Has Anyone Here Read "Legends Of The Fall"?

[Wyatt Burp]

Whenever I come across this movie on TV I can't help but watch it for a while, even though I have some problems with it. It's a movie that I can't get lost in because I always know I'm watching a movie even though I can't pinpoint the clichés that I know are there. Yet it's not predictable. The cute girl in it seems to just sit around on this ranch for years going through all the brothers. It never looks like she helps out around there. There's a little over acting in this film, a lot in some cases. That ambush scene with the Sharps rifle was superb. I love the visuals, action, use of guns, and Montana in Elmer Keith days on film. I read Jim Harrison's bio but was wondering if the book, or novella, matches the movie. Harrison liked the film. Has anyone here read the book and if so, is it like the movie?

 

[Cooter Brown]

Wyatt, I agree with you about the movie. Nice scenery, overwrought acting. Like a lot of Brad Pitt movies it seems.

I've read the book but it's been a while. I think you'd enjoy it. I like most of Harrison's stuff, in fact I just read "Brown Dog", another novella/long short story of his. There are two other stories in the book. "Brown Dog" is hilarious. Haven't read the other two yet.

"Legends" is also in a book with two other stories, one of which I remember liking better than "Legends", but it's been a while.

Google a site call Abebooks. You can get most anything there and usually very cheap so you wouldn't be out a lot if you didn't like the book. But I think you would.

 

[feralmerril]

I havent read the book , like the movie for the scenes etc. What might be the problem here in my opinion is, most movies are just a short snapshot of time in a persons life. Think about it , doesnt most movies usualy just capture at most a week of the charactors life? In this movie it covers prior to world war one up to the thirtys or so, and has brad pitt getting killed by a grizzley somewhere in the 1960s.
I have played with the idea of trying to write a fiction some winter to pass the time but I couldnt even get started as to where do you jump in any mans life story? The most boreing of us has had a lot of "things" happen in a lifetime. To tell any mans life it would take many books. That movie covers many years where most adventure movies only deal with a week or so.

 

[turnerriver]

I bet the other story was "Revenge". The book is very good, I don't think the movie holds a candle to the story itself but hats just my opinion. I don't remember the third story but Legends of the Fall & Revenge were great reads.
Regards,
turnerriver

 

[Cooter Brown]

Yep. I went and pulled the book off the shelf and the other story I liked was "Revenge".

If you can find a copy of "The Woman Lit by Fireflies" it has the story "Brown Dog" in it. I haven't read the other two stories but BD was fine.

 

[Marshwheeling]

I have read Legends of the Fall several times, mostly before the movie came out. To me it is one of the great pieces of headlong storytelling (in fact, Harrison might have created the genre "headlong storytelling" with this novella), in which he recounts the saga of this family in about 110 pages. It is melodramatic, and at times overblown, but nevertheless, a remarkable piece of writing and a great read. The movie is pretty good, very pretty to look at, and does the book justice in my opinion, but as is so often the case, the book is the real deal.

I have read a lot of Jim Harrison's stuff, and enjoyed most of it. I don't know if he still lives in Paradise Valley, north of Yellowstone, but he is or was part of that Thomas McGuane/Jimmy Buffett crowd that has given us a lot of good reading, music and movies.

 

[XAVMECH]

Harrison novellas

Legends of the Fall was published with Revenge and The Man who gave up his name. All good "man" style fare. "Revenge" was my favorite of the three. I would have enjoyed the movies of Legends and Revenge more without Brad Pitt or Kevin Costner - but they certainly each had their high points independent of the stars in their leading roles. Harrison's writing is introspective -posing some intersting questions that the reader no doubt ponders.

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

I've always wanted to read it....I enjoyed the movie