Novecento [1900] ***** (1976, Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda, Burt Lancaster, Sterling Hayden, Donald Sutherland, Stefania Sandrelli) – Classic Movie Review 10,792

Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1976 film 1900 (or Novecento in Italian) is his extraordinary, often brilliant Italian historical epic about a family of Italian nobles and the struggle of the workers in the first half of the 20th century.

It centres on the intense relationship between two Italian men – rich landowner Alfredo Berlinghieri (Robert De Niro) and his friend, peasant Olmo Dalcò (Gérard Depardieu).

Although a sprawling film that is disjointed and, even at 318 minutes, bears signs of cutting, it is a triumph of ambitious intelligence in the incisive screenplay, eye-catching production design (Maria Paolo Maino, Gianni Quaranta), art direction (Ezio Frigerio) and costume design (Gitt Magrini), glorious Technicolor photography by Vittorio Storaro, marvellous score by Ennio Morricone, thrilling set pieces and appearances by great stars at their best.

It presented a problem for cinema distributors: it clearly wouldn’t cut into a one-sitting film, and when shown in two parts (162 minute Part I and 154 minute Part II) only half the audience came back for part two. So it was cut into a single film. Avoid the 245-minute US heavily cut R-rated version.

It is written by Franco Arcalli, Bernardo Bertolucci and Giuseppe Bertolucci.

Also in the cast are Burt Lancaster, Laura Betti, Paolo Pavesi, Dominique Sanda, Sterling Hayden, Donald Sutherland, Stefania Sandrelli, Francesca Bertini. Werner Bruhns, Stefania Casini, Anna Henkel, Ellen Schwiers, Alida Valli, Romolo Valli, Bianca Magliacca, Giacomo Rizzo, Pippo Campanini, Paolo Pavesi, Roberto Maccanti, Antonio Piovanelli, Paolo Branco, Liù Bosisio, Maria Monti and Anna-Maria Gherardi.

Films directed by Bernardo Bertolucci: La Commare Secca (1962), Before the Revolution (1964), Partner (1968), The Spider’s Stratagem (1970), The Conformist (1970), Last Tango in Paris (1972), Novecento [1900] (1976), La Luna (1979), Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man (1981), The Last Emperor (1987), The Sheltering Sky (1990), Little Buddha (1993), Stealing Beauty (1996), Besieged (1998), The Dreamers (2003), and Me and You (2012).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 10,792

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