Legend (1985 film)

Legend
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin
Directed byRidley Scott
Written byWilliam Hjortsberg
Produced byArnon Milchan
Starring
CinematographyAlex Thomson
Edited byTerry Rawlings
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • August 28, 1985 (1985-08-28) (France)
  • April 18, 1986 (1986-04-18) (United States)
Running time
  • 89 minutes (US theatrical cut)
  • 93 minutes (international cut)
  • 114 minutes (director's cut)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million
Box office$23.5 million

Legend is a 1985 American epic dark fantasy adventure film directed by Ridley Scott, written by William Hjortsberg, and starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, David Bennent, Alice Playten, Billy Barty, Cork Hubbert and Annabelle Lanyon. The film revolves around Jack, a pure being who must stop the Lord of Darkness who plots to cover the world with eternal night.

Despite its lack of commercial success and poor reception from critics, the film won the British Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Cinematography in 1985 for cinematographer Alex Thomson and was nominated for multiple awards: the Academy Award for Best Makeup; the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Saturn Award for Best Makeup; BAFTA Awards for Best Costume Design, Best Makeup Artist, and Best Special Visual Effects; DVD Exclusive Awards; and Youth in Film Awards (since renamed Young Artist Awards). Since its premiere, reinforced by the 2002 release of the unrated Director's Cut, the film has been called a cult classic.