Hours and hours can be spent scrolling through streaming services trying to pick a film, but an Oscar-winning epic has now become available to stream on Amazon Prime and it isn’t one to be missed out on.
Starring a young Brad Pitt and the legendary Anthony Hopkins, prepare for love, loss, and war to be played out in the sweeping backdrop of the American hills and the brutal World War One front line. Set against the backdrop of the early 20th century, the film follows Hopkins as Colonel William Ludlow as he leaves the US army and ships his family to a remote part of Montana to begin a new life.
The plot spans across nearly 50 years but begins as the colonel tries to raise his three sons Alfred, Tristan and Samuel on the remote ranch. The story takes a turn however as it jumps to the young brothers becoming adults with Samuel returning from Harvard with a fiancee Susannah who touches the hearts of all three brothers.
But as the First World War erupts, the three brothers find themselves on the front line, and after all of them find are commanded to storm into No Man’s Land, the family would never be the same again.
The film’s cinematography is something that makes it stand out from the rest, switching between the bloody and muddy destruction of the World War One front line, and the vast, open wilderness of the Montana hills, its stunning visuals have been widely praised.
Directed by Edward Zwick, best known for his historical dramas such as Glory, The Last Samurai, or the cold-war chess drama Pawn Sacrifice, Legends of The Fall is one of his stand-out films that has almost come to define his style of film making.
Brad Pitt also finds himself creating stand-out performances as the independent and complicated Tristan, who has to navigate love, loss, and the scares of war to create a truly memorable role.
The film also went down well with the critics, achieving three Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing and Best Production Design, eventually winning in the cinematography category in 1995.
Critics have consistently praised the film with the feature still holding up just as well three decades after its first release. A must-watch for any film buff, Legends of the Fall is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video for subscribers and offers a great opportunity to rewatch a 90s classic.