Do you want to see ‘Legends of the Fall’?

Legends of the Fall (1994)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.6/10
Reviews Counted: 42
Fresh: 26 | Rotten: 16

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 4.8/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 6

No consensus yet.

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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 162,126

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Movie Info

The sweeping, melodramatic saga of three brothers, their powerful father, and a beautiful woman, the popular period drama Legends of the Fall presents a romanticized view of rugged masculinity against lush Montana scenery. Based on a novel by Jim Harrison, the film covers decades in the lives of Alfred (Aidan Quinn), Tristan (Brad Pitt), and Samuel (Henry Thomas) Ludlow, the sons of retired military man William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins). Raised by the unorthodox Ludlow after the departure of

R, 2 hr. 13 min.

Western, Drama, Romance

Directed By: Edward Zwick

Written By: Susan Shilliday, William D. Wittliff

In Theaters: Dec 23, 1994 Wide

On DVD: Apr 29, 1997

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Legends of the Fall Trailer & Photos

Cast

Brad Pitt
Tristan Ludlow
Anthony Hopkins
Col. William Ludlow
Aidan Quinn
Alfred Ludlow
Henry Thomas
Samuel Ludlow
Karina Lombard
Isabel Two
Julia Ormond
Susannah Finncannon
Gordon Tootoosis
One Stab
Tantoo Cardinal
Pet
Paul Desmond
Decker
Bart the Bear
the bear
Nigel Bennett
Asgaard
Marc Levy
Butler
Weston McMillan
Noel
Christina Pickles
Isabel
Kenneth Welsh
Sheriff Tynert
Robert Wisden
John T. O'Banion
Bill Croft
Bartender
Ray Godshall Jr.
Businessman
John Novak
James O'Banion
Stuart Aikins
Mary Colquhoun
Bill Dow
Longley
David Kaye
Samuel Decker
Charles Andre
Federal Officer

Critic Reviews for Legends of the Fall

All Critics (43) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (27) | Rotten (16) | DVD (20)

Edward Zwick, the director, and Susan Shilliday and Bill Wittliff, the screenwriters, are under the impression that they are bringing forth a tragic epic, not a silly melodrama...

August 14, 2009 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine

| Comment

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

As densely plotted as Legends of the Fall is, it's to the credit of the performers and craftsmen that the film escapes the abyss of melodrama and sentimentality.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

Mr. Pitt's diffident mix of acting and attitude works to such heartthrob perfection it's a shame the film's superficiality gets in his way.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Top Critic

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Big and beautiful as it looks, the film doesn't deliver much emotional punch.

June 18, 2002 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

| Comment

Peter Stack

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

Though the admirable Quinn has the toughest role, Pitt carries the picture. The blue-eyed boy who seemed a bit lost in Interview With the Vampire proves himself a bona fide movie star, stealing every scene he's in.

May 12, 2001 Comment

Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

Top Critic

This is the kind of big, robust Western love story that just begs to be filmed -- which, come to think of it, it has been.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comment

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

Tween girls will swoon over this tear-jerker.

January 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Afsheen Nomai

Common Sense Media

[Pitt] casts such a saintly, beatific sheen over the proceedings that he seems to glow from within.

August 14, 2009 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

The part is a gift for Brad: he's a cowboy, soldier, adventurer and wanderer; impossibly glamourous and ludicrously far-fetched.

August 14, 2009 Full Review Source: Film4

| Comment

Film4

A semi-successful attempt at grand, schmaltzy romantic melodrama, in the manner of 1950s movies like Giant and other works based on literature. Hopkins is hammy as the patriarch but Aidan Quinn and particularly Brad Pitt as his sons at least look right.

February 15, 2007 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

The entire film plays like a commercial for Brad Pitt. You can imagine half the audience wondering, 'Where can I get one of those?'

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Magnificent melodrama.

January 2, 2005 Full Review Source: StaciWilson.com

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Staci Layne Wilson

StaciWilson.com

Epic frontier soaper rambles on and on.

December 27, 2004 Comment

Steve Crum

Kansas City Kansan Source: Kansas City Kansan

A rousing, epic miniseries crammed into two hours.

May 13, 2004 Comment

Rob Thomas

Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Much too hokey to be enjoyed, even by soap standards.

January 11, 2004 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

| Comment

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Legends of the Fall

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Not a legendary tale, but pretty absorbing family drama. Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt shine in their role and so do the supporting actors. However, I gotta admit that I didn't like Julia Ormond and Karina Lombard

March 22, 2009

familiar stranger

Super Reviewer

A movie that I feel is both good and bad at the same time. While it is a powerful story, the script is so overly corny that it is ruined. The acting is so-so, Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins gave the only decent performances.

November 19, 2009