew, an officer, is discharged after an injury, while Tristan goes wild after his brother's death and is discharged soon after. This aspect of the movie is very anti-war; the brothers leave seeking glory, all except Tristan who goes to look after his brothers, but all return in an unglorious manner. Matthew is wounded, Tristan is wild, Samuel is dead. There is a very strong animosity towards war in this movie, especially from the boys' father, Colonel Ludlow. Right at the opening he throws his sword down and walks away from an Indian Village. He has seen the truth of war and is very much against it and the government after this. The Colonel, as well as being against war and the government, has come to an understanding that the Indians are real suffering people and becomes a sympathiser.
The ranch is on the border of civilisation and a number of times people come and go from the ranch and there is a symbolisation with the way that they leave. The mother, Isabella, is the first to leave and she leaves in a carriage, her destination is the cities of the east. When Samuel returns with his fiancé Suzanna, they come in by car. When the brothers leave to war they leave on horseback, and they return on horseback. When Tristan leaves to travel the world, he leaves on horseback. It seems that the horse symbolises travelling into the wild and the unknown. Even though the war is in Europe, the war is uncivilised, as Colonel Ludlow says, and is wild. The authorities arrive at the ranch in two ways, first they come on horseback, later they come by car and this seems to be merging the civilised with the uncivilised.
As the movie moves on, we begin to see that what we once considered to be civilsed is really not. There is a large distinction at the beginning, but as we see with Europe, the centre of civilisation, plunging into war, so we see urban United States also plunging into a state of barbarism. This comes out with the prohibition act and how the authorities begin to use standover tactics to intimidate Tristan. When he is arrested, it is not for smuggling, rather it is for beating up a police officer. The corruption of the government is clearly seen in the congressman's party where the upperclass are drinking champagne even though alcohol is illegal.
The point of Legend of the Fall is that there is no such thing as civilisation. Though we sit on the borderlands, everywhere we go is wilderness, even in the heart of urban America. The beast that is with Tristan is in all others, it is only that they have learnt to control that beast. The only truly civilised person in the movie is the Indian storyteller who never speaks a word of English (the narrative has been translated, the Indian is narrating it in his own language). He refuses to sink so low.