Legend Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Legend Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 9, 2021

It's perhaps perfectly appropriate that Ridley Scott's Legend exists in several different versions (two of which are offered on this new release from Arrow), since, as any folklorist will probably gladly tell you, both written and oral traditions of various, well, legendary tales that have made it through the gauntlets of time and tide tend to come down to us in variable iterations. While more than one of the supplements Arrow has aggregated for this release gets into alternate versions including the UK release and first television broadcast release, as with the Ultimate Edition Blu-ray put out by Universal Studios over a decade ago (!), this release offers the U.S. Theatrical Cut and the Director's Cut.

As linked to above, Universal put out a Blu-ray release of Legend many years ago, and for anyone wanting a plot recap, I refer you to my colleague Ken Brown's Legend Blu-ray review of that version. Ken's review is also a good resource for screenshot comparisons as well as seeing how the supplements between the versions stack up. I will only echo the opening of Ken's review by saying that I, too, have always loved Legend, despite any perceived flaws, and, as I discuss briefly in my closing comments below, I had the good fortune to personally know one of the film's featured performers, which has always made this film special for me in that regard, aside and apart from its inherent beauty and wonder.

Legend Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots 1 through 14 are from the U.S. Theatrical Cut. Screenshots 15 through 19 are from the Director's Cut.

Legend is presented on Blu-ray with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 2.35:1. This release repeats the interesting statements by Ridley Scott that were included with the previous 2011 Blu-ray release, but which Arrow now prefaces with this statement:

These text introductions to both versions of the film, giving the viewer some idea of the quality issues inherent in both presentations, were written by director Ridley Scott for the 2011 Blu-ray release by Universal Studios. While these notes may not entirely apply to the presentations on this release. . .they are printed here for posterity as they give a revealing insight as to Scott's feelings about both cuts.

And Scott's feelings were as follows:

The Director's Cut
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.

The U.S. Theatrical Version
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.

Arrow's insert booklet then goes on to offer further information about the restoration offered on this release:

Legend is presented on this Blu-ray in two different versions: the U.S. Theatrical Cut originally released in North America in 1986, and the Director's Cut first released on DVD in 2002. Both versions are in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with stereo and 5.1 surround sound.

The U.S. Theatrical Cut has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films for this release. The original 35mm camera negative (conformed to the International Cut of the film, which could not be included in this set due to territory specific licensing restrictions) and additional interpositive film elements were scanned in 4K resolution at Company 3, Los Angeles. The scans were manually conformed to the U.S. Theatrical Cut by Arrow Films and graded and restored in 2K at Silver Salt Restoration, London.

The Director's Cut is presented in the 2011 HD master approved by director Ridley Scott. This master was also the primary grading reference for the restoration of the U.S. Theatrical Cut.

The stereo and 5.1 mixes for both versions were supplied by NBC Universal.

There's a slightly heterogeneous appearance here in the U.S. Theatrical Cut due to the need to cobble together moments from the negative and interpositive that can reveal variances in clarity and detail levels, something that was also part and parcel of the Universal release. While there are some subtle upticks in fine detail in particular in this version, there's a somewhat different grading in evidence here as can be seen by comparing similar screenshots between the two reviews, and which may be attributable to the fact this was reference timed to the Director's Cut, which has always had a different overall color temperature than the release version. The Universal release is somewhat brighter and has a more yellowish quality, while this release is a bit pinker or rosier, and my hunch is opinions may be split as to which grade is preferable. Reds here can veer slightly toward orange territory at times, something that was also in evidence in the Universal release (perhaps because of the tendency to skew toward yellows), but which is also noticeable in this version. As with the Universal release, there can be sudden pretty apparent spikes in grain, as in the scene where Lili enters the cottage and sees the clock. There's no major damage of any kind to report.

Legend Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Legend features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 tracks (with both versions defaulting to the stereo tracks). These were to my ears pretty similar if not outright identical to the tracks on the previous Universal disc. The U.S. Theatrical Cut still has some slight mix issues where Tangerine Dream's score can overwhelm dialogue and effects, and there are some other moments where dialogue can be just slightly syrupy, but for the most part the surround track offers good, consistent immersion and generally excellent fidelity. Dynamic range is unusually wide on this track, and LFE offers some floorboard rattling moments. Optional English subtitles are available.

Legend Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• U.S. Theatrical Cut (HD; 1:29:29)


• Commentary by Paul M. Sammon is new to this edition, and has a glut of information about both the production and Ridley Scott.


• Isolated Music Tracks

  Isolated Music Score by Tangerine Dream features the unedited score and is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.

  
  

  Isolated Music and Effects Track is also presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and contains a notice that this may contain cues by neither Tangerine Dream nor Jerry Goldsmith.

• Remembering a Legend (HD; 30:45) is a newly done piece featuring some of the British cast and crew of the film.


• The Music of Legend offers assessments of the film's two scores:

  Part One: Jerry Goldsmith (HD; 15:12)

  
  

  Part Two: Tangerine Dream (HD; 13:09)

• The Creatures of Legend is another two-part featurette focusing on design elements:

  Part One: Inside the Illustrations (HD; 10:28)

  
  

  Part Two: Inside the Make-Up Effects (HD; 16:15)

• Incarnations of a Legend (HD; 20:47) is a really well done piece by Travis Crawford which examines the various versions of the film.


• The Directors: Ridley Scott (HD; 58:33) is an archival documentary from 2003.


• Television Version Opening (HD; 1:26)


• Music Video: Is Your Love Strong Enough? (HD; 5:23)

This is another gorgeously packaged release from Arrow, which also includes an illustrated perfect bound book featuring new writing, a large fold-out double sided poster featuring both original and newly commissioned art, glossy full color portraits of the cast by Annie Leibovits, six double sided postcard sized lobby card reproductions, and limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve. Disc Two

• Director's Cut (HD; 1:53:27)


• Commentary by Ridley Scott


• Creating a Myth: Memories of Legend (HD; 51:03)


• Original Featurette (HD; 9:44) is an archival piece sourced from a VHS duplicate copy.


• Lost Scenes

  Alternate Opening: Four Goblins (HD; 10:35)

  
  

  The Fairie Dance (HD; 3:06)

• Storyboards all come with prefatory explanatory text:

  Intro / Three Goblins (HD; 1:53)

  
  

  Lili and the Unicorns (HD; 1:36)

  
  

  Mortal World Turned to Ice (HD; 1:40)

  
  

  Jack and the Fairies (HD; 2:45)

  
  

  Find the Mare, Lose the Alicorn (HD; 1:54)

  
  

  Jack's Challenge (HD; 3:45)

  
  

  Meg Mucklebones and the Great Tree (HD; 1:28)

  
  

  Downfall of Darkness (HD; 1:40)

• Alternate Footage (HD; 9:00)


• Screenplay Drafts

  First Draft (HD)

  
  

  Shooting Script (HD)

• Trailers and TV Spots

  US Theatrical Trailer 1 (HD; 1:24)

  
  

  US Theatrical Trailer 2 (HD; 1:13)

  
  

  International Trailer (HD; 1:52)

  
  

  US TV Spots (HD; 2:11)

• Image Galleries

  Production Stills (HD)

  
  

  Continuity Polaroids (HD)

  
  

  Poster & Video Art (HD)

Legend Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Probably in the spring or summer of 1986 I attended a party here in my hometown of Portland that was filled with people from the local arts community, and who should end up sitting on the couch next to me but Cork(y) Hubbert, the Oregon native who is such a memorable Brown Tom in Legend. I had just seen Cork in a fun episode of the "first" reboot of The Twilight Zone, and so chatted with him mostly about that, but perhaps alluding to some of the trials he faced in the Ridley Scott production, in passing he mentioned that at least the Twilight Zone gig didn't require hours of make-up. Corky and I already knew each other since we had shared another kind of less than totally positive experience a few years earlier when we were both involved in various capacities with what ended up as a made for television movie broadcast on the CBS affiliate in Portland, though it was initially pitched as what was going to be the first locally produced daily soap opera (some kid named Gus Van Sant or something like that was a grip on the production!). This very television movie was a perfect example of a different kind of trial experienced by Cork (who sadly passed away at the relatively young age of 51 in 2003), namely being able to find consistent employment offering decent roles, and Cork's involvement is one of the fascinating sidebars covered in Mark Christensen and Cameron Stauth's bestselling book The Sweeps, which alludes to this bizarre footnote to Portland film and television production history. It's therefore kind of bittersweet for me personally now to revisit Legend, though the film's ravishing beauty and occasionally astonishing metaphysics are probably enough to help salve any troubled emotions. Once again Arrow is providing a gorgeously packaged and well appointed release of a film that continues to weave its own ineluctable spell in any of its versions. Highly recommended.