To those that don't know, when Ridley Scott's Legend was first released in 1985 it wasn't recieved well with US test audiences (mainly teenagers who all thought it was a bit funny and old-fashioned amongst other qualms), so Ridley Scott was forced to edit the movie, drop the Jerry Goldsmith classical score and bring in German electronic band Tangerine Dream to modernise and contemporise the feel of the film for the then MTV-savvy youth. Whilst the US got this new, different version, the rest of the world got the original peice of work, and as a result the movie became infamous and synonymous due to it's different, varied but still fantastic versions of the film. I grew up watching the Tangerine Dream version of the movie, but recently I bought the Region 1 (American) Ultimate Edition DVD which includes both versions of the film. I now have 3 versions of it- the version that is currently available in the UK (the only one out in the UK which is a different cut to others), the original Director's Cut and the US theatrical version. After watching all 3 back-to-back, here is what i think the pros and cons are for each version of Ridley Scott's underrated (and underappreciated) classic :
US Theatrical Version (Tangerine Dream soundtrack)
Pros
+the opening prologue music sets the tone well, as does the text
+good electronic music by Tangerine Dream throughout
+ a darker, more sinister tone through the whole film
+a cool retro 80s feel to it
+ Bryan Ferry in the end credits is a nice touch that adds to the 80s feel
+scene with Darkness in his lair at the start is more menacing and evil
+an MTV vibe
Cons
- editing sucks
-scenes don't make any sense now becuase of the excessive trimming
- way too short encounter with Meg Mucklebones leads to a wasted character
- "Loved by the Sun" near the end absoloutly KILLS the vibe of the movie, an awful, cliche cheese-ridden song that marrs the quality of the film
- the 80s vibe makes it look dated
-Darkness is seen at the start, kind of kills the surprise and terror of what he looks like
-Voice of father is annoying and doesn't work as well as the Director's cut
-an MTV vibe
Director's Cut (Goldsmith score)
Pros
+Longer scenes which make sense such as the conversation with Nell
+No retro 80s quality to it so it doesn't look dated, instead more timeless
+happier tone
+orchestral score makes it look and feel more like a ballet, which works really well
+Darkness is not seen till his entrance out of the mirror which makes it more terrfying and works better
+Voice of father is high pitched, hissing, makes it scary
+ Encounter with Meg is longer, better, more screen time and more characterisation for an awesome character
+no MTV vibe
Cons
-the Goldsmith score is hit and miss at times
-Goldsmith score is too uplifting and happy, and the darker vibe that the TD music adds is lost
-Lily can be very annoying in this version as all her scenes are longer
-no opening scrolling text, which i think worked well
-"My True Loves Eyes" i don't think works at all, and i personally hate the song
European DVD version
Pros
+Slightly longer scenes but not as near as long as the Director's Cut
+/- the Goldsmith score only
Cons
-lots of other minor scenes cut out
-Darkness spinning around in space at the end is cut out
-Voice of Father is the stupid one from the TD version, not the Director's Cut
This is basically the director's cut but slightly shorter with minor changes and more significant scenes cut out, essentially an inferior version to the Director's Cut so it is in fact the worst version out of all three.
Personally, i like Tangerine Dream's music and think it fits well with the movie, but the version of the film with that score is terrible- things are cut out here and there and disrupts the whole flow, and characterisation suffers becuase of this. The Director's Cut perfectly gives us fleshed out characters and scenes but the music is to a desired taste, it's nice orchestral musical gives it an operatic quality but the ethereal tone of Tangerine Dream's electronic soundtrack gives it a funkier vibe. Legend is indeed an oddity and in all it goes to personal taste, but here i think it's a question of music over story and vice versa- the TD version sounds great but the story suffers whilst the Goldsmith score sounds okay but the story is more fluid. I guess for me everytime i watch the movie will have to be twice to enjoy it on both accounts- both of them have merits which are far too good to miss.
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