La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano (1998)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Writers:

Alessandro Baricco (monologue Novecento)
Giuseppe Tornatore (written by)

Release Date:

28 October 1998 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Music | Romance

Tagline:

An epic story of a man who could do anything... except be ordinary.

Plot:

Shortly after the Second World War, Max, a transplanted American, visits an English pawn shop to sell his trumpet...

Plot Keywords:

Ship | 1900s | Piano | Immigrant | Pianist

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Tim Roth	...	Danny Boodmann T.D. Lemon Nineteen Hundred '1900'
Pruitt Taylor Vince	...	Max Tooney
Mélanie Thierry	...	The Girl
Bill Nunn	...	Danny Boodmann
Clarence Williams III	...	Jelly Roll Morton
Peter Vaughan	...	'Pops', the Shopkeeper
Niall O'Brien	...	Harbor Master
Gabriele Lavia	...	Farmer
Vernon Nurse	...	Fritz Hermann, the Bandleader
Alberto Vazquez	...	Mexican Stoker
John Armstead
Cory Buck	...	The Young 1900 II
Norman Chancer
Sidney Cole	...	Musician
Katy Monique Cuom

Also Known As:

The Legend of 1900 (UK) (USA)
The Legend of the Pianist on the Ocean (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

165 min | France:120 min | Spain:120 min (DVD edition)

Country:

Italy

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Spain:7 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/12 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Medusa Produzione

Trivia:

There was actually a registered ship named the SS Virginian which was built in 1904 and scrapped around 1954. The ship had one funnel with the Allan Liner's colors on it. The SS Virginian also had a vital part in the Titanic disaster in April 1912 as she was reported near the vicinity of the sinking and within radio contact.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: At the beginning of the film, the immigrants are happy to be entering America through New York. However, the ships are shown passing from right to left in front of the Statue of Liberty. This would be taking them out of New York harbor, not into it.

Quotes:

1900: You rolled out in front of me a keyboard of millions of keys, millions and billions of keys that never end. And that's the truth Max, that they never end. That keyboard is infinite... and if that keyboard is infinite, then on that keyboard there is no music you can play. You're sitting on the wrong bench... That is God's piano.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Soundtrack:

The Finger Breaker

A lovely film that has a heart

On the first day of the twentieth century, an infant is discovered in the coal room aboard a luxury liner. The worker (Bill Nunn) who discovers the child on The Virginian names him 1900 or more accurately Danny Boodmann T.D. Lemon Nineteen-Hundred. Eight years later the boy loses his "father" in a ship accident but discovers an amazing ability to play the piano and a legend is born. It is indeed The Legend of 1900, a fable by Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso) based on a dramatic monologue by Italian novelist Alessandro Baricco. The story is about a musical prodigy who spends his life aboard a ship, sailing back and forth between the U.S. and Europe, entertaining the passengers with his unique talent but never sharing it with the rest of the world.

The film is narrated by Max (Pruitt Taylor Vince), an American saxophone player whom we meet at the beginning as he tries to pawn his trumpet. On leaving the shop, however, he hears the only recording 1900 ever made, a master that he had broken into pieces but that was later restored. When he finds out that the master came from a ship about to be demolished, he rushes to save 1900 whom he is sure is still aboard. In the process, he tells his story to convince others that 1900 exists. Through flashbacks we learn about 1900 and how he navigated his life from stem to stern. The question throughout the film is whether or not 1900 will abandon the ship and set foot on land? There is a hint that he might do so after he meets a beautiful young woman (Melanie Theirry). She inspires him to compose a beautifully expressive love song while gazing at her through a window, but the only thing that remains is the last copy of the record and an enduring memory.

The Legend of 1900 creates its own world and I confess it is one that I got lost in. This is a lovely film that has a heart. It is sentimental without question but is redeemed by the glorious music by Ennio Morricone, beautiful cinematography by Lajos Koltai, and a terrific jazz piano duel between the adult 1900 (Tim Roth) and Jelly Roll Morton played by Clarence Williams III. 1900's world has clearly defined limits and he is fearful of venturing beyond. Land represents for him a place without boundaries, where people can get lost, a place without beginning or end. To me, The Legend of 1900 may be a metaphor for people who find a comfortable niche for themselves in life and are afraid to take risks to see what the possibilities are. In many cases, as with 1900, the world will never know the contribution they might have made.