Legend (film)
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- This is about the American film. For the Hong Kong film known in America as The Legend and starring Jet Li, see Fong Sai-Yuk (1993 film)
| Legend | |
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| Directed by | Ridley Scott |
| Produced by | Joseph P. Grace (U.S. version) Tim Hampton Arnon Milchan |
| Written by | William Hjortsberg |
| Starring | Tom Cruise Mia Sara Tim Curry |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith (U.K. version, also Director's Cut) Tangerine Dream (U.S. version) |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios (U.S.); 20th Century Fox (outside the U.S.) |
| Release date(s) | April 18, 1986 |
| Running time | 89 min. (U.S. version); 94 min. (European version); 113 min. (Director's Cut) |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Legend is a 1985 fantasy film released by 20th Century Fox (in Europe) and Universal Pictures (in the U.S. and Canada), directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, Alice Playten, and Billy Barty. Though not a very notable success when first released, it has since become a cult classic.
[edit] Plot summary
The story is set "once, long ago" in a world of unicorns, princesses, fairies, and demons. Cruise plays Jack O' The Green, a woodland dweller who takes Princess Lily (Sara) to see the last of the living unicorns. But temptation and fate cause the world to freeze over when the male unicorn is seriously wounded and its horn stolen, and the female unicorn and Lily are kidnapped by evil goblins. Ultimately, it is Jack (with the help of a group of fairies and Elves) who must save Lily from the demonic, Satan-like Lord called Darkness (Curry), who wants to take Lily as his bride. Jack and the fairies overcome all obstacles to reach the Tree Of Darkness (where Lily and the unicorn are being held) and conquer the demonic Lord before the world enters a never-ending Age Of Darkness.
[edit] The legend behind Legend
The film was written by William Hjortsberg and produced by Arnon Milchan, but the behind-the-scenes story of the making of the film is in itself a legend. The film was shot at Pinewood Studios using the 007 Stage, which was also used for many James Bond films. Part-way through the filming the stage burned completely to the ground forcing the producers to finish the movie on hastily completed sets. The film then failed in test screenings: test audiences complained about Jerry Goldsmith's score and of how teenage audiences might accept the film. Both Universal and Scott decided to cut the film drastically for domestic release, from nearly two hours in length to 89 minutes. They also replaced Goldsmith's score with music by Tangerine Dream, Yes leader Jon Anderson, and Bryan Ferry. Scott allowed Goldsmith's score, regarded by some music critics as Goldsmith's greatest film work, to remain on European prints.
In the years that followed, Goldsmith's score (which was released as a soundtrack CD) would become very popular and acclaimed. Ironically, this CD release has made the Tangerine Dream soundtrack a rarity; used copies have commanded as much as $40 from retailers[citation needed]. Finally, in 2002, Universal released a 113-minute "director's cut" on DVD restoring previously cut scenes, and Goldsmith's original score. On a collector's edition 2-dvd set, both the 113-minute version with Goldsmith's score and the 89 minute print with the Tangerine Dream score are featured, each on their own disc, with the 89 minute version having the music score available as an isolated sound track.
[edit] External links
Boy and Bicycle • The Duellists • Alien • Blade Runner • Legend • Someone to Watch Over Me • Black Rain • Thelma & Louise • 1492: Conquest of Paradise • White Squall • G.I. Jane • Gladiator • Hannibal • Black Hawk Down • Matchstick Men • Kingdom of Heaven • All the Invisible Children • A Good Year • American Gangster
