Legends of the Fall

“Legends of the Fall” -- directed by Edward Zwick and starring Brad Pitt, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Julia Ormond, and Aidan Quinn -- tells the story of Colonel Ludlow (Hopkins) and his three sons; Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel.

“Legends of the Fall” is a sort of epic melodrama about three brothers, their father, and the woman who weaves among all of them. The film is primarily focused with the middle brother, played by Brad Pitt. Pitt is the only redeeming feature of the film. The film was first released 10 years ago, when Brad Pitt was only starting off on his climb up the Hollywood fame ladder. The film is based on a book by Jim Harrison.

The film focuses on the lives and loves of an early 20th century family who live in the mountains of Montana. It is narrated by Decker, an Indian man who lived with, and was practically a part of the family. He lives with the family, along with his wife and daughter Isabelle Too, who is named after the departed Mrs Ludlow.

Colonel William Ludlow and his 3 sons live in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, USA. After being discharged, Colonel Ludlow decides to raise his three sons in the wilds of Montana, where they can grow up away from the government and society he has learned to despise. Throughout the film, we watch the brothers grow and develop very different characters. Alfred is driven and determined to make a life away from the mountains in the “big city”, and finally gain his father’s approval, as he has always been biased towards Tristan. Tristan is happier at home, working and living from the land, whilst mousey Samuel is intelligent and more thoughtful than his older brothers.

It would be difficult to find any more affectionate and caring brothers than Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel -- until one woman turns all three lives upside down. Hailing from Boston, Susannah (Julia Ormond) is engaged to Samuel. Susannah brings a female influence into the house, which has been missing since William’s wife Isabelle decided that life in the mountains for not for her. When Samuel, the youngest of the three, returns from college he brings with him his beautiful fiancй, Susanna. The eldest son, Alfred, soon finds himself in love with his brother's fiancй, and things get worse when he discovers a growing passion between Susanna and Tristan. The plot revolves around the Colonel's favorite son, the darkly charismatic Tristan, whose rebelliousness and individuality wreak havoc on those around him. The narrator, a Cree Indian who is a friend of the family, infuses shamanistic and animistic beliefs into his monologues. He opens saying, "Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness, and they live by what they hear." He identifies Tristan as such a person, filled with an animal spirit that drives him from the company of men.

Thing becomes worse when the three brothers decide to join the First World War in Europe in 1914, to fight against the increasingly powerful German forces, despite their father's objection. Susannah begs Samuel not to go, but his need is to do his duty. They all witness different events, and experience different traumas, which when they return home, affects them all in different, but dramatic