Legends of the Fall
Director: Edward Zwick
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, Aiden Quinn, Henry Thomas, Julia Ormand
“Legends of the Fall” is a tale of love, brotherhood, betrayal and redemption. Set in 1900’s Montana, the story follows three brothers – Tristan, Alfred and Samuel - who fall in love with the same beautiful woman.
In the beginning, it is established that the bond shared between the three brothers – and especially the bond that connects Alfred and Tristan to their little brother, Samuel, is incredibly strong. When all three brothers fall in love with Susannah, their love for her becomes the catalyst that will both destroy their bond and make it whole again.
The love that is shared between Susannah and Samuel, the youngest brother, is as fleeting and innocent as a fairy tale romance. Although he truly loves her, Samuel is also driven by a sense of duty and a reckless desire to ride off into the tragic sunset of war. Although the fragile love that connects Susannah and Samuel is soon extinguished, it is this same love that ignites the tragic love between Susannah and Samuel’s brothers.
When Samuel is tragically killed in the war, Alfred confesses his love to Susannah and asks her to be his wife. Although he is smitten with her, the heartbroken Susannah doesn’t love Alfred. When Tristan returns and claims Susannah’s heart for his own, their love shatters the bond between the two brothers and Alfred leaves. When Tristan leaves for a second time, Susannah does marry Alfred, but unlike the sweet, innocent love that she had with Samuel, or the smoldering passion that she shared with Tristan, the love that is shared between Alfred and Susannah is steeped more in noble indifference than sincerity, and in the end, the pain she feels over losing Tristan’s love is what ultimately destroys her.
When Samuel announces that he is going off to war, a heartbroken Susannah begs Tristan not to let him go. Although he doesn’t want to go to war, Tristan promises Susannah that he will take care of Samuel and bring him home. When the brothers go off to fight in the war, their father also implores Tristan to take care of Samuel. Tristan’s failure to protect Samuel and bring him home alive is the catalyst that dooms his love with Susannah and shatters his bond with his eldest brother, Alfred. In the end, Alfred saves Tristan and their father from being killed by the O’Banion brother’s. Before he flees into exile, Tristan entrusts his brother with the care of his two young children, but he also implores him to watch over Samuel. I believe this moment is significant because it is a reflection of the promise that Tristan made to Susannah and his father; a promise that would ultimately be fulfilled by Tristan trusting Alfred to do what he could not: allowing him to protect Samuel.
“Legends of the Fall” is a tragic story of love, brotherhood, betrayal and redemption. While the casting for this movie is flawless, I was particularly impressed with Brad Pitt who brought both a heartbreaking vulnerability and an undeniable strength to the character of Tristan. If you enjoy a good romance, then “Legends of the Fall” is a film that I would highly recommend.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Edward Zwick
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, Aiden Quinn, Henry Thomas, Julia Ormand
“Legends of the Fall” is a tale of love, brotherhood, betrayal and redemption. Set in 1900’s Montana, the story follows three brothers – Tristan, Alfred and Samuel - who fall in love with the same beautiful woman.
In the beginning, it is established that the bond shared between the three brothers – and especially the bond that connects Alfred and Tristan to their little brother, Samuel, is incredibly strong. When all three brothers fall in love with Susannah, their love for her becomes the catalyst that will both destroy their bond and make it whole again.
The love that is shared between Susannah and Samuel, the youngest brother, is as fleeting and innocent as a fairy tale romance. Although he truly loves her, Samuel is also driven by a sense of duty and a reckless desire to ride off into the tragic sunset of war. Although the fragile love that connects Susannah and Samuel is soon extinguished, it is this same love that ignites the tragic love between Susannah and Samuel’s brothers.
When Samuel is tragically killed in the war, Alfred confesses his love to Susannah and asks her to be his wife. Although he is smitten with her, the heartbroken Susannah doesn’t love Alfred. When Tristan returns and claims Susannah’s heart for his own, their love shatters the bond between the two brothers and Alfred leaves. When Tristan leaves for a second time, Susannah does marry Alfred, but unlike the sweet, innocent love that she had with Samuel, or the smoldering passion that she shared with Tristan, the love that is shared between Alfred and Susannah is steeped more in noble indifference than sincerity, and in the end, the pain she feels over losing Tristan’s love is what ultimately destroys her.
When Samuel announces that he is going off to war, a heartbroken Susannah begs Tristan not to let him go. Although he doesn’t want to go to war, Tristan promises Susannah that he will take care of Samuel and bring him home. When the brothers go off to fight in the war, their father also implores Tristan to take care of Samuel. Tristan’s failure to protect Samuel and bring him home alive is the catalyst that dooms his love with Susannah and shatters his bond with his eldest brother, Alfred. In the end, Alfred saves Tristan and their father from being killed by the O’Banion brother’s. Before he flees into exile, Tristan entrusts his brother with the care of his two young children, but he also implores him to watch over Samuel. I believe this moment is significant because it is a reflection of the promise that Tristan made to Susannah and his father; a promise that would ultimately be fulfilled by Tristan trusting Alfred to do what he could not: allowing him to protect Samuel.
“Legends of the Fall” is a tragic story of love, brotherhood, betrayal and redemption. While the casting for this movie is flawless, I was particularly impressed with Brad Pitt who brought both a heartbreaking vulnerability and an undeniable strength to the character of Tristan. If you enjoy a good romance, then “Legends of the Fall” is a film that I would highly recommend.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.