1900 (film)

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Template:Infobox Film 1900 (also called Novecento) is a 1976 epic film starring Robert de Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Donald Sutherland, and Burt Lancaster, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Set in Bertolucci's ancestral region of Emilia, the film chronicles the lives of two men during the political turmoils that took place in Italy in the first half on the 20th century.

Alfredo Berlinghieri (de Niro) and Olmo Dalco (Depardieu) are born on the same day in 1901, but belong to opposite ends of the social spectrum. Alfredo is the son of a rich landowner, while Olmo is a misbegotten peasant son. As Alfredo is somewhat rebellious and despises the falseness of his family, in particular his father, he befriends Olmo, who is brought up as a socialist.

After World War I, their friendship continues, but slowly the rise of the fascists as embodied by the sadistic Attila (Donald Sutherland) separates them. Alfredo chooses the side of Fascism, while Olmo fights for the communists.

The original director's cut of the film runs 311 minutes. Alberto Grimaldi, the film's producer, would not accept this cut. Bertolucci originally wanted to release the film in 2 parts, but Grimaldi refused. Grimaldi then locked Bertolucci out of the editing room, and assembled a 3 hour cut. Bertolucci, horrified at Grimaldi's cut, decided to compromise. He cut the film to 255 minutes, and this was the version that was initially released in America. In 1991 the film was restored to its original length and shown in a limited release. While the original U.S. release received mixed reviews, with many critics commenting on how choppy and difficult to follow it appeared due to many scenes having been excised, critics who saw the restored version consider it a vast improvement. Leonard Maltin classified the original US release as a "glorious mess" while the restored version was labeled "potent but still choppy."

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