unjustly criticized

Rating: 9/10 (21 October 2000)

After reading the comments on this message board, I feel reminded as to how jaded some viewers are. 'Legends of the Fall' is a great, moving film. In case you're wondering whether I am just someone who loves this type of film, in fact, I hate overly sentimental films. In my book, for a film to be considered overly sentimental, the emotions usually feel manipulative and calculated, which in 'Legends' is not the case. Movies such as 'Forrest Gump,' Saving Private Ryan,' or 'The Green Mile' all fit this category. These are the types of films that usually answer all questions one could possibly ask about the character's intentions and emotional conclusions, which 'legends' most certainly doesn't do. For all of the people who laughed throughout this film, my guess is that you probably either went in wanting to hate the movie, or you just weren't paying attention to it. The performances are very subtle. The film does not rely on long explanatory speaches (leave those for Spielberg) to show the characters emotional developments, but on quiet, honest portrayals of very realistic characters. None of the characters are saints and none are devils (once again, you can leave that to the Spielberg school of film), they are flawed, and make difficult, realistic decisions. The story is about characters who hold in their emotions, which drives the characters into their own tragedies that moves along the dark, and very, very engaging story . The film is a sweeping epic, with epic music, and all the other attributes that could bring people to criticize it for being overblown, but it is an epic story, so why the (curse word) not? The acting is great, the story is moving and engaging and the charaters are well-thought, complex, interesting, and most of all, very human (just watch how Aidan Quine makes the character that could have easily been the stereotypical enemy/anti-hero into one of the more moving, relatable characters in the movie). I found the relationships between the brothers and with the father to be quite beautiful, realistic and moving, and the real underlying theme of the movie (not Julia Ormond's character). On top of all this, it has some of then best photography seen in the last twenty years. Yes, the movie does ride the line between melodrama and somber epic in a few scenes, but I never felt it slip into that trap. In fact, because of that, I found the film extremely clever and brave. I am disheartened that the deafening cynicism that is moving through America has found its way onto this board and is unjustly criticizing a very good film. Just watch it again with a closer eye, and maybe (probably not) you'll see what I am talking about. Thanks for reading.