Product: The Legend Of 1900 (1998) Tim Roth, Pruitt Taylor Vince DVD (1998)
Rating: 3.0
A Musical Fable that Would Have Benefited From A Lot Less Fable
"The Legend of 1900" is another movie that might get me into trouble here on Amazon. It seems to be beloved by most reviewers, but ultimately--while there are some strong points--this is a film that just doesn't work for me. Being a fan of Tornatore's "Cinema Paradiso," I looked forward greatly to this story which is billed as a fable of a musical prodigy who is born and raised on a ship, never setting foot on land. And while "Paradiso" is a subtle homage to the movies, "1900" tries to cover similar territory with classical and jazz music.The music is beautiful, and whenever Tim Roth as the titular 1900 (it's his name) sits down at the piano--the movie comes alive. Music is the heart and breath of this picture. Roth is very good in the lead, but I would expect nothing less. This quiet oddball is a bit of a departure for the generally more intense Roth. His relationship with Pruitt Taylor Vince as his best friend and fellow musician is nicely played. If the film had concentrated more on them realistically and less on the "fable" aspect, I feel it would have been far more successful.Unfortunately, the narrative is told in an unnecessary flashback style with Vince relating the fable to various parties. These modern sequences are awkwardly inserted into the more compelling material. And they lack a bit of logic, as well. While no one has supposedly ever heard of 1900, he is presented in the flashbacks as a famous and notorious personality. In fact, the world's best jazz musician even comes aboard to challenge him to a piano duel--so his reputation must be known beyond the ship.Too much of the visual style is over-the-top and fanciful. Here, we are hitting on that "fable" again. One great sequence involves Roth playing the piano as it sails around the deck--it is at once beautiful and ridiculous--but it's taken too far so it becomes slapstick instead of poetry. By pulling back just a little in most sequences, Tornatore might really have improved his epic.Aside form Tim Roth and Pruitt Taylor Vince, nobody speaks in a real "voice." The dialogue can be extremely clunky and the delivery out of left field. I don't know if this had to do with international actors using English phonetically, but perhaps something is lost in the translation. Listen especially to the ambient crowd chatter, it is absolutely inane. And while this may seem like a small point, it distracted me to maximum effect. This could have been fixed easily by a sound effects editor. Also, as Taylor Vince relates 1900's story, the reactions that he gets are bizarrely overacted. There isn't a natural flow to the piece because much of it seems forced.Recommended for Roth and the music, "The Legend of 1900" is an interesting failure. Scaled back in its excesses and shortened, it had the capacity to be a great film. I wished they would have trusted the story because I could have done without most of the outlandish and over-the-top accouterments. About 2 1/2 stars from me, I'm rounding up so I don't get slaughtered. KGHarris, 11/06.