‘Legend’ (1985) Arrow Video Blu-Ray Review – An Epic Villain Hovers Over A Troubled Ridley Scott Production

After changing the face of science fiction cinema forever with Alien and Blade Runner, director Ridley Scott turned his visionary eye to the fantasy genre, teaming with writer William Hjortsberg (Angel Heart) to create a breathtaking cinematic fairytale with one of the screen’s most astonishingly rendered depictions of Evil. In an idyllic, sun-dappled forest, the pure-hearted Jack (Tom Cruise) takes his true love Princess Lili (Mia Sara) to see a pair of unicorns frolicking at the forest’s edge. Little do they know, however, that the Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry, in a remarkable make-up designed by The Thing’s Rob Bottin) has dispatched his minions to capture the unicorns and sever their horns so that he may plunge the world into everlasting night. After Lili and the unicorns are taken prisoner, Jack must team with a group of forest creatures and descend into Darkness’ subterranean lair to face off against the devilish creature before it is too late. Despite a troubled production in which the elaborate full-size forest set was accidentally incinerated and a lengthy post-production that resulted in multiple versions of the film (with competing music scores by Jerry Goldsmith and Tangerine Dream), Legend has since been restored to Scott’s original cut and embraced by generations of film fans eager to see a master director’s unique vision of a world beyond our imagination.

For thoughts on Legend, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

Video Quality

Legend comes to Blu-Ray from Arrow Video with a fetching 1080p transfer for both the U.S. Theatrical Version and the Director’s Cut, each on their own disc. Both cuts of the film were previously released on Blu-Ray through Universal, but Arrow has taken the opportunity to shine them up a bit more. To know the background of these releases is to appreciate more how the film looks and why this is not a 4K UHD release. Text featuring thoughts from Ridley Scott on the state of the two cuts gives you insight into the look of each film. The Director’s Cut was first released in 2002 on DVD after being rescued and transferred from an Answer Print. While there are limitations to this format, it allowed for audiences to see a cut of the film more closely aligned with Scott’s vision. This cut was re-transferred and put on Blu-Ray by Universal in 2011. At the same time, the U.S. Cut of the film was also released from a scan of the Internegative, a fine option but not the optimal Original Camera Negative. 

A decade later, Arrow has now restored the U.S. Theatrical Cut from the Original 35mm Camera Negative conformed to the International Cut of the film. These elements and additional interpositive elements were scanned in 4K resolution and restored in 2K. Due to the licensing of the film in different territories, Universal does not have the rights to the International Cut in the United States. Due to this and various source element issues and financial limitations, the decision was made to not go for a full 4K UHD release of either of the included cuts. For a very thorough explanation, check out a helpful Twitter thread here. The Director’s Cut presented is from the 2011 HD master that is about as good as we are even going to get from an Answer Print. This cut was used as the primary grading reference for the U.S. Theatrical Cut transfer. 

All of this is to say, this new release looks really terrific in most respects, but there are some slight deficiencies you might have to attribute to the cobbled together nature of the elements.  The old Universal Blu-Ray was not terrible, but the benefits of going back to the Original Camera Negative is immediately clear with this new Blu-Ray. This presentation preserves the filmic look with lovely grain and texture throughout. There are moments when it suddenly spikes during the presentation, but largely it resolves quite well. The film has a very dreamy aesthetic which gives the entire film a more soft appearance. White levels are more contained and do not veer into blooming even at its brightest. The black levels are deep and allow for true detail to come through. Skin tones are natural and lend themselves to showcasing an amazing amount of detail, unlike the previous Blu-Ray.

The level of clarity and detail on this release will delight fans old and new. There are very subtle details in the inventive production design that are visible here for the first time from tiny details in the woods to subtle makeup effects. Even the some dated special effects look a little smoother in this restoration. Colors are nice and vibrant as certain moments really pop off the screen. Arrow Video has done an excellent job of restoring this, as all print damage has been cleaned up without messing with the natural look of the film. Those who have been waiting for this one to be faithfully restored on Blu-Ray should applaud Arrow for this standout effort. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray set comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track for each cut of the film which all sound pretty incredible. The activity in the film is not as bombastic as most modern fantasy tales, but the activity that is present is quite engaging. The score from Tangerine Dream and Jerry Goldsmith provides a very different, but equally compelling entryway into the story that rarely overpowers the dialogue or other important information. Conversations come through clearly and never fall victim to any digital anomalies. Rear speakers allow for some textured activity with ambient sound in a way that is appreciated. There is a decent amount of low-end support during the more kinetic moments. Optional English SDH subtitles are included on the disc. 

Special Features

Disc One – U.S. Theatrical Cut (1:29:29)

• Audio Commentary: Paul M. Sammon, author of Ridley Scott: The Making of His Movies, provides a terrific, very informative commentary track which provides details about the various cuts of the film and why they exist, the erratic editing of this cut, the crisis in confidence of Scott, the effects that targeting this movie towards children and their attention spans had on the film, the production design and costumes, the performers and where they were at this point in their careers, the visual effects work, the inspirations that Scott brought to the story, the different music in the versions, the tragedies that struck during production and more.  

• Isolated Music Tracks: An option to watch the film with either the “Isolated Music Score by Tangerine Dream” or the “Isolated Music & Effects Track” in DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio. 

• Remembering a Legend: A new 31-minute retrospective documentary interviewing some of the British cast and crew including grip David Cadwallader, production supervisor Hugh Harlow, costume designer Charles Knode, co-star Annabelle Lanyon, camera operator Peter MacDonald, set decorator Ann Mollo and draftsman John Ralph. This piece has some terrific anecdotes about the vision of Ridley Scott, the realities of working with the director, the importance and frustrations of storyboards, the arguments over sleeves on the costumes, the work of the cast, scenes that were never shot and more. 

• The Music of Legend: A two-part featurette examining the competing scores for the film with input from film music experts Jeff Bond and Daniel Schweiger, and Austin Garrick & Bronwyn Griffin of the band Electric Youth. The subjects discuss the conflicting approaches to the material based on what each party expected the film to be, the difficulty of working with Ridley Scott, the influences on each score, how each impacted the film and more. 

• • Part One – Jerry Goldsmith (15:12)

• • Part Two – Tangerine Dream (13:09)

• The Creatures of Legend: A two-part featurette looking at Rob Bottin’s make-up effects, with illustrator Martin A. Kline and make-up artist Nick Dudman. In this piece, you come to understand the issues and benefits of the freedom given to create something that had never been seen before, the realities of bringing this world to life, and more. 

• • Part One – Inside The Illustrations (10:28)

• • Part Two – Inside The Make-Up Effects (16:15)

• Incarnations of a Legend: A 21-minute visual essay which takes a look at Ridley Scott’s long history with alternate cuts, the proliferation of fantasy films in the ‘80s, the trouble that arose from test screenings, the savage reviews, the major and mostly minor changes, and more that helps you understand what exactly is so different about each experience. 

• The Directors – Ridley Scott: A 59-minute documentary from 2003 which provides a broad overview of the director’s career up until that point featuring interviews with Scott and many of his closest collaborators including Harrison Ford, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Jeff Bridges and more. 

• Television Version Opening: A minute-and-a-half alternate version of the opening text crawl with an added voiceover. The voice sounds a bit like James Remar, but I cannot be sure. 

• Music Video – Is Your Love Strong Enough?: The five-and-a-half minute music video for the song by Bryan Ferry is provided here. 

Disc Two – Director’s Cut (1:53:27)

• Audio Commentary: An archival audio commentary track from director Ridley Scott in which he discusses his inspiration from Cocteau’s Beauty & The Beast, his interest in fairytales, the difficulties of creating this world, the arc of the narrative, working with the performers, his decisions that led to certain scenes being reinstated in this cut, and so much more. Scott is always one of the most insightful directors to listen to talk about their work. 

• Creating A Myth – Memories Of Legend: A 51-minute archival documentary from 2000 featuring interviews with Ridley Scott, writer William Hjortsberg, producer Arnon Milchan, stars Mia Sara and Tim Curry, make-up effects designer Rob Bottin, production designer Assheton Gorton, editor Terry Rawlings and more. You get a broad look at the film from its initial development to the difficult production and its complicated release. This is a really stellar piece that I am glad was ported over from the previous release. 

• Original Featurette: A 10-minute promotional featurette is provided here which gives a light overview of the film. This is sourced from a VHS duplicate copy, so quality is not the best. 

• Lost Scenes: Two scenes totaling 14 minutes are provided here including an alternate opening with goblins finding a stand of unicorn hair along with an incomplete Fairie Dance sequence which utilizes some storyboards and still photos to supplement an existing audio track. 

• Storyboards: Eight extensive storyboard sequences are provided here with complementary text that puts each piece into context. 

• Alternate Footage: A nine-minute collection of alternate takes and angles are provided here which were used to compensate for material removed from the Director’s Cut.

• Screenplay Drafts: An option to skim through both the First Draft and Shooting Script for the film. 

• Trailers & TV Spots: This disc provides the US Theatrical Trailer #1 (1:24), US Theatrical Trailer #2 (1:13), International Trailer (1:52) and US TV Spots (2:11).

• Image Galleries: There are image galleries provided for Production Stills, Continuity Polaroids and Poster & Video Art.

Final Thoughts

Legend is a film that fairs a little better in concept rather than execution, largely for circumstances beyond the control of the creative. If catastrophes had not arisen during production and confidence in the original vision had stayed high, the film could have felt a bit more cohesive. The US Theatrical Cut especially feels a bit too choppy, which the Director’s Cut does ameliorate to a point. When you get a sense of the full scope with the practical effects and the impressive craftsmanship, there are moments that leave you awestruck. Yet, there is still a pervading sense that the film is not the best version of itself. Arrow Video has delivered a new Blu-Ray from a new restoration that handily trumps the old Universal Blu-Ray in the A/V department. Add in the fact that there are a boatload of special features to accompany the movie and you have no reason not to upgrade this one if you are a fan. Recommended 

Legend is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.