LEGEND [1985 / 2014] [Limited Edition SteelBook] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
No Light Without Darkness! The Best Fantasy Film You’ll Ever See!
Tom Cruise stars in this visually stunning fantasy adventure in which pure good and evil battle to the death amidst spectacular surroundings. Set in a timeless mythical forest inhabited by fairies, goblins, unicorns and mortals, the fantastic story has Jack [Tom Cruise], a forest dweller, and chosen by fate to undertake a heroic quest. Jack must save the beautiful Princess Lili [Mia Sara], and defeat the demonic Lord of Darkness [Tim Curry], or the world will be plunged into a never-ending ice age. Co-starring Billy Barty and Alice Playten and Directed by Ridley Scott, famed for his remarkable settings and unparalleled imagery, the incredibly realised fable is the stuff movie legends are made of.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1985 British Society of Cinematographers: Win: Best Cinematography Award for Alex Thomson. 1985 Venice Film Festival: Nominated: Golden Lion Award for Ridley Scott. 1986 BAFTA Film Awards: Nominated: Best Costume Design for Charles Knode. Nominated: Best Make Up Artist for Peter Robb-King and Rob Bottin. Nominated: Best Special Visual Effects for Nick Allder and Peter Voysey. 1987 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Makeup for Peter Robb-King and Rob Bottin. 1987 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Nominated: Saturn Award Best Makeup for Rob Bottin. 1987 Young Artist Awards: Nominated: Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor, Supporting Role, Feature Film Comedy, Fantasy or Drama for David Bennent. Nominated: Exceptional Feature Film, Family Entertainment, Fantasy or Comedy. 2003 DVD Exclusive Awards: Nominated: DVD Premiere Award for Best Overall New Extra Features and Library Release for Charles de Lauzirika and J.M. Kenny for the ultimate edition. Nominated: DVD Premiere Award for Original Retrospective Documentary and Library Release for J.M. Kenny for "Creating a Myth" for the Ultimate Edition. Nominated: DVD Premiere Award for Best Audio Commentary and Library Release for Ridley Scott for the Ultimate Edition.
FILM FACT No.2: In 2000, Universal Pictures unearthed an answer print of the 113 minute preview cut with Jerry Goldsmith's score. This print had minor visual anomalies that were eventually digitally replaced with finished shots from the 89 minute USA version. This edition is Ridley Scott's preferred 2002 "Director's Cut," with the restored Jerry Goldsmith soundtracks. The Director's Cut source is one of only two prints of this extended version known to exist and used for Universal Pictures 2002 DVD and eventual the Blu-ray disc release of the "Ultimate Edition."
Cast: Tom Cruise (Jack), Mia Sara (Lili), Tim Curry (Lord of Darkness), David Bennent (Gump), Alice Playten (Blix), Billy Barty (Screwball), Cork Hubbert (Brown Tom), Peter O'Farrell (Pox), Kiran Shah (Blunder), Annabelle Lanyon (Oona), Robert Picardo (Meg Mucklebones), Tina Martin (Nell), Ian Longmur (Demon Cook), Michael Crane (Demon Cook), Liz Gilbert (Dancing Black Dress), Eddie Powell (Mummified Guard), Ian Stewart (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Jeff Davies (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Sally Dewhurst (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Jane Devonshire (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Amanda Rose (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Joey Baxter (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Sharon Brown (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Nicky Dewhurst (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Debbie Greenwell (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Helene Holland (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Anna Kipling (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Samantha Newbury (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Belinda Payne (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Gabriel Piatrowski (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut), Jerome Sax (Faerie Firelight Dancer) (Director's Cut) and Mike Edmonds (Tic) (uncredited)
Director: Ridley Scott
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Joseph P. Grace and Tim Hampton
Screenplay: William Hjortsberg
Composers: Jerry Goldsmith (Director's cut), Eric Allaman (uncredited) and Tangerine Dream (American version)
Cinematographer: Alex Thomson, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
French: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Spanish [Castilian]: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
German: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Italian: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Russian: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Polish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Turkish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Thai: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Subtitles: English SDH, English, Spanish, French, Spanish [Castilian], Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Italian, Norwegian, Português [Brazil], Russian, Swedish, Chinese, Chinese [Cantonese], Polish, Português, Thai and Turkish
Region: All Regions
Running Time: 93 minutes and 113 minutes
Number of discs: 1
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: 1985 proved to be an odd year for directors who worked at Universal Pictures. On one hand, one Universal Pictures released ‘Out of Africa’ and nabbed the OSCAR® for Best Picture. Another was ‘Back to the Future’ and took home the crown as the year’s box office champion. On the other hand, a couple of directors had a rough time with their Universal projects in 1985. The most extreme problems befell Terry Gilliam and ‘BRAZIL’ which he experienced legendary battles with studio chiefs over the tone and length of the flick, among other areas; it remains one of the most famous feuds in film history. The term "failed masterpiece" is rather loosely thrown about because the so-called one bad element that ruins or more often simply detracts from an otherwise work of pure genius by a director many consider a god can vary greatly depending on the project.
The story for the film ‘LEGEND’ [1985] involves an evil demon who kidnaps a princess and a unicorn, and a young man must set out to rescue them, accompanied by various fantasy creatures. But Ridley Scott knows his fairy tales well enough to understand that theme and style are more important than plot per se. Legend is primarily a visual film, with gorgeously designed sets and spectacular costumes. It also has a strong soundtrack or, rather, two alternative strong soundtracks, one by the brilliant composer Jerry Goldsmith and the other by the ghastly Tangerine Dream.
‘LEGEND’ remains to this day one of the most richly visual films you'll ever see with every scene is filled with so much colour, movement and astonishing natural and magical imagery it’s overwhelming and is rightly considered "music video" in appearance and production design and cinematography in this film are OSCAR® calibre. Indeed Ridley Scott's aiming was high, here is a pure fairy-tale film but with a mean streak, where a demon who seeks to create eternal night by destroying the last of the unicorns and marrying a fairy princess is opposed by the forest boy Jack and his elven allies in this magical fantasy.
‘LEGEND’ places us in a land of faeries and magic. Forest-dweller Jack [Tom Cruise] loves Princess Lily [Mia Sara] and desires to spend all his time with her. Although it’s against the rules, Jack tries to impress Princess Lily when he shows her the romping grounds of the unicorns, the most sacred and special of creatures. Against Jack’s warnings, Princess Lily approaches and touches one of the unicorns, an action that messes up the world very badly. Concurrently, Blix [Alice Playten], the henchman of Lord of Darkness [Tim Curry], slays one of the unicorns and steals its horn. This places the world mostly in shadows, which is what Lord of Darkness desires. Because he needs to kill the other unicorn to finish the job and Jack wants to stop this.
Though negative critics quibbled that they felt it was not an original story, which I dispute very much. Because on the positive side, I have to admit that ‘LEGEND’ looks absolutely fantastic. Clearly a lot of work went into the production design, and the results are excellent. The forest and other settings seem lush and lively, and they create a fine environment for the action, especially as it was all filmed on the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios.
Ridley Scott’s 1985 picture, ‘LEGEND’ remains underrated as a pre-Lord of the Rings paradigm of great fantasy in cinema. Through its lush images, makeup effects, and acting, it stimulates the imagination and stirs the emotions. While many would argue that it is a portrait of the Adam and Eve story. I would argue that it is about the loss of innocence, and transitioning from childhood to early adolescence. Tim Curry’s performance as Lord of Darkness gives this latter concept vivid life as he plies young Princess Lily with the power of temptation with delicious malevolence and frightening intensity.
‘LEGEND’ is a totally amazing experience and the Director’s Cut version is definitely the ultimate edition to definitely to own, as Ridley Scott has been able to add in lots of extra scenes that were missing from the previous Blu-ray Ultimate Edition. One massive bonus is that this Blu-ray does not include the original disastrous USA theatrical version, which was a total insult to the brilliant director Ridley Scott, but had to be released in America in that horrible insulting version, as for some unknown reason some American individuals seem not very bright or intelligent enough to understand the Director’s Cut version. Ridley Scott created something timeless in 1985, a luminous treasure of fantasy and colour, and if you haven’t had the chance to experience the visual dream that is ‘LEGEND,’ then I suggest you get this "Ultimate Edition" Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray disc.
The Director’s Cut: For years before its release on DVD, the ‘LEGEND’ Director's Cut was thought to have been lost forever. However, in 2000, it was miraculously located in the form of a pristine answer print, which was later transferred for DVD. Answer prints by their nature offer limited latitude in the transfer process, commonly resulting in less-then-optimal picture quality. Such is the case with ‘LEGEND’ Director's Cut. Newly re-transferred in 2011 for this Blu-ray release, the limitations of the answer print are now even more apparent in high definition. However, given its one-and-only source element, the Director's Cut looks as good as it possibly can and I am pleased to include it on this Blu-ray release as both an archival curiosity for fans and a digital preservation of my original vision for the film. [Ridley Scott]
LEGEND MUSIC TRACK LIST
IS YOUR LOVE STRONG ENOUGH (Written by Bryan Ferry) [Performed by Bryan Ferry]
LOVED BY THE SUN (Music by Tangerine Dream) (Lyrics by Jon Anderson) [Produced by David Tickle and Tangerine Dream]
MY TRUE LOVE’S KISS (uncredited) (Written by Jerry Goldsmith) [Performed by Mia Sara]
Blu-ray Image Quality – ‘LEGEND’ appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Sharpness usually seemed positive. A few shots came across as a little soft due to the spotty nature of the Director’s Cut’s source material. However, those instances remained modest, as the majority of the film seemed distinctive and well-defined. Jagged edges and moiré effects caused no concerns, and I detected no signs of edge enhancement. Colours appeared very strong in this ultimate version. The film utilises a glowing tone that made sense within the fantasy framework, and the various hues came across as rich and vibrant. The colours always looked clear and attractive, and they exhibited no issues like noise or bleeding. Black levels also were deep and dense, and shadow detail seemed appropriately heavy but not excessively opaque; the Blu-ray presented a solid image.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track sounded absolutely brilliant, but I am very angry it is only available on the European Theatrical Cut and a massive improvement over previous Surround Sound releases. But if you watch the Director’s Cut you can only get to hear it in the English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround sound audio track. Dialogue came across very natural and distinct, with no concerns related to intelligibility or edginess. Surround effects seemed more hit or miss, despite this some of those elements appeared nicely clear and rich, but others sounded thinner and more dated. For the most part, however, the effects remained fairly accurate and vibrant, though high-end sounds occasionally were a little brittle sounding. Music showed positive fidelity, especially with Jerry Goldsmith’s awesome score seemed very bright and lively. Bass response was fairly warm and natural. After 27 years, the audio of ‘LEGEND’ has held up well.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
European Theatrical Cut [93 minutes]
Director’s Cut [English Audio Only]
Theatrical Trailer [1985] [408i] [1.37:1] [1:24] This is the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘LEGEND.’ This is of very poor quality and with this upgrade Blu-ray disc, couldn’t they of done some homework and found a better trailer copy with the right aspect ratio?
Finally, ‘LEGEND’ remains one of my all-time personal favourite film, and while it hasn't weathered the ages as well as other films of the era, it still stands out as both a fantasy classic and a memorable Ridley Scott production. Both versions have their lovers and haters. Personally, I like the “Director’s Cut” for its length and the more beautiful images you get to view. Taking nothing away from the late and brilliant Jerry Goldsmith, the swelling synths and mysterious ghastly sounds of Tangerine Dream just give us the dream like fantasy that is ‘LEGEND.’ Honestly, it's worth the price of admission just for Tim Curry's performance alone. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Blu-ray release doesn't disappoint either. It not only delivers two versions of the film, each one is backed by an excellent video transfer, a solid English 5.1 Dolby Digital Master Audio track, but very disappointing they could not of include the extras with the previous Blu-ray release and they should of supplied an extra Blu-ray disc and I feel this has been a slight let down, especially as the Trailer is a totally shoddy quality. But despite this, I am extremely proud to add this to me ever increasing Blu-ray Limited Edition SteelBook Collection, as this is definitely THE Ultimate Edition as it is such a beautifully designed inside and out of the Limited Edition SteelBook, as it has lots of extra scenes added in with the Director’s Cut and certainly made it a totally magical experience. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
