The Legend of 1900
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Movie Reviews of The Legend of 1900
Movie Review: A Musical Fable that Would Have Benefited From A Lot Less Fable
Summary: 3 Stars
"The Legend of 1900" is another movie that might get me into trouble here on Amazon. It seems to be beloved by most reviewers, but ultimately--while there are some strong points--this is a film that just doesn't work for me. Being a fan of Tornatore's "Cinema Paradiso," I looked forward greatly to this story--billed as a fable of a musical prodigy who is born and raised on a ship, never setting foot on land. And while "Paradiso" is a subtle homage to the movies, "1900" tries to cover similar territory with classical and jazz music.
The music is beautiful, and whenever Tim Roth as the titular 1900 (it's his name) sits down at the piano--the movie comes alive. Music is the heart and breath of this picture. Roth is very good in the lead, but I would expect nothing less. This quiet oddball is a bit of a departure for the generally more intense Roth. His relationship with Pruitt Taylor Vince as his best friend and fellow musician is nicely played. If the film had concentrated more on them realistically and less on the "fable" aspect, I feel it would have been far more successful.
Unfortunately, the narrative is told in an unnecessary flashback style with Vince relating the fable to various parties. These modern sequences are awkwardly inserted into the more compelling material. And they lack a bit of logic, as well. While no one has supposedly ever heard of 1900, he is presented in the flashbacks as a famous and notorious personality. In fact, the world's best jazz musician even comes aboard to challenge him to a piano duel--so his reputation must be known beyond the ship.
Too much of the visual style is over-the-top and fanciful. Here, we are hitting on that "fable" again. One great sequence involves Roth playing the piano as it sails around the deck--it is at once beautiful and ridiculous--but it's taken too far so it becomes slapstick instead of poetry. By pulling back just a little in most sequences, Tornatore might really have improved his epic.
Aside form Tim Roth and Pruitt Taylor Vince, nobody speaks in a real "voice." The dialogue can be extremely clunky and the delivery out of left field. I don't know if this had to do with international actors using English phonetically, but perhaps something is lost in the translation. Listen especially to the ambient crowd chatter--it is absolutely inane. And while this may seem like a small point, it distracted me to maximum effect. This could have been fixed easily by a sound effects editor. Also, as Taylor Vince relates 1900's story, the reactions that he gets are bizarrely overacted. There isn't a natural flow to the piece because much of it seems forced.
Recommended for Roth and the music, "The Legend of 1900" is an interesting failure. Scaled back in it's excesses and shortened, it had the capacity to be a great film. I wished they would have trusted the story because I could have done without most of the outlandish and over-the-top accouterments. About 2 1/2 stars from me--I'm rounding up so I don't get slaughtered. KGHarris, 11/06.
Movie Review: A memorable fable for adults, beautifully made
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: The Legend of 1900
Summary: 3 Stars
Fresh off popping a boring movie out of the player, I popped in this one. The premise is that a boy was born on a ship in 1900 and never set foot on land, truly a man without a country. The recreations of those olden days were simply a pleasure to behold. As in, the sets and the clothes. Tim Roth is talented, watchable and likeable. A brief appearance by Clarence Williams III is definitely a highlight of this film. Many years after THE MOD SQUAD, it's nice to see him having a bit of a career renaissance with a different generation of viewers.
The cover bills this as "a fable," and it is. I could comment on how the ship is a metaphor for the "average" life, blah blah blah. It's an old metaphor, perhaps one that worked in the novel. In the film, it was a surface little speech at the end. In essence, this film was about as boring as the one I started watching before it, yet I only saw 30 minutes of the first and the full two hours of this. What's the difference? I love the sound of a piano played by a master, preferably of the fast variety. Our protagonist was written as a prodigy, and I loved it whenever "he" played.
Incidentally, when I found myself showing THE FIRM to three groups of students in two days, this is how I kept my sanity. I closed my eyes and listened to the piano player.
Movie Review: The Legend Of 1900
Summary: 5 Stars
A very strange story.It was an excellent movie.The music was simply great.I will be purchasing the sound track for sure.The ending(while a surprise)was rather sad.All-in-all,just a great movie.Movie Review: Beautiful Music and a story worth telling
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of my most favorite movie especially in music. The music played in this movie are amazing with classical and Jazz music; Ennio Morricone and Amedeo Tommasi composed some great pieces in this one with some very lovely and intimate songs like Playing Love, Magic Waltz, Danny Blues & A Mozart Reincarnated (similar to Mozart's Piano Sonata No 11 in A Major K331