There are two old movies on Prime Video that I enjoyed. Both
movies had several nominations but a few awards and had mixed reviews.
The movies are Legends of the Fall and The Song of Names. Here are brief
summaries of the two movies from Wikipedia.
Legends of the Fall is a 1994 American epic historical drama Western film directed by Edward Zwick and starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond and Henry Thomas. Based on the 1979 novella of the same title by Jim Harrison, the film is about three brothers and their father living in the wilderness and plains of Montana in the early 20th century and how their lives are affected by nature, history, war, and love. The film's time frame spans from the early 1900s, World War I, through the Prohibition era, ending with a brief scene set in 1963. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards and won for Best Cinematography (John Toll). Both the film and book contain occasional Cornish language terms, the Ludlows being a Cornish immigrant family.
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Art Direction | Lilly Kilvert, Dorree Cooper | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | John Toll | Won | |
| Best Sound | Paul Massey, David E. Campbell, Christopher David and Douglas Ganton | Nominated | |
| Golden Globes | Best Motion Picture – Drama |
|
Nominated |
| Best Director | Edward Zwick | Nominated | |
| Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | Brad Pitt | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | James Horner | Nominated |
The second movie that I really enjoyed and made cry is The Song Of Names. It had also mixed reviews. If you enjoyed the violin, this is must see movie for you.
The Song of Names is a 2019 drama film directed by François Girard. An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Norman Lebrecht, it stars Tim Roth and Clive Owen as childhood friends from London whose lives have been changed by World War II. The film was nominated for nine Canadian Screen Awards, winning five.
Dovidl Rappaport, a 9-year-old from Poland who lost his parents and siblings in World War II, is also a prodigy at the violin. The Simmonds family adopt him and he is taken to England. Their son Martin starts bonding with his new adoptive brother as he likes Dovidl (anglicized to David) playing the violin.
David continues practicing the violin while still remembering his biological family. Years pass, and David and Martin are now 21 years old. There is just one day left for a concert featuring David, when he mysteriously disappears with his violin.
It is revealed that David had fallen asleep on a bus and visits a Polish Jewish community in Stoke Newington, asking them about whether his family is still alive. He is then taken to a synagogue, where a list of people with the surname Rapaport who died during the WW2 is announced (in the form of a song, to make it easier to remember). After finding out that none of his family has survived, David breaks down.
Years later, in about 1986, Martin is now 56 years old and is married. He learns about a violinist, who he notices plays in the same pattern as his brother David, who had disappeared about 35 years ago. Martin then sets off to Poland to find his brother.
After meeting David's former love, who says that David left on a plane but told her where he was going, Martin arrives in New York, where he finds David, married with children. Martin is furious with David and tries to persuade him to perform at a concert. David at first refuses, but then accepts on two conditions (not revealed in the scene).
Two months later, Martin and his wife attend the concert, where David first plays with an orchestra, and then has a solo performance, in which he plays the 'Song of Names', remembering his family. Martin then receives a letter from David stating the former must think of the latter as dead and they must never meet again. The film ends with Martin reading the Kaddish, having reluctantly accepted that David is now dead to him.
If you are bored staying at home, these two movies will certainly entertained you.
I watched them on Prime Video but I believe both are also in Netflix or Hulu.
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