The first thing you need to know about the film is that it’s set in the time of World War I. Knowing that you can probably guess that it’ll involve some sort of heart-ache inducing death of a loved one and you would be correct. Giving away parts of a film that came out in 1995 doesn’t really count for spoilers but for the sake of people who haven’t watched the film (myself included) I won’t expand on the plot further than what is necessary.

This film was made back in the day where trilogies of films weren’t that popular so if one were to make a movie based on a novel (written by Jim Morrison of the same name) you had to fit it all into one full-length feature film. This movie does just that, taking you on a journey through multiple years in the Ludlow family. The family is a single-parent household headed by one William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins), a retired military man who raises his sons rather unorthodoxly. His parenting style produced three men who were very close to one another, and embodied patriotism and a love for the land. Samuel (Henry Thomas) was the youngest, spunkiest and most idealistic of the lot; Alfred (Aidan Quinn) was a respectable gentlemen with a straight back and a strong sense of responsibility; and Tristan (Brad Pitt), the moody and spirited rebel of the family.

Patriotism is all well and good but once there’s a war afoot it can cost you your life. Just like it did with countless families all over the world, WWI took the life of a son, and the Ludlow brethren came home with one less brother and a whole heap of anguish. Going to war was against old man William’s wishes, so the loss shook the family to its core. If that wasn’t bad enough, a love-triangle threatened to tear the heart-stricken family apart forever.

If epic films of life, love, loss and lessons learnt is your idea of fun, then this isn’t a film you’ll want to miss.

20 April | Saturday | 22:50 | ST Movies Plus | Ch 100