High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of the U.S. Theatrical Cut and the Director’s Cut of the film
DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio on both cuts
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing on both cuts
Illustrated perfect-bound book featuring new writing on the film by Nicholas Clement and Kat Ellinger plus archive materials including original production notes and a 2002 interview with Charles de Lauzirika about the restoration of the Director's Cut
Large fold-out double-sided poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Neil Davies and original theatrical artwork by John Alvin
Glossy full-colour portraits of the cast photographed by Annie Leibovitz
Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions
Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Neil Davies and original theatrical artwork by John Alvin
Disc One - U.S. Theatrical Cut
Brand new 2K restoration of the U.S. Theatrical Cut from original film materials, including a 4K scan of the original camera negative
Brand new audio commentary by Paul M. Sammon, author of Ridley Scott: The Making of His Movies
Reconstructed isolated score track by Tangerine Dream from 2002
Isolated music and effects track
A Fairytale in Pinewood, a brand new featurette interviewing grip David Cadwalladr, costume designer Charles Knode, co-star Annabelle Lanyon, camera operator Peter MacDonald, set decorator Ann Mollo and draftsman John Ralph
Incarnations of a Legend, a comparison featurette written and narrated by critic Travis Crawford discussing the differences between the various versions of the film
The Directors: Ridley Scott, a 2003 documentary in which the director discusses his career up to that point, including Legend
Music video for “Is Your Love Strong Enough?” by Bryan Ferry
Disc Two - Director's Cut
Audio commentary by director Ridley Scott
Creating A Myth: Memories of Legend, an archive documentary from 2002 featuring interviews with Ridley Scott, William Hjortsberg, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, Rob Bottin and several other cast and crew members
Original promotional featurette
Two deleted scenes, the alternate 'Four Goblins' opening and 'The Fairie Dance'
Storyboard galleries for three deleted scenes
Two drafts of William Hjortsberg's screenplay
Alternate footage from the overseas release, plus textless footage
Three theatrical trailers and four TV spots
Image galleries
If only every Blu-ray presentation opened with a brief message from the filmmakers or technicians involved in approving or creating its transfer. Imagine the confusion that would be alleviated, the light that would be shed on problematic aspects of a transfer, the educated discussions and debates that would spring up in forums. Oh, what a world that would be. I know, I know... wishful thinking. Thankfully, director Ridley Scott has penned not one but two messages that greet filmfans immediately after choosing which version of Legend they'd like to watch.
Legend: Original Theatrical Cut
Of the film's 1080p/VC-1 encoded theatrical cut presentation, Scott writes: "The final theatrical version of Legend was transferred by Universal in 2006 directly from the film's inter-negative. Although I was not involved in this transfer, it displays a much more detailed and refined image than the Director's Cut. Considering the significantly different source elements and transfer processes involved, it is safe to say that each version of Legend has its own strengths and I leave it to you to decide which one you think is best."
"Each version has its own strengths." Of course, the implication is that Scott is mostly -- but not entirely -- pleased with the theatrical cut's Blu-ray presentation. As to what weaknesses he may be subtly referring to? Minor print specks and nicks appear on occasion (most noticeably when Oona tries to lift the last mirror into place during the film's final confrontation), vertical lines slice down through the image here and there, color and contrast inconsistencies aren't exactly uncommon, and some instability and wobble affects a number of shots. Seeing as Scott is intimately familiar with what can be done to correct these issues (ahem, Blade Runner), I would imagine it's these sorts of things that kept him from offering more glowing praise of the theatrical cut transfer.
That said, Legend has never looked as good as it does here, and it's easy to identify the many, many strengths Scott is alluding to in his comments. Cinematographer Alex Thomson's dark fantasy palette is awash with lush, vibrant color and rich, primal power. Black levels aren't exactly consistent but, for the most part, they're inky and ominous; skintones are lifelike and altogether pleasant, even though faces are a tad flushed here and there. And detail? Scott wasn't exaggerating. Edges are crisp and clean, fine textures are intact and true to Thomson's photography, grain has been preserved (even if it grows unruly at times) and overall clarity is excellent (barring several soft shots, all of which trace back to the source). Suffice it to say, the Blu-ray presentation puts the standard DVD to shame. It helps that artifacting, banding and aliasing never claw their way into the image, and ringing and crush, though present to some degree, aren't distracting. All things considered, Universal's faithful presentation will entrance filmfans and delight videophiles alike.
Legend: Director's Cut
Of the film's 1080p/VC-1 encoded Director's Cut, Scott writes: "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."
Inherent flaws notwithstanding, I can't imagine the Director's Cut impressing any more than it does here. The theatrical version certainly boasts greater detail, but the Director's Cut is no slouch. Some may even prefer its less intrusive grain and somewhat softer image. Scott's color timing is different -- sometimes drastically so -- but the hues that adorn the Director's Cut are generally strong and vivid (minus a variety of problematic shots). Blacks are comparable as well, even if the quality of the answer print occasionally produces muted shadows and less-than-revealing delineation. And even though detail is less refined, it's still more than suitable for the task at hand. Universal's encode is also sound; no digital anomalies, no compression issues, no eyesores to report. (Well, other than those native to the answer print.) Ultimately, appropriate expectations are the key to enjoying the Director's Cut transfer, even as an archival curiosity, and crucial to understanding the source of its weaknesses. A comparison of the two versions, while far from indicative of the full experience offered by either transfer, can be found here and here.
This 1980s Tom Cruise Fantasy Film Should've Used One of Its Alternate Endings
Good conquers evil in the 1985 fantasy flick... or does it?
BY JASON SHOMER
PUBLISHED JUL 29, 2023
No matter how big a star gets in Hollywood, fact is, they all had to start somewhere. And for many of the household names that grace the screen today and even for the last few decades, there are plenty of early films that many fans don't actually know ever happened. And that's probably okay for the successful performers who continue to be on the tips of everyone's tongues today. Take Tom Cruise, for example. The guy who seems to have been an elite movie star since many of us can remember had a few misses in addition to his hits in his early career, some of which only true fans know of. One of those films was the 1985 fantasy movie Legend. And what's even more surprising about this obscure film, especially to those who know it well, is that the ending was almost completely different from what ended up in the final cut.
Even though Legend might seem like an unimportant blip on Cruise's impressive credit list, many moviegoers agree that the movie is worth a watch. That's not too surprising when you look at some of the names behind it, including Ridley Scott, one of the many directors to work with Cruise. The Mission Impossible star was just at the budding stage of his massive career at this point, and playing a lead role in a fantasy love story probably seemed like a no-brainer. However, the movie failed to resonate with audiences, possibly because the fantasy genre hadn't yet found its way. That, in combination with a lukewarm reception from film critics, caused the movie to fade out of the minds of most fans. But for those who know of the movie and remember it, they might be surprised to find out the way it was originally intended to conclude.
Legend follows Cruise's character, Jack, as he treks through a fantasy world of magical creatures such as goblins, fairies, and the ever-important unicorns. Jack is known for his bravery, and Princess Lili (Mia Sara) can't help but fall for him. The film begins with the bliss these two are experiencing, ignorant of the darkness that grows in the distance. Beyond the enchanted forest, the Lord of Darkness, brilliantly portrayed by Tim Curry, has sinister plans to forever change this land of light and goodness to a frozen wasteland. This may have been one of Curry's most obscure roles, and surely one of his toughest.
In this magical land of Legend, Princess Lili cannot help but touch a living unicorn, which is a no-no when it comes to keeping the balance of nature intact. This act allows the Lord of Darkness to be able to capture the unicorn's horn, which is the tool he needs to bring forever darkness to the world. This sets Jack on his journey to not only save his love but take back the unicorn's horn and destroy Mr. Demon. The film carries on with Jack's adventures on his quest before eventually getting to his final destination. And here is where most fans of the film don't know what might have been.
What Was 'Legend's Original Ending?
This all leads to the film's climax when Jack confronts the Lord of Darkness with his love Princess Lili, along with the rest of the world on the edge of peril. And this epic battle may pale in comparison to the fantasy stories we are used to today (thanks a lot, Peter Jackson), but it is still captivating enough to keep viewers' attention. Set in the backdrop of a beautifully designed evil lair flowing with lava and fire, it's not only Jack who must overcome an incredible obstacle. Princess Lili herself is battling her own inner demons as the dark world is highly tempting, powerful, and manipulative. If Jack doesn't save her in time, she can very well be Mrs. Lord of Darkness pretty soon.
When it was all said and done, thanks to courage and a bit of perfect timing, Jack is able to defeat the forces of evil by casting the Lord of Darkness into an eternal void, take back the unicorn's horn, and snap his beloved Princess Lili out of her hypnotized state. As the unicorn's horn is restored to the animal, darkness disappears from the land, the frozen landscape melts, and the world comes full circle, back to light and good. Although plenty of the lessons and conclusions may seem a bit predictable, Scott's direction presents the story in a way that makes it feel fresh and enjoyable. And this was not his only film that could have had a different ending.
For plenty of Cruise fans who saw Legend in theaters, that was the end of that. The film slipped away out of Hollywood's mind, and Cruise continued upwards along his ever-successful career. But as the trend has been recently, there have been plenty of look-backs at older films by many different people involved. Most commonly, directors re-release older films with a new edit, allowing fans to enjoy their "director's cut." But something a little bit more "in the know" feeling is information about previous productions; facts that were previously unknown. In the case of Legend, it has been revealed through interviews and social media spreading that the ending had alternate possibilities than what was ultimately chosen, and many may think the other choices could've been better.
In the released production of Legend, good simply defeats evil. Sure, there are some speed bumps and difficulties for Jack to get there, but it is fairly straightforward. The first alternate ending was seen in Ridley's director's cut of the film, which has Lili waking up to Jack, and the whole mess being one horrible dream. Even though they truly love each other, they realize that they come from two different sides of the fence, and Lili isn't too keen on leaving her royalty status. Jack promises Lili to visit one day again, and that's how it ends. It's also been revealed that another considered ending was Jack and Lili winding up together and running off into the forest, which is now back to being warm and beautiful. However, the Lord of Darkness shows that he cannot truly be expelled, as he laughs from the void watching them frolic. There is also one more ending, which was shown in European theaters, which is just simply the two lovebirds running off into the sunset, happily ever after.
There's no doubt that during the creation process, movies have endings that can change throughout the course of the production. It's possible that alternate endings are shot nowadays just to have a director's cut available later down the line to make a few extra bucks. But surely none of that was on the radar back when Legend was made and just hearing different tidbits and stories of how an obscure film such as that could've been different is much more interesting. The movie, as it was and is now, is worth a watch just to see a young Tom Cruise take on a type of role we usually never see him in, which is also one of his most underrated performances. Ridley Scott's directing is spot on as it always is, and the different magical characters in the film only enhance the story. And of course, Legend will always be worth a watch just for that giant red devil, Tim Curry.
