The Legends of the fall - Moral consequences of war
The moral damages of war can seldom be altered by peace. In the long history of Man’s carnage in the name of territory, ambition and unbridled foolishness, the victim has always been the hapless “soldier” on either side, who wields his lance, or sword or the gun for a cause that he does not understand or sympathize; but yet, gives himself to the task of plunging headlong into battlefield with impunity and increasing relish. The psychological consequences of such an internal hardening is bound to unleash within, when the heat of war and flow of blood have ebbed; and he needs to integrate back with society that awaits him as the person that he was. How many stable families have been left emotionally, physically, morally and in million other ways uprooted from their cloistered lives; thrown into this maddening milieu of an ideological war; drawn to it by a strange taste of nationalism; passions running high, blood boiling with a fever characteristic of youthful folly heading into a moral chasm with a lame hope of returning to normal life once the madness is over- but only results in leaving him mutilated, emotionally transformed and strangers to those finer aspects of life that holds family and society together.
“The legends of the fall” - a 1991 movie captures the essence of this trauma quite effectively. Colonel Ludlow (Antony Hopkins) despaired of war, settles down with his three boys in a farm at the Canadian border. The young lads grow up into handsome men, deeply respectful of tradition and blooming in the innocence of a quiet life at the farm among native Indians. The youngest Ludlow (played brilliantly by Brad Pitt) is the maverick - charming, raw, wild and close to the earth than any of his brothers. The family is joined by his brother’s fiancee (Julia Ormond); an attractive young lady who quickly becomes a part of their lives- drawn irresistibly towards her intense, well chiseled brother-in-law. Such an idyllic life is interrupted by the clamor of First World War, and the Ludlow boys are aroused by patriotic fervor to serve their country. The colonel refuses permission and dissuades them from participating in a battle that has nothing to do with them - but who has ever stopped the lust for blood by reason or entreaties? The war irrevocably changes the peaceful contours of the Ludlow household; leaving one dead, the other cynical and the third immersed in guilt. Morally vacillating and psychologically unsure in this inner chaos are the heart broken bride and the aging Colonel. The reminder of the story is about the turns that life takes to regain the equilibrium that was so foolishly lost; and drawing to a conclusion with a solace that comes at a huge price to the Ludlow family.
This film is based on a book by Jim Harrison (I haven’t read it though). But I have a feeling that the book may have exposed finer textures of character, story and emotions than presented on screen. Nevertheless, the two hour extravagance is worth a watch. The undulating landscapes, the rich variegated colors of autumn and winter, the changing hues of brightness and light; slow transition from peace before war to corruption, moral decay and turmoil after - are captured exquisitely on screen. The Academy awards honored this cinematographic effort. Antony Hopkins had not much to do; and whatever he did was effortless and polished as usual. The film however belonged to Brad Pitt, who plays the wild boy along with his forbidden love Julia Ormond. The young Pitt beginning to show signs of a fine actor that he later became, and Julia enacting the tortured feminine soul caught between the demands of passion and dictates of decency with sensitive sublimity and control.
All in all, a brooding story that blends with the American west; turning a bit cliched towards the end, but leaves an impression of good performances, shimmering landscapes and a lasting moral…
God bless…
“The legends of the fall” - a 1991 movie captures the essence of this trauma quite effectively. Colonel Ludlow (Antony Hopkins) despaired of war, settles down with his three boys in a farm at the Canadian border. The young lads grow up into handsome men, deeply respectful of tradition and blooming in the innocence of a quiet life at the farm among native Indians. The youngest Ludlow (played brilliantly by Brad Pitt) is the maverick - charming, raw, wild and close to the earth than any of his brothers. The family is joined by his brother’s fiancee (Julia Ormond); an attractive young lady who quickly becomes a part of their lives- drawn irresistibly towards her intense, well chiseled brother-in-law. Such an idyllic life is interrupted by the clamor of First World War, and the Ludlow boys are aroused by patriotic fervor to serve their country. The colonel refuses permission and dissuades them from participating in a battle that has nothing to do with them - but who has ever stopped the lust for blood by reason or entreaties? The war irrevocably changes the peaceful contours of the Ludlow household; leaving one dead, the other cynical and the third immersed in guilt. Morally vacillating and psychologically unsure in this inner chaos are the heart broken bride and the aging Colonel. The reminder of the story is about the turns that life takes to regain the equilibrium that was so foolishly lost; and drawing to a conclusion with a solace that comes at a huge price to the Ludlow family.
This film is based on a book by Jim Harrison (I haven’t read it though). But I have a feeling that the book may have exposed finer textures of character, story and emotions than presented on screen. Nevertheless, the two hour extravagance is worth a watch. The undulating landscapes, the rich variegated colors of autumn and winter, the changing hues of brightness and light; slow transition from peace before war to corruption, moral decay and turmoil after - are captured exquisitely on screen. The Academy awards honored this cinematographic effort. Antony Hopkins had not much to do; and whatever he did was effortless and polished as usual. The film however belonged to Brad Pitt, who plays the wild boy along with his forbidden love Julia Ormond. The young Pitt beginning to show signs of a fine actor that he later became, and Julia enacting the tortured feminine soul caught between the demands of passion and dictates of decency with sensitive sublimity and control.
All in all, a brooding story that blends with the American west; turning a bit cliched towards the end, but leaves an impression of good performances, shimmering landscapes and a lasting moral…
God bless…
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