Movies - 1900

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	Movies - 1900

Plot Sammary

1900 (also called Novecento) is a 1976 epic film starring Robert de Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Donald Sutherland, and Burt Lancaster, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Set in Bertolucci's ancestral region of Emilia, the film chronicles the lives of two men during the political turmoils that took place in Italy in the first half on the 20th century.

Alfredo Berlinghieri (de Niro) and Olmo Dalco (Depardieu) are born on the same day in 1901, but belong to opposite ends of the social spectrum. Alfredo is the son of a rich landowner, while Olmo is a misbegotten peasant son. As Alfredo is somewhat rebellious and despises the falseness of his family, in particular his father, he befriends Olmo, who is brought up as a socialist.

After World War I, their friendship (with slightly homoerotic overtones) continues, but slowly the rise of the fascists as embodied by the sadistic Attila (Donald Sutherland) separates them. Alfredo chooses the side of Fascism, while Olmo fights for the communists.

Trivia

Original uncut version is 5.5 hours long, and features pornographic sequences with Alfredo, Olmo, and Neve. It also featured prepubescent boys examining each other's penises, which could possibly qualify as child pornography in the US.

The film's $6 million budget was supplied by three different sources: $2 million from United Artists, $2 million from Paramount Pictures and $2 million from 20th Century Fox.

The production went $3 million over budget

Alternate Versions

The original director's cut of the film runs 5 1/2 hours in length. When first released in the United States it was cut down to about 4 hours. In 1991 the film was restored to its original length and shown in a limited release. While the original U.S. release received mixed reviews, with many critics commenting on how choppy and difficult to follow it appeared due to many scenes having been excised, critics who saw the restored version consider it a vast improvement. Leonard Maltin classified the original US release as a "glorious mess" while the restored version was labeled "potent but still choppy."

Original Italian version is 311 minutes long and was released as two separate films (Novecento, part 1 & 2). US R Rated version is 243 minutes long and deletes several scenes, including an explicit one in which a prostitute masturbates Robert De Niro and Gérard Depardieu. A restored Integral Version was re-released in the USA in 1993 with a NC-17 rating.

Among a dozen or so scenes that were extended in "Version Integral", there are a number of new scenes featuring:

Longer shot of the boy dying in the very beginning
Berlinghieri digging the wine out of the cellar before serving it to the peasants
After Elma tells everyone of Berlinghieri's suicide, the crowd rejoices and dances
The first scene with Attila is extended into a speech
Graphic scenes of the mutilation of pigs is extended
After Regina taunts Ada with keys to the wine, Ada pours wine over Regina's head
Depardieu's closing speech is longer
These scenes are featured only in Italian and have never been dubbed into any other language.
The Italian version of the film features ending credits whereas the American version ends with just; THE END.

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Movies - 1900

Plot Sammary

Trivia

Alternate Versions

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