| 1900 | |
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| Directed by | Bernardo Bertolucci |
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| Produced by | Alberto Grimaldi |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Vittorio Storaro |
| Edited by | Franco Arcalli |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
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| Budget | $9 million[2] |
1900 (Italian:Novecento, "Twentieth Century") is a 1976epichistorical drama film directed byBernardo Bertolucci, and featuring an international ensemble cast includingRobert De Niro,Gérard Depardieu,Dominique Sanda,Francesca Bertini,Laura Betti,Stefania Casini,Ellen Schwiers,Sterling Hayden,Alida Valli,Romolo Valli,Stefania Sandrelli,Donald Sutherland andBurt Lancaster. Set in Bertolucci's ancestral region ofEmilia,Italy, the film chronicles the lives and friendship of two men—the landowning Alfredo Berlinghieri (De Niro) and the peasant Olmo Dalcò (Depardieu)—as they witness and participate in the political conflicts betweenfascism andcommunism that took place in Italy in the first half of the 20th century. The film premiered out of competition at the1976 Cannes Film Festival.[3]
With a runtime of 317 minutes in its original version,1900 is known for being one of thelongest commercially released films in history. Its great length led to it being presented intwo parts when originally released in many countries, including Italy, East and West Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Colombia, Pakistan and Japan. In other countries, including the United States, a single edited version of the film was released.[4]1900 has become widely regarded as acult classic, and has received severalspecial-edition home-video releases from a variety of distributors.[5][6] A restoration of the film premiered out of competition at the74th Venice International Film Festival in 2017.[7]
In 2008, the film was included on theItalian Ministry of Cultural Heritage's100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978".[8]
In 1945,Italy is liberated from the fascists. On an estate in theEmilia-Romagna region, thepeasants seek to join thepartisans and place the owner, Alfredo Berlinghieri, under arrest. Attempting to flee, a middle-aged man named Attila and a woman named Regina face an attack by women laborers wielding pitchforks.
Alfredo and Olmo Dalcò, both born in 1901, come from opposite ends of the social spectrum. Alfredo, from a family of wealthy landowners, grows up with his cousin Regina, while Olmo, anillegitimate peasant, is raised by his grandfather Leo, theforeman and peasants'spokesman. Despite their differences, Alfredo, somewhat rebellious against his family's pretentious hypocrisy, befriends Olmo, who is raised as asocialist. During their childhood, Leo leadsstrikes against unfair conditions on the farm, and the two friends spend much time together.
In 1917, Olmo enlists in theRoyal Italian Army forWorld War I, while Alfredo learns to run the family's plantation. After Olmo's return, their friendship continues, but changes occur. Giovanni, Alfredo's father and the newpadrone, hires Attila Mellanchini, a fascist foreman who cruelly treats estate employees.
In 1922, Olmo, in a relationship with Anita, leads protests for workers' rights. Giovanni's death leads to Alfredo becoming the newpadrone, and he marries Ada. During winter 1935, Alfredo proves to be a weak leader, bending to the rulingNational Fascist Party. Ada's growingalcoholism reflects the emptiness of their marriage. Meanwhile, Olmo's wife Anita dies during childbirth, leaving their daughter Anita supportive of her father's socialist beliefs.
As Olmo becomes a leader among poor farmers, clashes with Attila intensify. Attila's psychopathic tendencies lead to atrocities, and the peasants retaliate, humiliating him. Alfredo fires Attila, but Ada has already left Alfredo.After World War II, the power shifts andlocal nobility face repercussions.
Attila and Regina, apprehended, are imprisoned in the Berlinghieri pigsty, and Attila confesses his murders before being executed. Olmo returns to witness Alfredo's trial before a workers' tribunal. Accused of letting workers suffer, Alfredo is sentenced to death, but is saved when Olmo declares thepadrone dead, symbolizing the overthrow of thesocial system.
The newgovernment's representatives and soldiers arrive, urging the peasants to surrender their arms. Olmo convinces them, but he and Alfredo suggest that the class system will persist.
In their senior years, the elderly Alfredo and Olmo playfully tackle each other. On arising, they walk along a railroad track that they frequented as boys. Alfredo lies down on the tracks, mimicking a childhood activity of theirs. The train passes over him, reminiscent of their childhood game.
 | This articleis missing information about the film's production. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(March 2025) |
The originaldirector's cut of the film runs 317 minutes (5 hours, 17 minutes) and was released in two parts in Italy.[9]Alberto Grimaldi, the film's producer, was contractually obligated to deliver a 195-minute (3 hour, 15 minute) version toParamount Pictures for release in the United States and Canada. Bertolucci originally wanted to release the film in two parts, but, on Grimaldi's refusal,20th Century-Fox picked up distribution in the United States, dropping out when Bertolucci declined to shorten the film by 80 minutes.[9]
Grimaldi locked out Bertolucci from the editing room and assembled a 180-minute cut. Bertolucci, unsatisfied with Grimaldi's cut, decided to compromise.[10] His 247-minute (4 hour, 7 minute) version was initially released in the United States. In 1987, theBravo channel broadcast the uncut version with English-dubbed dialogue. In 1991, the film was restored to its original length and shown in a limited release.[citation needed] The film has been shown uncut onSky Movies andFilm4.[citation needed]
When Bertolucci released his 317-minute version to theaters, theMotion Picture Association of America classified the film with an X rating. The 245-minute American cut, which was also officially available on home-video in the United States, retained its R rating. In 2006, Paramount surrendered the NC-17 rating of the uncut version, then released it asunrated onDVD on 5 December 2006. This same uncut version was released onBlu-ray in the US by Olive Films on 15 May 2012.
1900 won the 1977Bodil Award for Best Non-American Film and received second place in theNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography.[11]
Paramount theatrically released the shorter version in the United States on October 7, 1977,[12] and it has received mixed reviews from American critics. OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 52% "Rotten" rating based on 23 reviews, with aweighted average of 6.1/10.[13]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[14]
In theChicago Sun-Times, film criticRoger Ebert wrote that the film "doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's an epic only by virtue of its length."[15]
| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
The music for the movie was composed byEnnio Morricone, who included several melodies fromGiuseppe Verdioperas.
