The Legend of 1900 (La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano) poster & wallpaper
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Tim Roth, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Clarence Williams III, Mélanie Thierry, Bill Nunn ... see more see more... , Peter Vaughan , Niall O'Brien , Gabriele Lavia , Alberto Vasquez , Heathcote Williams , Harry Ditson , Cory Buck , Clarence Williams

On the 1st of January in 1900, Danny Boodmann (Bill Nunn), the mechanic of the transatlantic liner Virginian bound for America, finds an abandoned baby on board and decides to keep him. Nicknamed Nove... read more read more...cento (1900), the boy grows up on the ship hidden from everyone. His presence is revealed when Danny dies in an accident. The young '1900' manages to hide again despite threats from the captain. Discovering a passion for music, he teaches himself to play the piano without being able to read the notes, and he soon becomes a virtuoso whose reputation spreads beyond the confines of the ship. Even the famous jazz piano player, Jelly Roll Morton (Clarence Williams III), gets on board for a challenge because he has heard rumors about the greatest piano player in the world living on a ship. The story is told by Max Tooney, Novocento's old trumpeter friend, who reminisces about the incredible pianist who never set foot on land. After two films about cinema, Giuseppe Tornatore comes up with the story of a highly imaginative artist who lives only for and through his art. Tornatore was inspired by a theatre monologue written in 1994 by Alessandro Baricco, and the film was shot partly in Odessa, on a sixty-year-old Russian freighter, and partly in the Cinecitta studios in Rome. Tim Roth's performance as the talented but reserved Novocento is remarkable, and the music of Ennio Morricone plays a vital role in the film. La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano, which was retitled The Legend of 1900 for US distribution after forty-five minutes have been cut, was originally two hours and forty minutes when it was shown to great success in Italy in autumn of 1998. The US version had its world premiere at the 1999 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi

Flixster Users

91% liked it

20,253 ratings

Critics

54% liked it

35 critics

R, 1 hr. 56 min.

Directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore

Release Date: October 29, 1999

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DVD Release Date: June 4, 2002

Stats: 1,600 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,600)

  • Tomassgringo
    September 23, 2010
    Tomassgringo
    Interesting idea for a movie but it drags a little.
  • superclerk25
    April 1, 2010
    superclerk25
    This is a large story told in a very small way. I liked it a lot but I really wish it had covered more of 1900's life as a whole instead of just the snippets we got. I would have liked to have seen more of how he lived on the ship such as reactions of others to him and his role... read more.
    The set direction is very good and all the roles were cast great. I liked the performances and over all I thought the movie was sound.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    October 30, 2009
    FiLmCrAzY
    OMG so cute!!!
    Probably the most nicest, saddest, cutest movie ive watched in ages!
    i was pleasently surprised by this movie i thought it would be an alrite movie but i thoroughly enjoyed this movie, its funny, great storyline, well written, great cast, fantastic acting and inc... read moreludes tim roth looking hot and acting brilliantly!!
    the music soundtrack is also awesome and you can just fall in love with this movie!
    Its beautiful about an orphan who is left on a ship and taken in by one of the steam guys but after his unfortunate death tim roth gets into playing the oiano and becomes a sensation but hes never stepped of the boat and can he manage it when he falls in love?!
    Pruitt Taylor Vince tells the story of 1900 and revisits the ship but its about the blown up but is his friend stilll on the ship?
    A gorgeous movie completely worth a watch!!
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    January 24, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Well acted and directed but...seriously, just get off the damn boat already.
  • sanjurosamurai
    December 19, 2007
    sanjurosamurai
    a hidden treasure. the best movie noone has ever heard of. tim roth was superb and a few of the scenes were awe inspiring and brilliant.
  • pier007
    July 27, 2007
    pier007
    The kind of gem Frank Capra would direct. Tornatore brings a bittersweet fable, with an immense Tim Roth and a magnificent soundtrack by il maestro Ennio Morricone. don't miss the duel between 1900 and Jelly Roll Morton, superb.
  • drago25
    December 22, 2006
    drago25
    A fairytale-like story that requires a lot of imagination and patience and the ability to immerse yourself and suspend your disbelief. I enjoyed because I allowed myself to do that. This is the best role I've seen Tim Roth in and he did wonderfully. I also really appreciated seei... read moreng Pruitt Taylor Vince in a major role because I've only seen him in bit parts before and he was excellent in this movie, I'd like to see him more in bigger parts like this. The movie isn't without its flaws, but they are forgivable if you allow yourself to fall into the story without prejudice.
  • chaleins
    November 16, 2010
    chaleins
    The art house film, for me can mean one of two things: Something unique that mainstream audiences won't watch, or an experiment in storytelling. The Legend of 1900, or 1900, is both of these categories. It's a fable about a man who lives out his life as a piano player aboard a tr... read moreansatlantic liner, and it's a very interesting story idea.

    The beginning of the film is odd, with a narrator that looks like something out of a bad film noir. After this initial shock, he does voice one really beautiful moment when a liner full of immigrants comes into New York, and the passengers see the Statue of Liberty. If they had continued in that vein, the movie would have been really wonderful. However, the storytelling shifts rapidly to a jumbled collection of flashbacks from the life of the protagonist (Tim Roth) named...1900. Choppy and uneven as it is, Roth makes him a likeable character, but they introduce some very dull situations for 1900 to live through. There's so much great history to be found around ships like that, it was a shame they didn't exploit it. It disn't need drama, but 1900's character just doesn't adapt or change much. He accepts his life, and is resigned to his failures. He has a lot of them, and even a brief romance goes nowhere, it just sort of stops with nothing much dramatic about it. In fact, he doesn't exploit any of his successes either.

    1900's life reaches its peak with a piano duel with Jelly Roll Morton, and after that the movie kind of ambles along, semi-propelled by the narrator Max. (who's rather annoying, like a bad Bogart cliche) But to no avail, the movie reaches a predictable climax, if that's what you can call it, and the move ends. I felt very let down, not because it wasn't happier or sadder just because it was so blah.

    I'll say this: It has some good moments, and the character is interesting. Like I said above, it won't appeal to many people, but it's an odd little film, and might be worth a watch. It succeeds in being unique, but fails in its experimental storytelling.

    The Statue of Liberty sequence is the best part, after that, you can turn it off, and not miss much. Or perhaps you will be intrigued. That's why I rate this one 50%: Your life, and your 2 hours is up to you. Make your choice to watch or not to watch, but for Gods sake do something, unlike Mr. 1900.
  • bcavros
    September 13, 2010
    bcavros
    It?s a ?legend?=allow for allot of suspension of disbelief and you will be pleasantly rewarded (The plot is no way believable). Giuseppe Tornatore Crafts this story through the eyes of Pruit Taylor Vance (Rub from Nobody?s Fool) about Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs), B... read moreoth actors are in my opinion under rated and typically get cast in small limited character rolls. Beyond the relationship, the music and cinematography are beautiful. Roth?s character has a way of ad-libbing his music to match each person he looks at. Not really music I would find on my I-pod, but I?d like to find the sound track. At 2 Hours you really have to hole up to watch this movie and enjoy it.
  • RockabillySaint
    October 19, 2006
    RockabillySaint
    I have never been so profoundly moved while watching a film as I was when I first saw this. It brought me to tears with practically every scene, even if it wasn't sad at all. Something about it is just so touching and infinitely tragic, and Tim Roth's performance is both humorous... read more and saddening as the amazing piano player 1900. The ending especially really got to me, and just thinking about it is making me tear up. One of the most inspiring and just overall enjoyable films I have ever had the joy of seeing, and it is most definitely on my top ten best movies ever list.

View All The Legend of 1900 (La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Rich Cline
February 7, 2005
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

an interesting mess

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
March 4, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

An imaginative fable about modernity. Full Review

Widgett Walls
January 1, 2000
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com

There are moments of absolute magic. Full Review

Ross Anthony
January 1, 2000
Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card

Nearly a masterpiece Full Review

Michael Dequina
January 1, 2000
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

by every definition, a beautiful film: it's lovely to look at--and perhaps even moreso to listen to; and the acting is exquisite. Full Review

Bruce Feld
January 1, 2000
Bruce Feld, Film Journal International

Perhaps the story is wonderful, but it does not make much sense. Nineteen Hundred remains the same character from beginning to end. Full Review

Chuck Rudolph
January 1, 2000
Chuck Rudolph, Matinee Magazine

Deserves consideration as one of the best bad movies (or perhaps one of the worst good movies) ever produced. Full Review

Steve Rhodes
January 1, 2000
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews

A good-spirited fable ... it's the type of movie that either you'll love or you'll hate. Count me in the former category. Full Review

David Rooney
June 17, 2008
David Rooney, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

July 21, 2005
Houston Chronicle

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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