Legend (Ultimate Edition) (1986)

LEGEND never really found an audience in theatres despite Ridley Scott and Universal's constant tinkering with the final cut. Seems many movies of this era were victims of audience test screenings, and the desire to give people a commercial product that went down easy -see BRAZIL for a prime example of how studios think (the "love conquers all" version). So LEGEND was severely edited and rescored with a hasty (but often effective score by TANGERINE DREAM). It was short on plot and long on art direction, but sumptuous visuals and an all-out acting job by Tim Curry and make-up artist Rick Bottin made the movie an easy favorite of many fantasy fans. The movie looks stunning, and the story is a universal plunge into archetypes. Nothing wrong with that, it certainly worked for STAR WARS!

This DVD collection gives you two versions of LEGEND -the original director's cut with over twenty minutes of added footage and the original Goldsmith score; and in addition, you get the original US release. In essence you get two different movies! The moods vary, the characters seem a little different, with whole new speeches and images to enjoy. If you are a fan of the movie or Ridley Scott it's a MUST-HAVE! This is what DVD dreams are made of. While many bemoan the fact BLADE RUNNER does not come with its 2 versions -the fact is other than the narration and the happy ending, there is not MUCH different. But here we have a case where you can see what happens to a movie as it goes through development HELL. Fascinating stuff, and it comes LOADED with extras.

The only downside is the director's cut gets the royal treatment of a 5.1 sound mix while the other version gets a 2 channel Dolby mix, and even the video quality seems different with again the director's cut looking better than the theatrical release. But at last we can see a widescreen version of either cut, and we get a lot of extras that explain some of why the movie is the way it ended up. Beautiful images, two good soundtracks (I like both though the mood changes), and basically strong performances. LEGEND is a waking dream!

jerry goldsmith is widely considered to be one of the best creators of movie music alive. he once gave an interview where he said that the score for 'Legend' was his favorite thing he'd ever written. when this movie was released, however, the people at the studio decided that "the kids" just wouldn't get it, so they replaced it with a pop-y bit from tangerine dream. furthermore, scenes were cut, and the action was speeded up so that the movie could be marketed to a younger crowd. problem solved: this is a 2 disc set so you can compare and contrast the two versions: one with jerry goldsmith's score restored and finally bringing the "international" cut to the u.s., the other being the u.s. theatrical cut. this movie is incredible, but certainly not for everyone. the early tom cruise is fun to watch, tim curry is his usual over-the-top self, and mia sara is quite attractive as the princess(?) lilly. at its heart, this is a good vs. evil quest film, with the usual fantasy trappings of that sort used to wonderful effect. the movie is visually stunning, but it relies on more archtypical characters rather than character development. just because it has unicorns, fairies, goblins, swords, magic, etc., does not make this a children's film. i heartily recommend this one to any fan of sheer eye candy, fantasy, or fairy tales.

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As long as unicorns roam the earth evil can never harm the pure of heart, and that is why the prince of Darkness has sent his most foulest goblins out into the very daylight he seeks to destroy forever to cut off the horns of the last two remaining. But when Jack (the forest boy, played by a very young Tom Cruise) takes Lily (a royal princess, played by the beautiful Mia Sara) to see them, she does the forbidden and touches these ancient creatures. Lily soon discovers it was she who unintentionally lured the unicorns into the goblin's trap; enabling them to shoot the poison stinger into one of the "beasts", as they call them, with a clear view. She vows to make things right again as the land becomes shrouded in a blanket of snow and tries to protect the last unicorn standing but is too frail to defend even herself. She then is captured, along with the unicorn, and taken back to the great tree where the wicked come to sacrifice. There the prince of Darkness yearns for a companion and tries to make Lily one of them by tempting her with jewels and power while Jack and his new friends Gump, a jealous sprite and some other nymphs, device a plan to save Lily, the unicorn, and the world before it's covered in eternal shadow.

Legend wasn't too well received in theaters and was not a favorite among most critics but it has quickly become a cult classic with fantasy lovers like me. Considering the low budget director Ridley Scott was given in order to make this film in the mid-80s, I thought they did a wonderful job in bringing William Hjortsberg's dark fairytale to life, which was written specifically for the screen. I also felt the entire cast put on remarkable performances especially Tim Curry who went through hell (pun intended) to look as devilish as he does here...

Within this two-disc set is two versions of the film. One is the director's cut, as it was intended to be seen, and the other is the U.S. theatrical version, which I personally prefer, as do many others apparently. There are many extended scenes in the director's cut that were taken out of the U.S. release to trim down the overall running time but I felt the U.S. version simply flowed better. It also features a more dramatic score by Jerry Goldsmith instead of the more emotional score by Tangerine Dream and doesn't include the closing credits song "Is Your Love Strong Enough?" by Brian Ferry, ending the movie on a more magical note. But still, it was nice to see both versions and to compare the two. There's also a lot of bonus materials in the limited edition of Legend that many fans will be very grateful for.

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Well, I have never found the movie LEGEND to be one of the more satisfying movie experiences in my years of watching films. Though sporting a beautiful visual style and striking cinematography, I found the story to be very thin and uninteresting. Regardless of Tim Curry's incredible performance as Darkness, I was never really drawn into the plot in any way what-so-ever! The electronic score by the pop group Tangerine Dream didn't help matters. The added songs, which were VERY out of place for a fantasy film of this nature, literally sent me running away never wanting to return. Such was my experience with director Ridley Scott's fourth screen adventure.

After reading numerous stories about the film being tinkered with by studio executives, I was always a bit curious as to what it would have been like in its original form. I felt that it was very unfortunate that Jerry Goldsmith, a composer of many beloved movie scores including ALIEN, POLTERGEIST, and several STAR TREK films, would have his score unceremoniously ripped away from the film and replaced with a pop score in an effort to appeal more to the masses. What would the film be like with his original score intact again? These were wishful daydreams that I never expected to see happen. I was wrong.

LEGEND Ultimate Edition DVD is a wonderful release that is well worth the money. Finally, Ridley Scott has been afforded the chance to go back and fix his movie, restoring it to his original vision, along with the original music. The changes have done wonders for my overall enjoyment of this film. Firstly, the Goldsmith score immediately helps to draw you into this fantasy world and never lets you go. The conclusion of the film being set to actual music instead of pop-singing is awesome to say the least! Twenty-four minutes have been added to the movie, allowing the story to proceed at a more natural pace. The quick edits designed to get us to the action were painfully obvious in the American cut of the movie, but here we are allowed to actually get to know the characters and to care for them. So much more is revealed about the relationship between Jack and Lily instead of simply "telling" us that they are in love like the previous release did.

The extended version gives us plenty of additional details, so the opening scroll of the previous edition is wisely avoided this time around. The audience is smart enough to figure out what is going on in the movie without having to read several paragraphs at the beginning. This change now lets you feel that you are actually "viewing" the complete story instead of picking up in the middle of it. Now there is no need to be caught up on what exactly is going on before you even get started!

Some of the dialogue has been altered too, as well as some of the actual scenes themselves. Changes have been made to the voice of Darkness' Father when he instructs his son on how to "win" Lily. The dialogue has been altered to some degree also, and all for the better I might add. The mood in Darkness' halls is now even more creepy, and the actual seduction of Lily has a more haunting element than before. Now we actually see several shots of the dark phantom -like face of Darkness, with his glowing green eyes, secretly watching Lily shots that was pretty much absent from the American cut of the film. Very eerie! Also, a wise choice was made to remove the scenes that actually show Darkness at the beginning of the film. This sequence is now carried out using different camera angles during his conversation with Blix, being careful never to show Darkness himself. We do not lay eyes on the true face of Darkness until Lily does, and it is so much more effective that way! Also, the opening dialogue with Darkness at the beginning of the film has been altered.

Other scenes have been extended too, including Jack's encounter with the horrific Meg Mucklebones in the swamp. This sequence was a waste of time in the American version, but here it is very entertaining, with Jack being forced to attempt to sweet talk this ugly monstrosity to save his own skin. Very entertaining to say the least. Also included is a scene where Jack must solve a riddle presented by Gump in punishment for the "sin" of revealing the Unicorns to a mortal. These added sequences make the film more believable in my opinion, as opposed to the all-too-quick pacing of the edited version!

Note that there are a couple of scenes that are included in the American Edit that are not in the Director's Cut. Firstly, there is a lot more kissing between Jack and Lily at the beginning of the film. This is a good exclusion to make seeing that this works against the image of Lily being the "pure and innocent" victim in the story. Secondly, there is a scene in which Jack and Gump are attacked by some sort of long clawed dwarf monsters while in the dungeon halls of Darkness' lair. The scene is only a few seconds long, but did not really serve the story in any way. Thirdly, the scene in which Gump places the broken horn of the Unicorn back onto its forehead is nowhere to be found. I find this omission to be very puzzling, seeing that this is a very important element in the conclusion of the story. The movie does show the two Unicorns together, but the scene of it being restored should have been kept for the Director's Edition of the film.

I recommend this DVD to anyone who was ever even remotely interested in this film before. If you did not like it, give the alternate version presented here a chance. I don't think you will be disappointed!

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AS usual, the professional movie reviewers have no idea what to think of a fantasy film. It is beautifully filmed, that they agree on, but the point of the movie is lost on them. Not so myself. The play of light between the good characters is perfect: Jack and Lily, Lily and the unicorn, Jack and the elves, especially Gump. They are loving folk with playful hearts, and the courage to face what might destroy their happiness. Lily is probably the bravest film princess I've ever seen. These displays of good are built alongside and contrasting to the fabulous evil of Tim Curry's Darkness and his despicable servants. I would pay a lot to see the European release; there are clues all over the American release of what was cut from the storyline. What is that globe the Gump holds? Why does the bucket-headed elf have a goat or pig's hoof instead of a hand? Anyway, this is a marvelous film, and just because the story doesn't drill its way into your head like a crusader's mace doesn't mean it's a bad film.

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