This really is very good - a stirring historical adventure in which all of the elements work, from the vivid action sequences which punctuate it to the sweeping love story that runs through its middle, set against a spectacular natural backdrop and relayed with just enough historical context to satisfy without slowing the pace of events down. I think it's the combination of the fluency of the story-telling and characterisation, strong performances from the lead actors, and evocative score that gives the film's most dramatic moments (of which there are many) their force; given what it is, it's hard to imagine how the film could have been any better.
(Also, I'm pretty sure that my first watching of the film, way back when (mid-teens), was one of the first times that an actor registered with me as being particularly attractive - namely, Madeleine Stowe's fetching turn as Cora...M scoffed at this, but I was quite pleased by this evidence that my 'type' has remained so consistent after all this time.)
(Last time - which, incidentally, wasn't the aforementioned first watching...)
