Product Details

• Actors: Tim Roth, Bill Nunn, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Mélanie Thierry
• Directors: Giuseppe Tornatore
• Format: PAL, Import, Full Screen, Dolby, Subtitled
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 4 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Run Time: 125 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (168 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00164XDCG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #584,957 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

SYNOPSIS: 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 Novecento (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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

171 of 173 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Large Does The World Need To Be?, August 13, 2002

By 

D. Edward Farrar "Sic Itur Ad Astra" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Legend of 1900 (DVD)

"The Legend of 1900" is a movie unlike almost any other I have seen. It takes place entirely on a ship at sea, but the action spans more than 40 years. It is the story of a musical genius who is born, lives out his life, and ultimately dies on board a grand trans-Atlantic liner in the first half of the 20th century. He watches the world pass him by just a few thousand people at a time, has a fabulous piano-duel with none other than Jelly Roll Morton, is sought after by recording companies, and listens to and learns from the music of all the different cultures who are emigrating from the Old World to the New, but he never once leaves the ship. Indeed, the mere thought of setting foot on land is his ultimate nightmare.

I remember having a guest over one evening who was seeing it for the very first time. His reaction (after wiping a tear from his eye) was to exclaim "what a wonderful movie! How did anyone even get a film that quirky made?" There is no Hollywood 'formula' to this film. It proceeds without any of the usual conventions: no good guy vs. bad guy struggles, no sex, no violence, and no crude jokes. It is like that really good book that you start reading one night when it is already too late but are unable to put down until you have turned the last page.

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A memorable fable for adults, beautifully made, September 7, 2006

By 

Ludix (Upton, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Legend of 1900 (DVD)

How did this terrific movie slip under the radar?

It's about the nature of art, the power of music, the mystery of friendship and love. Most of all, it's about how our fears prevent us from experiencing the immensity of life.

When was the last time you saw a movie tackle issues like this?

The widescreen production is ravishing to watch. It's rare to see an art house film executed with such first-class grandeur. The acting is also uniformly excellent. And the score is luscious.

If you liked THE PIANO or AMADEUS, prepare to be blown away.

58 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A curious yarn, October 3, 2002

By 

Joseph Haschka (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Legend of 1900 [VHS] (VHS Tape)

THE LEGEND OF 1900 has as its protagonist a man named D.B.T.D.L. 1900. The "1900" is indicative of the year he was born and found abandoned on a luxury ocean liner, the "Virginian", after its passengers had disembarked in New York. Let it suffice to say that the other initials stand for the ship's crewman that discovered him, and the brand name on the produce crate in which he was lying.

The time frame of this film can be tricky at the beginning unless one pays attention. The "now" is, apparently, after WWII. After pawning his trumpet in an English hockshop, Max (Pruitt Taylor Vince) begs to play it one last time. While doing so, the pawnbroker recognizes the melody as that played on a piano on an old record. He spins it for Max, who identifies the pianist as 1900, whom he met in 1927 when he (Max) signed aboard the Virginian as a band member. In a flashback, he recalls the story of 1900's birth, emphasizing that the man never ever left the liner to set foot on solid land. On being asked where he found the disk, purportedly the master copy of the recording session and the only one in existence, the shop owner says it was hidden in a piano that came off an old hospital ship berthed in the harbor. On going to the dock, Max recognizes the rusting hulk as the Virginian, which is in the process of being loaded with explosives designed to scuttle the vessel. Convinced that 1900 is still aboard and hiding, he insists on a search. Interspersed with this activity are more flashbacks to the 20s and 30s when Max played with 1900 in the ship's main ballroom.

THE LEGEND OF 1900 is not a perfect film by any means. The character of The Girl (Melanie Thierry) and her relationship with 1900 are left frustratingly underdeveloped. Sad-faced Tim Roth is wonderful as the enigmatic 1900, who is perhaps too inscrutable. (But, then, legends generally are, or they wouldn't be legends. Remember the old saw, "Familiarity breeds contempt.") Without the monolog by 1900 towards the end when he explains himself to Max, the viewer would be left with precious little of the former to fathom. However, one thing is known for sure - 1900 is a phenomenal musical talent. He can play a melody on the piano, no matter how complex, after having heard it only once. He demonstrates this and more (wow!) during a "dueling pianos" session with Jelly Roll Morton (Clarence Williams III), the "inventor" of jazz, who comes aboard for an Atlantic crossing just so he can challenge the famous upstart. And, in perhaps the film's most entrancing scene, 1900 plays the piano in the deserted ballroom while the ship rolls in the ocean swells. 1900 has unlocked the piano's anchor wheels, so the instrument glides serenely back and forth over the dance floor while managing not to hit anything until ... well, you have to see it.

Viewed as a tragic figure, the viewer will understand 1900 when he says, "The world has passed me by 2000 people at a time." The film is bittersweet to be sure, but well done. See it if you're looking for something on the slightly eccentric side of ordinary.