Overview

Director:Bernardo Bertolucci

Writers:Franco Arcalli (writer)
Bernardo Bertolucci (writer)
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Release Date:4 November 1977 (USA) more
Genre:Drama / History / Romance / War more
Plot Summary:Set in Italy, the film follows the lives and interactions of two boys/men, one born a bastard of peasant stock (Depardieu)... more
Plot Synopsis:This plot synopsis is empty. Add a synopsis
Plot Keywords:Bare Butt / Train / Undressing Scene / Female To Male Foot In Crotch / Teenager Nudity more
Awards:1 win & 1 nomination more

Additional Details

Also Known As:1900 (USA)
1900 - Gewalt, Macht, Leidenschaft (West Germany) (first part title)
1900 - Kampf, Liebe, Hoffnung (West Germany) (second part title)
Nineteen Hundred (USA) (alternative spelling)
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Parents Guide:Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:315 min (2 parts) (uncut version) / Argentina:250 min (heavily cut) / Australia:248 min (heavily cut) / USA:245 min (R-rated version)
Country:Italy / France / West Germany
Language:Italian
Color:Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:Mono

Synopsis

Set in Italy, the film follows the lives and interactions of two boys/men, one born a bastard of peasant stock (Depardieu), the other born to a land owner (de Niro). The drama spans from 1900 to about 1945, and focuses mainly on the rise of Fascism and the peasants' eventual reaction by supporting Communism, and how these events shape the destinies of the two main characters. Written by Ed Sutton {esutton@mindspring.com}

Epic, episodic movie following the lives of two Italian men, a poor peasant and a wealthy landowner, spanning over 40 years detailing their personal conflicts with each other as friends, then enemies, and friends again amid the social upheaval in Italy during the first years of the 20th century. Written by Anonymous (See here)

Plot Summary for 1900 (1976)

Set in Italy, the film follows the lives and interactions of two boys/men, one born a bastard of peasant stock (Depardieu), the other born to a land owner (de Niro). The drama spans from 1900 to about 1945, and focuses mainly on the rise of Fascism and the peasants' eventual reaction by supporting Communism, and how these events shape the destinies of the two main characters.

Summary written by Ed Sutton {esutton@mindspring.com} (See here)

Reviewed by: Stephen Woolston

This 1976 score for the Bernardo Bertolucci epic (which stars Robert De Niro and Gerard Depardieu) is considered one of Ennio Morricone's great scores. It's not as accessible as, say, The Mission, but it is, indeed, a rich score. It opens with a memorable, eloquent, richly orchestrated theme (‘Romanzo’). In typical Morricone style, it's based on a proud melody that starts with an emotionally delicate solo clarinet, develops through voices, strings and trumpets to an epic crescendo. It is truly one of the more splendid Ennio Morricone themes. Unsurprisingly, it repeats in variations throughout the score to act as the thematic backbone.

Of course, while the main theme is the star attraction of a score like Novecento, what makes it a more complete experience is the secondary themes and motifs and a variety of moods heading to the score's climax. Novecento has all this. Morricone offers some nice secondary themes (‘Tema Di Ada’, a lovely, soaring piano theme), some of his most accessible atonal music for tension (‘Autunno – 1922’) whilst letting off emotional steam through a splendid, agitated four-note ostinato motif (‘Regalo Di Nozze’ and ‘Testamento’).

Novecento is a score that masterfully conveys all the emotions: love, sentiment, pride, mystery, suspense and aggression. To this extent it is as complete an Ennio Morricone score as has been written, with particularly strong themes to boot. It has all the qualities that made Once Upon A Time In America great, if it is just one notch less than that score.

This CD is released with the classic Novecento artwork in a digipack case. The content is just the same as the original album release - which means there's no extra music, but the album has substantial length and variety. It plays well too. The sound quality is not top-notch, but that would be a silly reason to miss out on owning this very fine score. (See here)

Peculiar epic charting some forty five years of Italian history in the twentieth century, opening on scenes of liberation at the end of the Second World War, then backtracking to follow the years from the turn of the century, marked by the birth of two children on a sprawling vineyard estate; one the grandson of the master of the house (Burt Lancaster), the other the grandson of the patriarch of the workers (Sterling Hayden). The destinies of the two boys are intertwined throughout the film, though this unabashedly left-wing polemic is at pains to point out that they remain eternally separate in every essential. As adults they are played by Robert De Niro and Gerard Depardieu respectively. De Niro is the largely well meaning aristocrat who is unable to transcend his destiny despite his hopes to be different. Depardieu is the angry proletarian who despite the friendship which he allows to develop between the two of them remains aloof and espoused to his political principles......(More...)