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Legend of 1900 (Legend of the pianist)

Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

Set in the early half of this century, an atmospheric and poetic odyssey of an orphaned and gifted piano prodigy (Tim Roth as 1900) who experiences all that life has to offer - music, love, and romance and the ravages of both world wars - yet he never leaves the ship on which he was born. The passengers become his window to the world and the legend begins - of the greatest piano player ever.

Also starring Bill Nunn as Danny Boodman, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Max, Clarence Williams III as Jelly Roll Morton and Melanie Thierry as 1900's beloved. Based on the dramatic monologue by Alessanrdo Baricco, directed by Guiseppe Tornatore.

Cinematic intelligence sources

Studios and distributors:

Roadshow Films

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Titanic, without the iceberg.

Legend of 1900 is a birth-to-death voyage through two men's lives: Danny Boodman's and 1900's. The former is the narrator whose hard times are book ends to the latter's entire existence. Born into poverty and killed by progress, 1900 is the world in macrocosm: from the dregs of war-torn Europe to the incessant March of American imperialism. You must allow yourself to be seduced by history before you can attempt a flirtation with this tale.

Brought together by a mutual addiction to music, Danny and 1900 become straight man and comedian. Danny wants his friend to go forth from the cloistered precinct of the ship and experience the wider world, but it is 1900 who brings his friend to a greater, more piquant appreciation for life.

I'm sure what I'm writing, but it sounds interesting, doesn't it? I'm probably just getting the major themes straight in my head (and on your computer). Inasmuch as I have anything inside my head to get straight.

Legend of 1900 is a quietly entertaining story for people who can appreciate the sum and span of a human life, from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high, from the depths of despair to the breadths of cliché. It's not often that you look back over the past century and fully appreciate the changes which have taken place in the condition of humanity. Shanks' Pony has given way to the space shuttle, coal to uranium, corsets to bikinis, orchestras to CDs, the New World to the Far East. My mother grew up on an isolated farm without electricity, internal plumbing or running water and is now in touch with the whole world with the internet, a four-wheel-drive and a mobile phone. And the old girl's still got a few good years in her yet.

1900's life isn't so much amazing as it is philosophical, he is a man who stands still and allows the world to come to him, who lets the tides of humanity wash over him but is not sucked away by the undertow. Tim Roth is pretty low key in this role, suitably, but occasionally comes dangerously close to being grey. He is at his best when whimsical (the storm scene is hilarious) and manages to do well overall. Bill Nunn is the archetypal blues man, at his best when sucked down by his own morbidity. Their different characters and approaches work best when they're playing off against each other: they're like two schoolboys daring each other to climb the fence and steal the grapes in someone's back yard.

One thing that really lets this film down is the special effects: the matte backgrounds look like painted sets from a community theatre and the final explosion (sinking the ship) is completely unbelievable. A few thousand more dollars could've seen some decent CGI blending seamlessly with the live action.

*Sighs*

If you want to be swept away on the wings of Hollywood grandeur then get Titanic, if you want European realism then get Legend of 1900. It's that simple.