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IMDbPro

The Legend of 1900

Original title: La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano
  • 19981998
  • RR
  • 2h 49m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
64K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,800
595
The Legend of 1900 (1998)
Home Video Trailer from Fine Line
Play trailer2:39
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Music
  • Romance
A baby boy, discovered in 1900 on an ocean liner, grows into a musical prodigy, never setting foot on land.A baby boy, discovered in 1900 on an ocean liner, grows into a musical prodigy, never setting foot on land.A baby boy, discovered in 1900 on an ocean liner, grows into a musical prodigy, never setting foot on land.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
64K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,800
595
  • Director
    • Giuseppe Tornatore
  • Writers
    • Alessandro Baricco(monologue Novecento)
    • Giuseppe Tornatore
  • Stars
    • Tim Roth
    • Pruitt Taylor Vince
    • Mélanie Thierry
Top credits
  • Director
    • Giuseppe Tornatore
  • Writers
    • Alessandro Baricco(monologue Novecento)
    • Giuseppe Tornatore
  • Stars
    • Tim Roth
    • Pruitt Taylor Vince
    • Mélanie Thierry
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 290User reviews
    • 64Critic reviews
    • 58Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 22 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos1

    The Legend of 1900
    Trailer 2:39
    The Legend of 1900

    Photos215

    Tim Roth in The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    Tim Roth in The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    Tim Roth and Pruitt Taylor Vince in The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    Tim Roth and Mélanie Thierry in The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    Tim Roth and Mélanie Thierry in The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    The Legend of 1900 (1998)
    The Legend of 1900 (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tim Roth
    Tim Roth
    • Novecentoas Novecento
    Pruitt Taylor Vince
    Pruitt Taylor Vince
    • Maxas Max
    Mélanie Thierry
    Mélanie Thierry
    • La ragazzaas La ragazza
    Bill Nunn
    Bill Nunn
    • Dannyas Danny
    Clarence Williams III
    Clarence Williams III
    • 'Jelly Roll' Mortonas 'Jelly Roll' Morton
    Peter Vaughan
    Peter Vaughan
    • Negozianteas Negoziante
    Niall O'Brien
    • Capo del portoas Capo del porto
    Alberto Vazquez
    Alberto Vazquez
    • Machinista messicanoas Machinista messicano
    • (as Alberto Vázquez)
    Gabriele Lavia
    Gabriele Lavia
    • Contadinoas Contadino
    John Armstead
    Cory Buck
    • Lemon - age 8as Lemon - age 8
    Norman Chancer
    • Impresarioas Impresario
    Sidney Cole
    Sidney Cole
    • Musicianas Musician
    Katy Monique Cuomo
      Luigi De Luca
      Luigi De Luca
      • Neapolitan Stokeras Neapolitan Stoker
      Agostino Di Giorgio
      • Banjo Playeras Banjo Player
      Nicola Di Pinto
      Nicola Di Pinto
      Harry Ditson
      Harry Ditson
      • Captain Smithas Captain Smith
      • Director
        • Giuseppe Tornatore
      • Writers
        • Alessandro Baricco(monologue Novecento)
        • Giuseppe Tornatore
      • All cast & crew
      • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Tim Roth cannot, in fact, play the piano. He trained for six months just to be able to "fake it" for the film.
      • Goofs
        The recording equipment used for making the record was clearly acoustic in nature, showing large horns. This type of recording was largely replaced in 1925 by electrical recording, using microphones. Yet the recording was made somewhere between 1927 and 1933, according to Tooney's story. Furthermore, the recording engineer played back the matrix immediately; this would have ruined the matrix, which was cut in wax. In those days, immediate playback was only possible using a 2nd set of equipment expressly for that purpose.
      • Quotes

        1900: [explaining why he didn't leave the ship and never will be] All that city... You just couldn't see an end to it. The end! Please, could you show me where it ends? It was all very fine on that gangway and I was grand, too, in my overcoat. I cut quite a figure and I had no doubts about getting off. Guaranteed. That wasn't a problem. It wasn't what I saw that stopped me, Max. It was what I didn't see. Can you understand that? What I didn't see. In all that sprawling city, there was everything except an end. There was everything. But there wasn't an end. What I couldn't see was where all that came to an end. The end of the world. Take a piano. The keys begin, the keys end. You know there are 88 of them and no-one can tell you differently. They are not infinite, you are infinite. And on those 88 keys the music that you can make is infinite. I like that. That I can live by. But you get me up on that gangway and roll out a keyboard with millions of keys, and that's the truth, there's no end to them, that keyboard is infinite. But if that keyboard is infinite there's no music you can play. You're sitting on the wrong bench. That's God's piano. Christ, did you see the streets? There were thousands of them! How do you choose just one? One woman, one house, one piece of land to call your own, one landscape to look at, one way to die. All that world weighing down on you without you knowing where it ends. Aren't you scared of just breaking apart just thinking about it, the enormity of living in it? I was born on this ship. The world passed me by, but two thousand people at a time. And there were wishes here, but never more than could fit on a ship, between prow and stern. You played out your happiness on a piano that was not infinite. I learned to live that way. Land is a ship too big for me. It's a woman too beautiful. It's a voyage too long. Perfume too strong. It's music I don't know how to make. I can't get off this ship. At best, I can step off my life. After all, it's as though I never existed. You're the exception, Max. You're the only one who knows that I'm here. You're a minority. You'd better get used to it. Forgive me, my friend. But I'm not getting off.

      • Alternate versions
        Original version released in Italy is 2 hours and 45 minutes long. A 123-minutes version premiered at the Locarno film Festival in July 1999. This shorter version is the same released in the USA by Fine Line under the title "The Legend of 1900".
      • Connections
        Edited into Spisok korabley (2008)
      • Soundtracks
        Big Fat Ham
        Written by Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton (uncredited)

        Performed by Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton (as 'Jelly Roll' Morton)

        Edizioni Chappell s.r.l

      User reviews290

      Review
      Top review
      8/10
      A wonderfully wistful mixture of melodrama and music.
      "The Legend of 1900" wistfully tells its creative, capriciously unpredictable, and musical tall tale with excellence in all aspects of film from sets to sound, costume to casting, and script to screenplay. Roth and Vince work well together in this plaintive, simple story which will captivate those who can make the leap of faith required to "buy in". A good film for all but critics, "Legend" will likely resonate most with those who equate living with musical expression. La vita è musica.
      helpful•60
      12
      • =G=
      • Feb 9, 2001

      FAQ1

      • How does he know that the girl is the daughter of the old man he talked to?

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • October 28, 1998 (Italy)
      • Country of origin
        • Italy
      • Languages
        • English
        • French
        • Italian
      • Also known as
        • Легенда про піаніста посеред океану
      • Filming locations
        • Odessa, Ukraine
      • Production companies
        • Sciarlò
        • Medusa Film
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

      Edit
      • Budget
        • $9,000,000 (estimated)
      • Gross US & Canada
        • $167,435
      • Opening weekend US & Canada
        • $39,200
        • Oct 31, 1999
      • Gross worldwide
        • $21,061,339
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        2 hours 49 minutes
      • Color
        • Color
      • Sound mix
        • Dolby Digital
      • Aspect ratio
        • 2.35 : 1

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