The Legend of 1900

The Legend of 1900 is about life, music, friendship, love, innocence,

and destiny. It arouses the watchers interest and induces various reactions
and emotions sadness, melancholy, nostalgia, but also, delight, pleasure,
and even laughter. Based on the Italian writer Alessandro Bariccos theater
monologue entitled Novecento, the movie is centered upon the story of
1900, an orphan boy found on the Virginian, an ocean liner. Raised by the
crew, he grows up to be a great pianist - the greatest one, according to Max
Tooney, his friend and the narrator of the story.
Found by a coal-man named Danny Boodman, the protagonists life is
somehow correlated with his name, 1900, which represents the year he was
born, but it also refers to the line which divides two centuries, one
characterized by limits and rules, and another by changes and new horizons.
This aspect can indicate 1900s position between two different places of
existence, among the ocean and the land. He finds himself standing between
the desire to experience the taste of the citys whirling life and the already
familiar life he has on the ship. The choice is not easy to make, but he
manages to choose what fulfills him.
The facts are not presented in chronological order, but in retrospect, as
a series of flashbacks. Past events are inserted into the chronological
structure of the story, building up the image of the protagonist, whose
personality is not easy to understand or perceive. Maxs role as the narrator
has a significant value, because, through his recollections we are able to
witness some of the most important moments of 1900s life. The narrative
technique may be difficult to follow occasionally, entailing confusion and
distraction, but it allows us to catch a glimpse of the overwhelming and
astounding rhythm of 1900s life and music.
1900s most valuable possession is his music. We are not told and
neither can we guess how he learned to play the piano, or how he
accustomed his manners, but the most important aspect we need to know
about him is that music is everything for him; it is what keeps him active and

alive. Music defines him and helps him in expressing his emotions. But his
relationship with music is strongly connected with the ocean; he cannot play
the piano on shore. Never leaving the ship, 1900 knows nothing but the
ocean, which empowers him with his talent and will to share his inner
feelings.
The multiple voyages 1900 had on the Virginian can be seen as stages
of his growth and evolution toward what he becomes in the end. Even if he
never stepped on land, 1900 has a very acute sense of picturing the cities
atmosphere, as if he actually visited them. Linked with the ship and the
ocean, the motif of journey is related to all the spaces the protagonist seems
to remember; he never saw New Orleans, but he is capable of describing the
emotions it vibrates with so much intensity and accuracy. But I believe that it
necessary to mention that he visualizes everything through his sentiments
and senses, through the feelings conveyed by the music he plays.
The story may not provide very realistic characters or events, but I
think they must be perceived symbolically, as what they are meant to
transmit and imprint, and not as what they really represent. The two most
memorable scenes that had a deeper impact upon me are the two piano
concerts, which are emblematic for the protagonists personality. In the first
concert, 1900 plays the piano on the ship in a violent storm; it is the evening
he meets Max Tooney, his only friend. After removing the brakes that secures
the piano to the ground, they dance around the ballroom, enjoying the
moment. In that instant we understand that 1900 lives for the moment,
relishing the music he plays and Maxs company. The second concert
presents the duel between 1900 and the legendary Jelly Roll Morton, the
father of jazz, who wants to prove once again his genius. But 1900 wins by
playing so fast that the piano heats enough to light a cigarette off it. Both
scenes vibrate the protagonists music and concentrate around 1900
qualities and abilities as a pianist. Another scene that underlines the fact
that music is his best way of expressing the emotions he lives is that in

which he falls in love. The beauty of the song he plays is similar to the purity
and innocence of his love.
Another important figure in the movie, that seems to reign over its
subjects, is America. The narrator describes the excitement and joy that its
image arouses. By 1900, the American nation had established itself as a
world power. John Winthrops city upon a hill and Benjamin Franklins
explorations about the role of personal virtues and convictions about the
destiny of the American man shaped the foreigners judgment about America
and determined them to visit it. However, 1900 is not influenced by the
tremor felt by the people around him, but pays attention to everything he
sees and rejoices inside.
Stephen Holdens review on The Legend of 1900 brings into discussion
the idea of the movie as a fable. He denounces the characters lack of
meaning or substance, pointing out the fact that the movie is nothing but a
beautifully lighted, ornately framed painting in a museum, which after a
closer inspection turns out to be just piece of kitsch. In my opinion, his
remarks are a bit harsh, but they are true, in the sense that, as I mentioned
above, the authenticity of the characters is questionable. But these
inaccuracies can be overlooked, because the most significant concern is that
of transporting the watcher into the characters mind and imagination in
order to sense their inner emotions and experiences and to understand their
choices, desires and wishes.
The movie left me with a sense of uncertainty, of something
unfinished. In the end, 1900 chose to remain on the ship no matter what,
rejecting the outside world because of its immensity. He believed in the
infinity of his music, being able to control it, but he feared the infinity of the
city, of the world because he never dared to test it. 1900 lived on the ocean,
but he couldnt hear its voice; he was a genius capable of wonderful music,
but afraid to test his limits in order to escape his anxieties; even knowing
that the ship will explode, he chose to remain there. But somehow, his death
is a dignified one, because he made his option clear once and nothing could
change it. He was ready to die for what he believed in and he did.