``1900'' A magnificent modern history of Italy that transcends the boundaries between documentary and fiction.

“1900” synopsis

Alfredo and Olmo were born on the same day in 1900. Alfredo is the son of a large landowner and Olmo is the son of a head tenant farmer, and although their positions are different, the two grow up to be close friends. However, when Alfredo's grandfather dies and Alfredo's father takes over, the peaceful life in the village changes drastically. Alfredo's father did not treat the peasants as human beings. Eventually, Olmo grows up and stands up to save the exploited tenant farmers, and comes into conflict with Alfredo, who has become a landowner. The storm of conflict between leftists and fascism and the class struggle between peasants and landowners that was raging in Italy in the early 20th century. Two young men who were best friends are swept up in the turbulent waves of history...

Index

• A “cursed movie” that has become a cult movie
• Feud with Alberto Grimaldi
• The painting used for the title background, “The Fourth Estate”
• What is “poetically expressed ideology”?

A “cursed movie” that has become a cult movie

``Like all cult movies, it was made for a mass audience, but it never caught on and became a cursed movie.''*

Director Bernardo Bertolucci reflects on ``1900'' (1976) as follows: The film is set in Italy in the early 20th century and depicts the friendship and conflict between Alfredo (Robert De Niro), the son of a large farmer, and Olmo (Gerard Depardieu), the son of a sharecropper, who were born on the same day. A great epic. Although he himself has a grudge against this movie, it was included in Stephen Schneider's famous book ``1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die,'' and there is no doubt that it is an important work that will leave its mark on movie history. Personally, I believe this is Bertolucci's best work.

Bertolucci, who was still in his mid-30s at the time, was brimming with confidence that, to quote his own words, ``I can shoot whatever plan I can think of.'' After making a dashing debut with `` Murder '' (1962), based on the original story by Pier Paolo Pasolini, he won the New Critics Award at the Cannes Film Festival for his second film, `` The Eve of the Revolution '' (1964), and `` He won the National Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director for ` `The Conformist '' (1970). Last Tango in Paris (1972) took the world by storm for its sensational content, and was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Actor. Not only was he a ``young talent born in Italy,'' but he was already positioned as a ``filmmaker recognized around the world.''

“1900” preview

The film had a running time of 5 hours and 16 minutes, was shot for 14 months (originally 9 months, but took an additional 5 months for additional filming), and had over 12,000 extras. Naturally, such a Big project would require an enormous amount of production funds. Therefore, a total budget of 6 million dollars was raised, including 2 million dollars from United Artists, 2 million dollars from Paramount Pictures, and 2 million dollars from 20th Century Fox. (However, it swells to a dollar amount.)

However, ``1900'' ended up being, as Bertolucci said, a ``cursed movie.'' The feud with Alberto Grimaldi, who served as producer, had a big impact.