The Legacy (1978 film)

Last updated
The Legacy
Legacyposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Richard Marquand
Written by
Produced by David Foster
Starring
Cinematography
Edited by Anne V. Coates
Music by Michael J. Lewis
Distributed by Universal Pictures (United States)
Columbia-Warner Distributors (United Kingdom) [1]
Release dates
  • 29 September 1978 (1978-09-29)(United Kingdom) [2]
  • 28 September 1979 (1979-09-28)(U.S.) [3]
Running time
100 minutes [3]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget US$2.5 million [3]
Box office$11.36 million (U.S.) [4]

The Legacy is a 1978 horror film directed by Richard Marquand, in his directorial debut, and starring Katharine Ross, Sam Elliott, Roger Daltrey, John Standing, and Margaret Tyzack. It follows an American couple who are summoned to a British mansion while visiting England for a work obligation, where they stumble upon its family's curse.

Contents

A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, The Legacy was released in the United Kingdom in September 1978, and one year later in the United States.

Plot

Maggie Walsh and her boyfriend Pete Danner are interior decorators from Los Angeles. Maggie receives a large financial retainer from an anonymous client in Britain for an unspecified piece of work. They are reluctant to abandon their current client in California, but are released when that client dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances. Using their pre-paid airfare, they travel to England; soon after, they are involved in a traffic collision with a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce. The passenger and owner, Jason Mountolive, invites them to his rambling country estate, Ravenhurst, where they are greeted by Nurse Adams.

They find that Mountolive has also invited the five potential heirs to his financial estate, all public figures with notorious reputations. The other guests explain that they have been summoned because Jason is dying, "wasting away" above the stairs. Maggie is astonished to hear this because Jason seemed vigorous just minutes earlier.

Shortly afterward one of the guests, Maria Gabrieli, despite being an excellent swimmer, becomes trapped under the surface of Jason's indoor pool and drowns.

Mountolive receives his guests in his bedroom, a sterile chrome and glass environment where he lies connected to a life support system. His bed is shrouded by white curtains that obscure his appearance. He calls Maggie to the bedside, where a monstrous hand reaches out of the curtains and places a signet ring on her finger with the Mountolive family crest upon it. The other guests already wear identical rings. Maggie tries to remove the ring, but it cannot be taken from her finger. Maggie and Pete find they are unable to leave the Ravenhurst grounds.

The other guests begin to die by mysterious and gruesome means. Clive Jackson gets a chicken bone lodged in his throat during dinner (although he was not eating chicken at the time) and perishes during a botched tracheotomy. Karl Liebnecht is incinerated by a massive burst of flame from a fireplace that leaves the rest of the room untouched. A mirror in Barbara Kirstenburg's bedroom explodes, piercing her with glass shards, then restores itself without a crack. Jacques Grandier suspects Maggie and Pete of engineering these inexplicable deaths, and makes his way onto the roof with a shotgun. After taking a few shots at Pete, the weapon jams and explodes in his face, knocking him off the roof to his death.

Maggie and Pete find a collection of newspaper clippings. These reveal that each of their fellow guests had been accused of serious crimes or implicated in major scandals, yet always escaped punishment or censure thanks to Mountolive's intervention. Mountolive's ancestors were Lady Margaret Walsingham (whose portrait Maggie closely resembles) and the Lord of Mountolive; both families included notorious practitioners of black magic and witchcraft. Lady Margaret and her husband were burned at the stake for heresy. Maggie realises that she is Jason's great-granddaughter, and that the retainer was a ruse to lure her to Ravenhurst before Mountolive dies so he could appoint her as his sixth potential heir.

As the last remaining heir to Mountolive's legacy, Maggie stands to inherit the vast Walsingham-Mountolive financial empire. She confronts Mountolive. With his last breath, he confesses that he sacrificed the other heirs to the Devil in order to pass on his sinister powers to her. He instructs her to choose six heirs of her own, who will likewise be sacrificed when the time comes so that the lone survivor will also inherit the powers bestowed by Satan.

Pete forces his way into the room and tries to prevent the transfer of power by sabotaging Mountolive's life-support system. He is too late; Maggie has accepted her legacy and is now "Lady Margaret". The household staff declares their allegiance to her. Maggie selects Pete as her first beneficiary. She gives him a signet ring which immediately attaches itself to his finger.

Cast

Themes

Themes presented in the film include karma, and reincarnation. [5]

Production

Screenplay

Jimmy Sangster originally wrote a supernatural script set in a run-down hospital in downtown Detroit. Much to his dismay, the script was altered to more closely resemble other Hammer movies. Although keeping the American protagonists, events were manipulated to allow the story instead to take place in an English country estate featuring a collection of stereotypical butlers, chauffeurs and curtseying maids. [6]

The film had the working title The Devil’s Doorway, [7] and was also known as Psychose, [7] and The Legacy of Maggie Walsh. [8]

Casting

Considered for Karl were Harry Andrews, Peter Cushing, Bernard Archard, Herbert Lom, Donald Pleasence, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Anton Diffring, Peter Arne, Patrick Troughton, Peter Vaughn and Donald Houston.

Considered for Grandier were Peter Arne, Frank Finlay, Peter Jeffrey, Joss Ackland, Ian Bannen, John Carson and Ian Hendry. [9]

Filming

Principal photography began on 16 January 1978 at Bray Studios in Berkshire, England, concluding on 23 March 1978. [3] Other filming locations included Mountolive Manor House and Loseley Park in Guildford, Surrey. [10]

Release

Box office

The Legacy premiered in the United Kingdom on 29 September 1978, [2] before having its U.S. premiere approximately one year later, opening in New York City on 28 September 1979. [3] It subsequently premiered in Los Angeles on 16 November 1979. [3] The US theatrical cut has a 2-minute shorter runtime and some alternative shots.

Critical response

Audience reception was mixed, [8] but most critics found the good aspects of the film overshadowed by its shortcomings.

John Corry of The New York Times described The Legacy as a 'depressing' horror film, stating “in place of invention it uses contrivance, and in place of imagination it uses shock”. [11] Variety stated "The film, directed with no tension or suspenseful pacing...takes an eternity to get down to business". [12] People magazine negatively compared it to The Exorcist . [13]

Dread Central wrote a mixed review for The Legacy, stating, "It’s hard to hate a movie that spends most of its time being so off-the-wall ridiculous. The Legacy doesn’t remotely work in the way it was intended to but, despite a few dull stretches, there’s plenty of nonsense on display to enjoy." [14] HorrorNews.net's review was also mixed, and praised Daltrey's acting and the film's settings, while criticizing the film's upbeat soundtrack and plot holes. [15]

Two years after its release, Sam Elliott gave an interview to Jerry Buck of the Associated Press in which he said, "I wouldn't rush out to see it. It's about fifteen years behind its time." [9] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 19% from 16 reviews. [16]

Home media

Universal Studios released The Legacy on DVD in North America on 7 September 2004. [17] Scream Factory released The Legacy a Blu-ray edition North America on 15 September 2015. [18] British distributor Powerhouse Films released a new region-free limited edition Blu-ray through their Indicator series on 29 July 2019. [19]

Soundtrack

The original music score was composed by Michael J. Lewis. The opening-credits theme song ("Another Side of Me") is performed by Kiki Dee.

References in other media

The Legacy movie poster was seen in Fade To Black (1980), and the video case is shown in the documentary Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005). Video clips of The Legacy were featured in season 3, episode 11 of the show Sneak Previews (1979). [9]

Adaptations into other mediums

John Coyne was asked to write a novelization in six weeks to promote the movie. [20] Reviews unanimously prefer the novelization over the movie, and the book was briefly a best-seller.

Legacy

The Legacy is perhaps best remembered now for being the film where Hollywood couple Katharine Ross (Margaret Walsh) and Sam Elliott (Pete Danner) first met. During production, he was single, while she was married to the Italian-American actor Gaetano Lisi. [21] Ross's marriage ended the following year and, eventually, the pair announced their romance to the public. They married in 1984. In fact, this wasn't the first film on which they had worked, as they both starred in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid several years previously. Ross was the leading lady in that film and a bona fide movie star while Elliott was merely what he called a "glorified extra", which left him without the courage to approach her.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blythe Danner</span> American actress (born 1943)

Blythe Katherine Danner is an American actress. Accolades she has received include two Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Izzy Huffstodt on Huff (2004–2006), and a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress for her performance in Butterflies Are Free on Broadway (1969–1972). Danner was twice nominated for the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for portraying Marilyn Truman on Will & Grace, and the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her roles in We Were the Mulvaneys (2002) and Back When We Were Grownups (2004). For the latter, she also received a Golden Globe Award nomination.

<i>Woman of the Year</i> 1942 film by George Stevens

Woman of the Year is a 1942 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by George Stevens and starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The film was written by Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin, and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie Lawson</span> American actress

Margaret Cassidy Lawson is an American actress who is best known for her role as Detective Juliet "Jules" O'Hara in the TV show Psych. From 2018 to 2019, she held the recurring role of Natalie Flynn on Fox's Lethal Weapon's third and final season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fran Walsh</span> New Zealand screenwriter and producer

Dame Frances Rosemary Walsh is a New Zealand screenwriter and film producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katharine Ross</span> American actress and author (born 1940)

Katharine Juliet Ross is an American actress on film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Academy Award nomination, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.

<i>The Lost Boys</i> 1987 American horror film

The Lost Boys is a 1987 American supernatural comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jeremias. The film's ensemble cast includes Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz, Corey Haim, Edward Herrmann, Barnard Hughes, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland and Dianne Wiest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Hackett</span> American actress (1934–1983)

Joan Ann Hackett was an American actress of film, stage, and television. She starred in the 1968 western Will Penny. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1981 film Only When I Laugh. She also starred as Christine Mannon in the 1978 PBS miniseries version of Mourning Becomes Electra.

Helen Shaver is a Canadian actress and film and television director. After appearing in a number of Canadian movies, she received a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama In Praise of Older Women (1978). She later appeared in the films The Amityville Horror (1979), The Osterman Weekend (1983), Desert Hearts (1985), The Color of Money (1986), The Believers (1987), The Craft (1996),Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996) and Down River (2013). She received another Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress nomination for the 1986 drama film Lost!, and won a Best Supporting Actress for We All Fall Down (2000). Shaver also starred in some short-lived television series, including United States (1980) and Jessica Novak (1981), and from 1996 to 1999 starred in the Showtime horror series, Poltergeist: The Legacy, for which she received a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Elliott</span> American actor (born 1944)

Samuel Pack Elliott is an American actor. With a career spanning over five decades of film and television, he is recognized for his deep sonorous voice. Elliott has received various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

Sir John Ronald Leon, 4th Baronet, known professionally as John Standing, is an English actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckskin Joe</span>

Buckskin Joe was a Western-style theme park and railway in Fremont County, Colorado, United States, about 8 miles (13 km) west of Cañon City.

William George Curbishley is an English music and film producer and band manager. He has managed English rock groups The Who and Judas Priest, as well as artists Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

<i>Diffrent Strokes</i> American television sitcom (1978–1986)

Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, respectively, who are two boys from Harlem taken in by a wealthy Park Avenue businessman and his daughter. Phillip Drummond is a widower for whom their deceased mother previously worked; his daughter, Kimberly, is played by Dana Plato. During the first season and the first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred, as Mrs. Edna Garrett, the Drummonds' first housekeeper, who ultimately spun off into her own sitcom, The Facts of Life, as a housemother at the fictional Eastland School. The second housekeeper, Adelaide Brubaker, was played by Nedra Volz. The third housekeeper, Pearl Gallagher, was played by Mary Jo Catlett, first appearing as a recurring character, later becoming a main cast member.

<i>The Flesh and Blood Show</i> 1972 British film by Pete Walker

The Flesh and Blood Show is a 1972 British horror slasher film directed and produced by Pete Walker, and starring Ray Brooks, Jenny Hanley, and Luan Peters. It follows a group of actors being stalked and murdered by an unseen assailant while rehearsing a play at a derelict seaside theatre.

Murder in Texas is a 1981 television film starring Katharine Ross, Sam Elliott, Farrah Fawcett, and Andy Griffith. The film was directed by William Hale, and was based on a true story; that was written for the TV screen by John McGreevey. It first aired on television in two parts on Sunday and Monday May 3–4, 1981.

Travis McGee is a 1983 American TV movie based on the 1978 novel The Empty Copper Sea by John D. MacDonald. It was the second film adaptation of the Travis McGee series. It was made by Warner Bros.

<i>Ill See You in My Dreams</i> (2015 film) Film by Brett Haley

I'll See You in My Dreams is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Brett Haley. It stars Blythe Danner, Martin Starr, Sam Elliott, Malin Åkerman, June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, and Mary Kay Place. It was released on May 15, 2015 in a limited release by Bleecker Street.

<i>The Hero</i> (2017 film) 2017 American film

The Hero is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed and edited by Brett Haley and written by Haley and Marc Basch. It stars Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Nick Offerman and Katharine Ross and follows an aging movie star who deals with his terminal illness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Haley</span> American film director (born c. 1983)

Brett Haley is an American filmmaker and actor best known for his work on The Hero and Hearts Beat Loud.

References

  1. ↑ "The Legacy (1978)". BBFC . Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  2. 1 2 Herbert, Hugh (28 September 1978). "The girl can't help it". The Guardian . London, England. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Legacy". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020.
  4. ↑ "The Legacy". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "The Legacy". Kultguy's Keep. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  6. ↑ "DVD REVIEW: "THE LEGACY" (1978) STARRING KATHARINE ROSS AND SAM ELLIOTT". Cinema Retro. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023.
  7. 1 2 "The Legacy (1978)". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  8. 1 2 "THE LEGACY (1978)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 The Legacy, IMDb, 14 September 1979, retrieved 2020-05-01
  10. ↑ Pykett 2014, p. 80.
  11. ↑ Corry, John (28 September 1979). "Screen: 'The Legacy':A Certain Ring". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "The Legacy". Variety. 1979-01-01. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  13. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: The Legacy". People . Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  14. ↑ Serafini, Matt (30 January 2010). "Saturday Nightmares: The Legacy (1978)". Dread Central . Archived from the original on 23 December 2015.
  15. ↑ "Film Review: The Legacy (1978)". HorrorNews.net. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "The Legacy". Rotten Tomatoes .
  17. ↑ Long, Mike (27 September 2004). "The Legacy". DVD Talk . Archived from the original on 21 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "The Legacy Blu-ray". Scream Factory . Archived from the original on 21 April 2020.
  19. ↑ "The Legacy – LE". Powerhouse Films. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020.
  20. ↑ The Legacy by John Coyne - The Fantastic Fiction
  21. ↑ Collin, Robbie (2019-04-07). "Sam Elliot interview: 'I could go on for days about how angry I am'". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2020-05-01.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.