秋日传奇

骑兵上校威廉厌倦了战争，他带着全家来到西部荒原，在一处偏僻的山区开垦牧场。上校的妻子因为无法忍受艰苦的环境而抛夫弃子回到了东部，威廉上校独自一人肩负起了养育三个儿子的重担。

在艰苦的环境中三兄弟渐渐长大，他们手足情深但性格却大不相同。大哥艾尔弗莱德为人忠厚，办事认真；三弟塞缪尔是位理想主义者，深受父亲的宠爱；而老二特里斯坦则是一位狂放不羁的人，他自由奔放，常与印第安人交往，从他们那里学到了不少东西。父子四人在一个纯男性的世界里过着淡泊的生活。

然而，塞缪尔大学毕业后，把未婚妻苏珊娜带回了家里。平静的生活被打破了。艾尔弗莱德暗恋上了苏珊娜，而特里斯坦的气质却又打动了苏珊娜的心。四个年轻人在痛苦地压抑着各自的情感。

就在此时，第一次世界大战爆发了。三兄弟不顾父亲的劝阻，参军前往欧洲。在战争中，特里斯坦眼睁睁地看着塞缪尔死去却无能为力。无限悲哀的特里斯坦按印第安人的方式挖出了弟弟的心脏，带回祖国埋葬。

艾尔弗莱德在向苏珊娜求婚被拒绝后离开了家乡。弟弟死亡的阴影也使特里斯坦无法面对他所深爱的苏珊娜。特里斯坦也离家出走，从此杳无音讯。在苦苦的等待中光阴流逝。苏珊娜心灰意冷，终于答应嫁给艾尔弗莱德。

这时，上校不幸中风，流浪多年的特里斯坦此时又回到了家中。在这些年中，他吃了许多苦，回来后他娶妻生子，想过上平静的生活，一切似乎就要这样平静的结束了，然而在一次进城返回途中，妻子不幸被人误杀，这再一次燃起他心中躁动的烈火。

苏珊娜一直对塞缪尔深感内疚，如今特里斯坦妻子的死又使他十分痛苦，她忍受不住这样的折磨以自杀结束了自己的生命。而特里斯坦此时已将所有的一切置之度外，他终于在父亲和大哥艾尔弗莱德的帮助下报了仇。

特里斯坦又重新过起艰苦的生活，他活的时间很长，他亲手送走了自己的父亲，又亲眼看着自己的孩子结婚生子，他是在60年代的一场与熊的激战中，被熊爪夺去生命的，他的死法很英勇……

Awards

Oscar for Best Cinematography; Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Sound

Plot Summary and Review

It tells an epic tale of three brothers and their father living in the remote wilderness of 1900s USA and how their lives are affected by nature, history, war, and love.

The movie stars Anthony Hopkins as Colonel (上校) Ludlow, whose distaste (厌恶) for the U.S. Cavalry's treatment of the Indians has led him to carve out (开辟) an empire of his own in Montana. His wife, Isabel Ludlow unable to withstand (经得起) the harsh (恶劣的) winters, goes back to the east, leaving him and his three sons. There's Alfred (Aidan Quinn), the oldest and most responsible, Tristan (Brad Pitt), the middle son, whose idea of entertainment is to awaken hibernating (冬眠的) bears and cut out their still-beating hearts and Samuel (Henry Thomas), the youngest. Once settled, the Colonel teaches them the good old American skills of horse-riding and shooting. After a spell （一段时间）at university one of the sons, Samuel, comes home with his new fiancée （未婚妻）, Susannah (Julia Ormond). She is strong, capable, beautiful and

high-spirited, able to ride, rope and shoot. Both his brothers love her. In fact they both lure (引诱) her, which makes things a little bit awkward (为难的)for a while until, the First World War breaks out. The Colonel hates war and the Army, and wants his boys to settle down in Montana and run the ranch (牧场). But Samuel is much disturbed. He is a virgin (童贞男子) who seeks advice from his brothers, and perhaps feels uncertain about his prowess (本事). Maybe that, along with

patriotism (爱国心), is involved in his decision to go to Canada and enlist (入伍) when World War I breaks out. The Colonel is outraged, but the other two sons enlist, too, and go off to the front and fight in spite of their father’s strong opposition. Samuel is dead in the battle field and his fate alters the delicate balance of the family.

Scene One

The whole family, father Colonel Ludlow, three sons and Samuel’s fiancée, Susannah are gathering together, enjoying a family dinner and unity. Samuel is singing, while Susannah is playing the piano aside for him.

Samuel: (Singing)

As evening fell

A maiden stood

At the edge of a wood

In her hands

Lay the reins of a stallion

And never I’d seen

A girl as fair

Heard a gentler voice anywhere

Whispered, alas

She belonged

Belonged to another

Another, forever

Yes, she belonged to

The twilight and mist

Ludlow: (Voice-over)

(A letter to Isabel Ludlow, children’s mother)

Dear Isabel,

How strange to have a cultivated woman in the house again and now intoxicating. Indeed to have all three of my sons under my roof again fills me with such a deep, quiet satisfaction that I thank God.

Scene Two

Samuel is dead in the battle field. Alfred and Tristan return home. They know they both love the same woman, Susannah, Samuel’s fiancée. One morning, Tristan is drinking something outside the house, Alfred walks out of the room and comes to Tristan.

Alfred: When are you planning to be married？

Tristan: Good morning.

Alfred: Damn you, Tristan, you will marry her.

Tristan: Make an honest woman of her?

Alfred: (Shouting) Yes! God damn you to hell.

Tristan: Yes, I will marry her if she’ll have me.

Alfred: If she’ll have you? (Silence) Do you love her? Or did you seduce her just to spite me? Tristan: That’s not what I did.

Alfred: What about Samuel?

Tristan: What about Samuel?

Alfred: You tell me about Samuel.