Saturday, June 04, 2022
1900
- Commentary: This is one of those "sprawling historical epics" that tends to put me in a dream state. I am a fan of the director, even though his movies are sometimes difficult on the public. I am a fan of the musical scorer and always delight when I notice his name in the credits before watching a movie, including his collaboration on what general movie mavens consider the questionable compilations The Bible Collection and The Bible Series, both to which I remain devoted and continue to watch on a regular basis. I love all the actors in this movie, including the minor ones.
I can't remember how I learned about this movie, but I checked it out of our library a few years ago, thinking I might enjoy it, despite its length and convolusive structure. I did. Once I watched it, I couldn't get it out of my head. It is a depiction of the struggle between capitalism and communism/socialism (in several guises), but on a very personal level. At the time I first watched it, I was deeply involved in the vagaries of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election and Bernie had not yet been discarded by the Democratic Party in favor of Hillary. By the time I ordered it for my movie collection I was no longer smarting from debacle of the actual election. I was, however, deep into a reading campaign of literature disparaging capitalism/neo-liberalism and arguing for socialism. Watching this movie again, owning it, helps me put politics into perspective and calms me down, especially in light of everything that's happened since. If you're really into politics and you enjoy movies, you should watch this one.
Update 6/2/2022: This post was originally published on 2/5/2018 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Robert De Niro Alfredo Berlinghieri Gérard Depardieu Olmo Dalcò Dominique Sanda Ada Chiostri Polan Francesca Bertini Sister Desolata Laura Betti Regina Donald Sutherland Attila Mellanchini Stefania Sandrelli Anita Foschi Werner Bruhns Ottavio Berlinghieri Stefania Casini Neve Sterling Hayden Leo Dalcò Anna Henkel-Grönemeyer Anita Dalcò Ellen Schwiers Amelia Alida Valli Signora Pioppi Burt Lancaster Alfredo the Elder Romolo Valli Giovanni Berlinghieri Giacomo Rizzo Rigoletto
Here's the link to the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
Release Date: 1976
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.
Labels: §2, anti-fascist, burt-lancaster, donald-sutherland, dream1, gérard-depardieu, historical2, political2, robert-de-niro
