Legend

The making of Ridley Scott’s epic Legend is almost as interesting as the movie itself. There are at least 4 different cuts of the film, two different musical scores and a soundstage that burnt down halfway through principal photography. The initial release, now referred to as the European cut ran for 94 minutes and contained Jerry Goldsmith’s score. The following year, 1986, saw the US release at 89 minutes and a new score from Tangerine Dream. There are numerous differences between these two versions and then there were additional changes made for a television version which also ran at 94 minutes. The “directors second cut” now on DVD and is generally considered the definitive version, runs at 113 minutes.

The puppet miniature in the Propstore collection is “Darkness” the antagonist of the movie. His quest is to destroy the last two unicorns and with the removal of their horns to bring eternal night to the forest. Portrayed menacingly by Tim Curry, Darkness gets very close to his goal and is prevented at the last minute by Tom Cruise’s character Jack, a hermit and his group of friends including a fairy, an elf and two dwarves who destroy him with Sunlight.

Darkness is one of a kind and was specially made for the final sequences of the film in which he spins away into space. This scene, approximately 5 seconds long, was not present in the original European release but was restored to the US and directors cut. He stands over a foot tall and is made of resin and his joints are leather which gives incredible movement and flexibility. The joints are also incredibly hard wearing. The costume is black cotton and is detailed right down to an elaborate belt. The hooves are weighted to help give more realistic movement. He is displayed on a custom built stand.