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Review of Legends of the Fall (James Horner)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you're looking for the weightiest, most tragically
melodramatic score in James Horner's career, a symphonic masterpiece of
thematic beauty and elegance.
Avoid it... if you have no interest in hearing Horner adapt the broad, simplistic strokes of John Barry's Dances With Wolves into his own templates.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Legends of the Fall: (James Horner) The 1994 film
Legends of the Fall is for the big screen what romance novels are
for old ladies. It is limitless, brute romanticism against the painted
skies of Montana, primordial in its appeal and doomed by those who are
not swayed by tear-jerking character dramas. If anyone doubted that
director Ed Zwick was trying to yank at the emotional chains of
audiences with his 1989 stunner Glory, then Legends of the
Fall is proof that you can succeed at it not just once, but twice.
Heroic and tragic, honorable and sorrowful, Legends of the Fall
combines the most potent elements of a British period production with
the vast expanses of Big Sky Country circa World War I. Its cast is
remarkably strong, led by a headstrong and painfully humorous
performance by Anthony Hopkins as the father of three adult sons split
by ideals, ambitions, and one woman. Deep respect for Native American
culture and a distrust for government highlight the undercurrents of the
plot, Zwick not afraid to fill the family cemetery by the end of the
film as well. As he had accomplished for Glory, composer James
Horner matched Zwick's engrossing melodrama with an unashamed powerhouse
of a score, and while the music for Legends of the Fall doesn't
quite equal the ethereal qualities of Glory, it excels at
supplying an greater excess of more consistent emotional weight. The
early 1990's were a time of few hits and numerous misses for the highly
productive Horner, who found himself scrounging around in the trash bin
of video-quality animated films and failed light dramas more often than
any of his listeners had hoped. With Legends of the Fall came a
sudden and overwhelming resurgence to popularity that launched the
composer into a year of incredible success in 1995, led by Apollo
13 and Braveheart. These three scores together yielded two
Golden Globe nominations and two Academy Awards nominations, and yet
none would win either award. Still, these three scores together, along
with the more-than-decent Casper and Balto in the middle
of that timeline, represent one of the greatest periods of production
that any Hollywood composer has ever enjoyed.
As the first in line during this remarkable period for Horner, Legends of the Fall caught listeners by surprise with its sheer weight of performance and rich variety of themes. Horner reveled in his fair share of dramatically melodic scores, but never before or after Legends of the Fall did he accomplish the same level of immense gravity, not even with Titanic or Avatar. The symphonic palette is familiar to Horner's largest scores, his orchestral tones joined by familiar percussive flair, puffing shakuhachi flute, and subtle electronics. That ensemble is brought to life by several major themes for the film, all given significant development and repeated statements and each resounding with the majesty of the landscape. It's a score that may have Richard Wagner and Aaron Copland in a distant corner of the conscience, but rather than relying on the plethora of classical influences that plague many of his other scores, the most direct connection this score draws from, surprisingly for Horner but unsurprisingly for the genre, is John Barry's Dances With Wolves. The highly popular, straight forward, simplistic romanticism of Barry's trademark sound for major dramas in the 1980's and 1990's seems to be a guide by which Horner built Legends of the Fall. The pacing is slower, the counterpoint is held to a minimum, and the players of the orchestra burst forth with magnificent string performances aided, as with Barry's work, by supplemental horns. And it's the strength of the themes in Legends of the Fall that leads to its success. The meaning behind Horner's several ideas for the film overlap in conceptual use on screen, the composer content to constantly intermingle phrases from his ideas in such a way as to move fluidly through a sequence without actually stating the totality of any one theme in its formal presentation. The main theme, introduced immediately on trumpet and in full during the latter half of "Legends of the Fall," is the broad representation of the story's overarching mores and location. It accompanies the beauty of the land and serves the soul of the score. One could argue that this main theme is actually a representation of Hopkins' Colonel Ludlow himself, as that character is the bedrock of the Montana homestead, and the trumpet in the opening cue may recognize his military service. Perhaps not coincidentally, the theme recedes after the character's debilitating stroke. The main theme for Legends of the Fall is the anchor that draws attention to the expanses of Montana at the outset of "Susannah," the middle of both "The Ludlows" and "Off to War," and early in "Coming Home," diminishing as the situation at the homestead slowly deteriorates over the course of the plot before returning in full for a lovely and extremely deliberate performance in the finale portion of "Alfred, Tristan, the Colonel, the Legend" as the Colonel surprisingly blows away the family's enemies despite his physical ailments. Equally positive in the major key and representing the family as a unit is the Ludlow theme, slipping into a slight waltz movement and applied occasionally by Horner as the story reminds the viewer of the early bond that culminates in bitter vengeance and sweet victory at its conclusion. This theme receives the same string-dominated weight as the primary theme for the landscape, and the two swap phrases in a few places, most notably in "The Ludlows" and "Off to War." The application in "The Ludlows" is particularly vital in the film, as the family assimilates the newly arrived Susannah to their way of life, the music front and center during the family's wholesome and humorous interactions. These passages are as happy and proud as the family will ever be, so it's not surprising that later performances of the Ludlow identity are only a shadow of what you hear in these two remarkable cues. Horner carefully restrains the full weight of the idea in "Descent Into Madness" and "The Wedding," the latter properly denoting that the bond suffers significant familial strain, only allowing one final nostalgic performance in full at 1:38. This cue is also highlighted by the pleasant, melancholy identity for Susannah over its first 100 seconds, partially transposed to Isabel here. The theme is initially heard at the outset of "Susannah's Arrival" and flourishes best in "Alfred Moves to Montana," where it eventually succumbs to the Ludlow theme. Because the character is so grief stricken for much of the film, questioning and eventually killing herself, Horner intentionally understates the presence of theme for her, failing to even allow it a performance in "Susannah Stays On." In later conversational scenes with the brother most alluring to her, Tristan, her theme is completely superseded by his. It is no coincidence that her husband, Alfred, is the only main character to never receive any thematic presence of significance, his role comparatively boring by design in the story and Susannah not truly loving him. Horner thus does not elicit a romantic response for the character. Horner's theme for the doomed youngest son of the Ludlow family, Samuel, is a presence that mostly haunts the score after his death at war, but it does debut in song form during the film during the cue "Twilight and Mist," the character performing over piano for the family. As Hopkins' narration completes the scene, the piano continues without the singing at the beginning of "The Ludlows." Thereafter, the theme is most frequently performed by a pair of fiddles, as at the end of that cue and in the gravesite moment during "Tristan and Susannah." The theme is fleshed out with better depth in "Recollections of Samuel" before returning to the fiddles in "A Moment Alone" and opening and closing the end titles in "Alfred, Tristan, the Colonel, the Legend." Despite all the attention garnered by the romantically-inclined major-key themes of Legends of the Fall, the most influential identity on the narrative as a whole is the one for Tristan, the Brad Pitt character that largely weaves the story together and, most ironically, outlives the rest of the cast. Horner applies this impressively malleable theme throughout the score as its lone minor-key representation of savagery, lust, and mystery, foreshadowing The New World at its most buoyant. The character's wild emotional ride places this theme in many realms, but most vital is its use as a connection to the Native American element via the shakuhachi. This idea's two main phrases are touched upon early in "Legends of the Fall" and again at the start of "Off to War." The theme becomes an anthem for war by 0:50 into "To the Boys," its percussive accompaniment foreshadowing Avatar. The theme likewise informs "Samuel's Death" with a combination of fear and heroism over clicking effects destined for Apollo 13. The strident performance of the theme in the latter half of the cue combines militaristic percussion with the shakuhachi to represent Tristan's two influences, yielding to a rare choral moment of devastation near the cue's end. The final minute of "Tristan and Susannah" exposes the truly mystical side of Tristan's theme, a gorgeous rendition for traditional woodwinds and the shakuhachi that represents the romantic element in the character's allure, and this demeanor continues over pulses of Glory's snare in "The Calf and the Bear." Horner returns the theme to agony several times in "Farewell/Descent Into Madness," allowing the shakuhachi to trail off the melody in one of this most memorable instrumental techniques. The idea interrupts the Ludlow theme with abrasive Willow-like percussion blasts (and, yes, the famed 4-note danger motif) late in "Descent Into Madness." The versatility of the fantastic theme for Tristan in Legends of the Fall is confirmed in "Wild Horses/Tristan's Return," the most optimistically heroic, hopeful, and spectacular moment of relief in the story, dominating the scene in its placement. The "Wild Horses" cue offers a bed of percussion as robust as Trevor Jones' Last of the Mohicans and shakuhachi blasts to later inform The Mask of Zorro. The "Goodbyes" cue takes the flute of Tristan's theme and layers it over Susannah's theme as confirmation of her passion for him. A tender rendition of Tristan's melody at 2:21 is a subtle highlight of the score, the romantic and savage aspects of the character's music in subdued conflict. This material extends into "Tristan's Quiet Heart," carried by oboe before beautifully reprising the haunting shakuhachi version of the theme from "Tristan and Susannah." Darkness awaits for the melody, "Isabel's Murder" ushering in its tortured wartime mode on agonizing strings for the senseless killing of Tristan's wife. Somber shades occupy the entirety of "Tristan Goes to Jail/Last Visit," his theme mingling with minor-mode interpolations of the Ludlows theme. The hints of the theme in the rhythms of "Revenge" mature into the choral applications to open "Alfred, Tristan, The Colonel, The Legend..." as a standoff commences with Tristan's enemies. One final full rendition of the Tristan theme closes out the score in his death scene. Other motifs meander throughout Legends of the Fall, many of them quite effective. The main and Ludlow themes have playful interlude sequences that denote the softer side of the extended family, including the Native American characters that help tend to the Ludlow ranch. The first of these interludes comes at 3:02 into "Legends of the Fall," though a far more expansive and wholesome interlude debuts at 1:45 into "Susannah." The brightest and most yearning of this supplemental phrasing in Legends of the Fall comes at 2:31 into "Susannah," and this idea returns at 3:33 into "The Ludlows" and several times thereafter in the score. It becomes something of a theme itself by "The Letter," which explores this innocent representation in its entirety. The motif faintly informs "Susannah Stays On" but returns on woodwinds in a variant in the middle of "Coming Home" and at the end of "Tristan's Return," by this time becoming something of a de facto love theme for Tristan and Susannah. These ideas intriguingly fail to recur during the scenes in which the two characters encounter each other in the Helena setting, the spotting of the music seemingly content to allow the awkwardness of the situations to exist without further motific development. Other secondary motifs in Legends of the Fall deserve recognition, as they are stunningly effective more often than not. The most noticeable in the score is the achievement motif, heard twice as the Ludlows accomplish success for the sake of good. It's Horner's "John Barry moment" in which the Dances With Wolves temp track truly bleeds through but is so effective that it can be forgiven. The first rendition comes at 1:27 into "Off to War," the timpani and chord progressions true to Barry at his best during this era. Fascinatingly, Horner returns to this motif at 4:45 into "Alfred, Tristan, the Colonel, the Legend," suggesting that the remaining three family members have finally triumphed in conquering their enemies despite the terrible cost. Far truer to Horner's typical form is his death motif, a fluttering effect of spiritualism for piano and woodwind that punctuates ensemble crescendos for a character's passing. (This is, except for Tristan's wife, who does not experience a proper death as anyone in the story would expect.) You'll hear Horner project this connection to Native American mysticism at 5:21 into "Samuel's Death," 1:16 into "Farewell/Descent Into Madness," 7:00 into "Alfred, Tristan, The Colonel, The Legend...," and late in "Legends of the Fall (Extended Version)." Less melodic and more rhythmic is Horner's application of puffing shakuhachi for moments of suspense, revenge, and killing. He had used the Japanese wood flute with interesting success in Thunderheart a couple of years prior, and he extends the same spirit to Legends of the Fall. The score opens with a few bursts of the ethnically propulsive, throaty rhythm that anyone might confuse with Thunderheart, and for two of the score's most prominent and lengthy cues, this rhythm incorporates more of the streamlined pacing and auxiliary instrumentation of Patriot Games, a work that also relied heavily on these sounds. At the end of "Revenge" and especially in the pivotal start of "Alfred, Tristan, The Colonel, The Legend...," Horner adds synthesizer and solo female vocal effects that stand well apart from the rest of the score. Given the consistently heavy ensemble performances of themes in Legends of the Fall, these rhythmic cues are a welcome diversion. Still, one of the overall strengths of Legends of the Fall is the fact that every moment of thematic development is conveyed with the same sincere and often heavy heart. The orchestration work of Thomas Pasatieri and Don Davis presents the London Symphony Orchestra in a smooth form that eclipses the Americana spirit of even the better-known Dances With Wolves. When you step back and admire the awe and magnificence that Horner brought to Legends of the Fall, you realize that the score not only unfolds in convenient concert-like cues on album but is a nearly perfect match for the film. The composer's common technique for the final confrontation scene works wonders; while the story on screen shifts between multiple positions with elegance, Horner's strong progression doesn't attempt to jump along with it. The continuity that his music provides the film, not only in this remarkable scene of suspense but also in the broader, flowing melodies, is one of its best assets. Another important point to consider with Legends of the Fall is that despite the connections to the shakuhachi rhythms in Thunderheart and the brief reprises of overflowing lyricism in subsequent dramas, this work remains relatively unique in Horner's career. There are interludes for tinkling percussion and piano that foreshadowed The Spitfire Grill, the snare rips carry over from Glory, and the opening of "Samuel's Death" mirrors the frantic action of the "Master Alarm" cue in Apollo 13. A later, more harmonious line of action in the same cue resembles the finale of Balto. But these similarities are not as obnoxious as they tend to be in many of Horner's other large-scale scores, and the composer never again reached this depth of resounding, simplistic grandeur. The 75-minute commercial album for Legends of the Fall continued its strangely "cult" status many years after its release, branching out well beyond the normal Horner collector base in its appeal. An isolated DVD score track added more material to the bootleg market. In 2020, though, Intrada Records pressed a limited, 2-CD set that afforded the score the treatment it deserves, adding several vital and lengthy cues to the presentation. Among the highlights are several additional romantic variants of Tristan's theme and fuller treatment of Susannah's identity. The "Susannah" and "Coming Home/Tristan and Susannah" tracks are worth the album alone, though the other newly provided cues flesh out score's secondary themes as well. The bonus tracks aren't spectacular but do offer a pair of intriguing alternates. The sound quality of the score is phenomenal on Intrada's release. It's an essential album for any Horner collector, amplifying much of the score's best material and thus easily supporting the additional running time. The original commercial album is highly recommended, too, for the highlights of Legends of the Fall are of such magnificence that even the shorter product can be whole-heartedly recommended. This music competes favorably among Horner's absolute career best. *****
TRACK LISTINGS:
1995 Epic/Sony Album:
Total Time: 75:15
2020 Intrada Album: Total Time: 133:35
* previously unreleased ** contains previously unreleased music
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert of the 1995 Epic/Sony album includes the note below from
the director. That of the 2020 Intrada product contains extensive details
about the film and score.
"At the heart of every story is a sound - something so deep that it
resonates like a pressure in your chest. It is this feeling that the film
composer seeks to make heard; not merely to underscore the chases,
clinches, climaxes, or to smooth over the directorial inadequacies of
soft cuts and shaky transitions, but to give voice to an inner life -
it's soul, if such a thing can be said of film. I first worked with James Horner on Glory. What he evoked with the piping voices of the Harlem Boys Choir endowed its images with a grace and tragedy no dialogue could ever express. As we began work on Legends of the Fall, we talked a lot about its atavistic nature - the dark and bloody heart, a love both overwhelming and destructive, the struggle of brothers for their birthright. We also talked a great deal about the melodies of the "old" place (Cornwall, England) from which these people had come; and the sounds of the "new" place (Montana, its native rhythms, its wildness) which had come to represent family and the ties that bind. All I can say is that somehow James managed to distill all these lofty conversations into a score that is at once brooding and lush, redolent of both love and loss, and that touches that secret place of awe I had experienced only once before - upon my first reading of Legends of the Fall. I wish to add my thanks to two soloists who joined James in the performance of this score: Jay Unger, whose fiddle solos so elevated Ken Burns' documentary The Civil War; and Kazu Matsui, perhaps the world's foremost interpreter of the Japanese wood flute, the shakuhachi." -- Ed Zwick
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Legends of the Fall are Copyright © 1995, 2020, Epic Soundtrax/Sony Classical, Intrada Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 9/24/96 and last updated 4/13/21. |
