The Legend of 1900 (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #73

I don't understand why so few people know about this film. Even fans of Tim Roth don't know it, although it's his best film. Maybe the problem is that it doesn't fit neatly into any genre. It has elements of fantasy without being a fantasy film. Some critics call it a drama film, but that's just the default classification when nothing else fits. It stands alone.

The film is about a man who was born on a cruise ship in January 1900 and abandoned by his mother in the first class lounge. The coalman who adopted him called him Danny Boodman T. D. Lemon 1900. That's quite a mouthful, so his name was shortened to 1900. He spends all his life on board the ship, travelling from Europe to America and back, never once setting foot on dry land. How could he? He has no nationality and no birth certificate. He's a man who doesn't exist. He jokes that when he dies he'll present himself at the Pearly Gates, but Saint Peter will turn him away because there's no record of him ever having lived.

The story is interesting, because 1900 is a piano prodigy. At the age of eight he begins to play without any teaching. He masters all styles effortlessly, although he specialises in ragtime jazz. That's what he plays to make the passengers dance, but he also plays soft melodies to make them cry.

The story is narrated by Max Tooney, a trumpet player on the ship from 1927 to 1933 who became 1900's best friend. He returns to the ship when he hears that it's due to be destroyed shortly after World War Two. He fears that 1900 might be hiding somewhere in the empty ship.

There's something curious about this film. I said that few people know it, but that isn't quite true. When it was released in 1998 it was a box office flop, earning only a fraction of its budget. For some reason it was decided to release the film in China in 2019, and it was a box office smash. The Chinese have good taste in films.

"The Legend of 1900" is a splendid film, an epic taking place in a confined space. It's a film that everyone should see. You'll be moved from the first minutes and won't be able to walk away until the end. 

The only uncut release of this film is the Italian Blu-ray. The versions on sale in America and England have been cut, not for censorship reasons, but because some idiot thought that 170 minutes is too long for a film. I've watched the 130 minute version, and I can't recommend it. It's horrible.

Success Rate:  + 0.3