Legends of the Fall

Legends of the Fall

What is the first thing which comes to your mind if we say ‘Hero’? Whom do you consider to be a perfect ‘hero’ in reel life? There are many heroic characters played by our superstars in movies from Braveheart to Gladiator, from Rambo to Robinhood. Who would be your ideal hero?

 Wikipedia definition says- ‘A hero is a person or a character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage or strength.’ Going by this definition, I would like to introduce one of my favorite ‘hero’es played by everyone’s favorite hero- Brad Pitt. Pitt has been entertaining us for years with his heroism and charisma on silver screen. He is extremely brilliant in every ‘hero’ role he picks and serves – a war hero, an evil hero, a fantasy hero, a rescuer hero, a con hero, a sci-fi super-hero, an action hero, a truth seeker hero and even a hero in somebody’s subconscious. [I’m sure you did the right mapping].

My choice will go to Tristan Ludlow- a hero in one of his very first few movies which won him his first Golden Globe award- Legends of Fall.

The film is about how Col. William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) brought up his three children in the wilderness of Montana, far away from urban lives and taught them the rights and the wrongs. The story expresses how the brothers’ lives evolved over time under the influence of nature, love, war and power. The story is an adaptation of a novel written by Jim Harrison. This is one of the finest directions by Edward Zwick who is also famous for crafting many ‘heroes’ in his movies like The Last Samurai or The Blood Diamond.

Tristan is special to me in many ways among all the heroes played by Pitt over the 4 decades.

1.     Heroic Guise- You will not see that ‘raw’ look in any of Pitt’s later movies which Tristan carries. It is an innocence bundled with a wildness which will not let you shift your eyes from him. The body spoke his language every single moment while caring a horse or sharing a laugh, angering in pain or admiring in love- always. I am sure, you can fall in love with the man even before watching the movie

2.     Heroic Disposition- His character is a hero. He dares to combats adversity (fierce) through feats of ingenuity, defeats his enemies, he fights for justice, and thrives for excellence, above all he loves and he sacrifices. He never turns his face from duties, gratitude, and compassion.

3.     Heroic Forte- the strength of the character reflects in small but significant scenes- when he let the wild bear go which caused him near death injuries once; when he fought with a bartender in order to give the due respect to the fellow Indian who brought him up; when he married to his childhood friend who always dreamt of marrying him; when he stood against his own brother to bring justice to his family.

4.     Heroic Imperfection- to err is human. But how he transforms his flaws into strength, signifies the character of a real hero. He fell in love with his own brother’s fiancé, but never lived in an intent to win her. He responded to the duties of the country during the war where he lost his brother-his soulmate- while trying to save him. His anger and failure haunted him for life. He avenged and defeated every single enemy in the battle. He escaped from his love in order to save her life from his own trauma. He experienced a new truth of life, learnt to live with the loved ones, and returned. The Love never stayed long, but he always stayed in love.

5.     Heroic Demise- The hero may not always rescue lives, sometimes he needs to liberate himself from the guilt, anger and sense of injustice he carries throughout. Tristan was able to do that. He lived a hero, he died a hero in the wilderness of the earth.

This is a story of Tristan Ludlow- My favorite Brad Pitt hero. Who is your favourite Brad Pitt hero?