When Legend came out in the Spring of 1985, moviegoers weren’t sure what to make of the film. People had major expectations when it was announced that Ridley Scott was teaming up with Tom Cruise on a massive project. Ridley had revolutionized science fiction with Alien and Blade Runner. He gave the future a gritty nastiness that wasn’t found in Star Wars. Tom Cruise had exploded on the screen with Risky Business and All The Right Moves in 1983. Plus Tim Curry was the villain. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was still packing in weekend midnight after a decade with Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. No one had a clue about Mia Sara since Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was still a year away from being released. Legend seemed destined to be a mind bending pleaser with lines wrapped around the theaters across the country. That was until it was revealed that this was a fantasy film and Tom was going to be hanging out with unicorns.
The Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry) is tired of having to share the day with light. He wants to cast the world in an eternal darkness. He sends off his crew of devious goblins to track down and kill the unicorns. He wants to use their horns to stop the sun from rising. The magical creatures roam a forest that’s somewhat guarded by Jack O’Greene (Tom Cruise). Jack on this day is a bit preoccupied with Princess Lili (Mia Sara). He sneaks her into the forest to see the unicorns. The couple are clueless that the goblins are lurking in the trees. During a bit of fun when Lili drops her ring into a lake, Jack dives in to recover it, the Goblins strike and claim a unicorn horn. The world goes cold quickly and freezes Jack below the water. Can Jack bust out or will he freeze to death along with the rest of the world?
How people reacted to Legend depended on where they saw the film. Turns out there were two different versions of the movie released and both are included in this boxset. The version that arrived in Europe was 113 minutes long and featured a score by Jerry Goldsmith (Chinatown). When this version was tested in America, the audience wasn’t happy. Universal and Ridley Scott decide to cut the film down to just under 90 minutes. The ending was changed. They even yanked down Goldsmith’s score and let West German synth pop legends Tangerine Dream give the fantasy film a futuristic sound. People in America had to wait six months after it had premiered in Europe. These alternations weren’t a case where they made a TV safe cut of the film. When you sit down and watch both versions, you’re almost watching two different films. If you haven’t seen Legend, you’re best off starting with the Director’s Cut to see what Ridley showed the kids in Paris. This is the full telling of the story conceived by writer William Hjortsberg. You also get more time with Billy Barty (The Bugaloos and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters) playing Screwball. Save the shorter Legend for later in the week.
Legend is a marvel to behold with the sets, special effects and wardrobe that really hadn’t been approached for a fantasy based film. Tim Curry turns in a fine performance even buried under giant horns and covered in devilish makeup. Legend needs to be seen in at least Blu-ray to make out all the little touches that made film fantastical that allowed Ridley Scott to take us to one more other worldly location.
The video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The 1080p resolution lets Rob Bottin’s creations dazzle on your HDTV. The audio is DTS-HD MA 5.1 and also the original DTS-HD MA 2.0 mix. You will hear all the strange noises in this fantasy world. The movies are subtitled in English.
Illustrated perfect-bound book with new writing by Nicholas Clement and Kat Ellinger and archive materials including production notes and a 2002 interview with Charles de Lauzirika about the restoration of the Director’s Cut
Large double-sided poster with newly commissioned artwork by Neil Davies and original theatrical artwork by John Alvin
Glossy full-color portraits of the cast photographed by Annie Leibovitz
– Six double-sided postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
DISC 1: US THEATRICAL CUT
New commentary by Paul M. Sammon author of Ridley Scott: The Making of His Movies
2002 Reconstructed isolated score by Tangerine Dream so you can hear the German synth master’s track without actors talking.
Isolated music and effects track lets you hear the movie without the dialogue and discover how the music works with the background noise.
Remembering A Legend (30:45) interviews grip David Cadwalladr, costume designer Charles Knode, co-star Annabelle Lanyon, camera operator Peter MacDonald, set decorator Ann Mollo and draftsman John Ralph. They discuss what they had to do to create such a fantastical world. There’s talk about the fire that destroyed the main studio in the middle of production.
The Music of Legend is a two part feature with a discussion of the score from Jerry Goldsmith (15:12) and Tangerine Dream (13:09). There’s quite a bit of background given on the composer and the Krautrock band.
The Creatures of Legend goes into the work of Rob Bottin’s make-up effects from the perspective of illustrator Martin A. Kline (10:28) and make-up effects artist Nick Duman (16:15). There’s plenty of sketches, drawings and behind the scenes footage to show what Bottin and his crew created.
Incarnations of a Legend (20:47) compares the different version cuts of Legend that have been released over the years. Critic Travis Crawford points out the Ridley Scott has done 10 “director’s cuts” of his movies after they were released in theaters.
The Directors: Ridley Scott (58:37) is a 2003 documentary where he talks about his career. Harrison Ford opens the film with testimony of what it is like to work with Ridley.
Television Version Opening (1:26) has a voiceover actor reading opening text crawl in case your TV screen was too small to read.
“Is Your Love Strong Enough?” (5:23) is a music video by Bryan Ferry. The lead singer of Roxy Music really adds passion to the film as he sings in front of a screen showing the cinematic action. I had never noticed before that Tom Cruise close ups aren’t part of the highlights. The focus is mostly on Tim Curry and Mia Sara. Dave Gilmour from Pink Floyd is on guitar.
DISC 2: DIRECTOR’S CUT
Commentary by Ridley Scott lets him get deep into what went into making his big fantasy film.
Creating A Myth: Memories of Legend (51:03) is a 2000 documentary with interviews with Ridley Scott, William Hjortsberg, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, Rob Bottin and others. There’s a lot of talk of the ambitions of making such a fantastical movie. Ridley talks about how he wanted to do one more out there film before he’d finally do a normal film set in modern life.
Original promotional featurette (9:44) from 1985. It looks like it was rescued off an old VHS tape. They show off how they built the giant trees in the forest set.
Lost Scenes include the Alternate ‘Four Goblins’ opening (10:35) and ‘The Fairie Dance’ deleted scene (3:06) that is the original audio with photos and storyboards to illustrate what it was. They still can’t find the film.
Storyboard galleries are provided for 8 scenes
Two drafts of William Hjortsberg’s screenplay. You get to read the first draft and the shooting draft.
Alternate footage (9:00) is from the overseas release plus textless footage
Trailers and TV spots includes the two US theatrical trailers (1:24 & 1:13 ), the international trailer (1:52) and the TV Spots (2:11) that ran on American television. They frame the film as a battle to maintain balance in the universe.
Still galleries includes Production Stills, Continuity Polaroids, Posters and Video Art.
Arrow Video presents Legend: Limited Edition. Directed by Ridley Scott. Screenplay by William Hjortsberg. Starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry and Billy Barty. Running Time: 113 minutes & 89 minutes. Rated PG. Release Date: October 12, 2021.
