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The Legacy (1978)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 10/21

TheLegacy
10/21: Add The Legacy to the long line of "there's something peculiar about the whole thing" pictures.

Burnt Offerings is the best of the genre. Taking place at the English countryside, The Legacy compares well. Unfortunately, it isn't scary or high in suspense and has little impact. There's a story, and everybody plays along to enliven things. Clive says he's in the music business. Of course, it's Roger Daltrey, the frontman of The Who.

However, there are a few aspects I don't like. One is Sam Elliott's approach to his character. Heavy in cynicism and always pushy, he comes off as unlikeable which is strange because Sam is usually pleasant in later movies. Two, the film is often frustrating and takes a long while to get to the bottom of the mystery. Pete and Maggie trying to get out of the circular roads sums the best of how I feel. Why can't they go through the fields and just keep going? Three, the ending isn't good; it's been a lot of work for nothing.

The star of the film is the large Tudor manor house called Loseley Park which is located in Artington, Surrey, England. It was built in 1568 and is currently inhabitable. Happily, Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott met each other on the set for the second time after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and got married six years afterwards. It's obvious they click.

All in all, a bit of tweaking here and there should improve The Legacy more.