The Legend of 1900
Sue Attalla
1900, look for it in your local video stores. Although it came out in
1998, the DVD is new (2002), and I knew nothing of it until yesterday.
Unfortunately, Tulsa doesn't provide a sufficient number of paying
customers for this type of film.
Best known for his Academy Award winning CINEMA PARADISO (1990),
Tornatore continues to demonstrate his interest in the arts in this
newer film, shifting now from cinema to music. Set on a cruise ship,
later to become a hospital ship, THE LEGEND OF 1900 recounts the
poignant story of a foundling (Tim Roth)discovered in a lemon crate
atop the ship's piano at the turn of the century--hence his name,
1900. Raised initially by a black man shoveling coal, the white 1900,
has never known a mother and soon loses his only "father." Following
this loss, the small boy, who has lived his first eight years hiding
below decks to avoid discovery and probable removal from the ship, is
found playing the ballroom piano. He goes on to become the ship's
pianist and never sets foot on land although he's once tempted by the
sight of a beautiful young woman who inspires his only matrix
recording. (The matrix plays an important role throughout the film.)
When Jelly Roll Morton (Clarence Williams III)hears of 1900's
extraordinary skill, he challenges 1900 on board The Virginian. What
happens when the ship's pianist tries to outplay Morton's
"Fingerbreaker," you'll have to wait to learn when you watch the film.
The narrator, a down-on-his-luck trumpet player and friend, adds yet
another interesting layer to this touching story of personal loss and
music genius.
If you can't find this outstanding film in your local video outlets or
libraries, you can order it through amazon.com. It's worth owning.
Sue Attalla
Bill Edwards
Sue Attalla wrote:
> If you haven't yet discovered Giuseppe Tornatore's film THE LEGEND OF
> 1900, look for it in your local video stores. Although it came out in
> 1998, the DVD is new (2002), and I knew nothing of it until yesterday.
> Unfortunately, Tulsa doesn't provide a sufficient number of paying
> customers for this type of film.
>
I saw the film when it was first released, but it was considerably
longer (20 minutes) than the DVD version, and the Italian release was
close to 3 hours in length. Since the DVD came out in June I have turned
countless musicians onto this interesting tale of near
obsessive-compulsive behavior.
I think one of the most amazingly done scenes, which NOBODY here will
forget, is when the trumpet player friend comes to find 1900 his first
night on board when the horn guy is a bit seasick. 1900 insists on a
great way to get over it. They both sit down at the piano, unlock the
wheels, and 1900 plays it up wonderfully as they all go gliding around
the ballroom just missing walls and other moving items. It is amazing,
and the climax to that scene is pretty good.
But Sue is right, the Jelly Roll duel is most amazing, especially if you
take it in the context that 1900 is not interested in proving how good
he is compared to another well-known player, but is eventually given
little choice but to do so.
It is a marvelous character study of the savant musician, perhaps the
best one since Shine or Monk. However, the ending is somewhat disturbing
(like ER this past week wasn't?) so be prepared to not necessarily like
that part. The other 130 minutes are well worth an evening spent.
Bill E.
Sue Attalla
> . . . I think one of the most amazingly done scenes, which NOBODY here will
> forget, is when the trumpet player friend comes to find 1900 his first
> night on board when the horn guy is a bit seasick. 1900 insists on a
> great way to get over it. They both sit down at the piano, unlock the
> wheels, and 1900 plays it up wonderfully as they all go gliding around
> the ballroom just missing walls and other moving items. It is amazing,
> and the climax to that scene is pretty good. . . .
>
> Bill E.
Bill,
I felt myself turning green as the piano careened around the ballroom.
I can only imagine the effect on the big screen as contrasted with
home TV.
A detail caught my attention before the film began--a fleeting
reference to the novel on which the film was based. I believe it was
called VINCENTE. Unfortunately, the DVD made its way back to the
video store on a weekend when I was to busy to take time to look again
and to make note of the pertinent information. If you could confirm
the title and provide an author's name, I'd appreciate it.
Assuming I saw correctly, the title intrigues me. Using Vince the
trumpet player as narrator was a masterstroke; while watching the
film, I repeatedly found myself thinking how much less effective the
film would have been without Vince. Was the original novel more
Vince's story than 1900's? Always questions to answer . . .
But that wasn't my main reason for replying tonight. I've just
obtained permission to post something sent to me over the weekend by
Andrew Homzy, Dept. of Music, Concordia University, Quebec. You and
other newsgroup readers should be interested in Andrew's opening
comments, written in January, and his dialog with Marcello Piras that
follows. I'll turn the remainder of this note over to them.
Sue Attalla
Andrew Homzy:
>>> After seeing "Lord Of The Rings" in a huge, mostly empty, theatre
on New
>>> Year's eve with my family, I thought I could never be impressed
seeing
>>> another movie. I don't get out much. The following Sunday, I
rented a video,
>>> showing a pianist on the cover, called The Legend of 1900 - or -
The Legend
>>> of the Pianist on the Ocean (1998)
>>>
>>> Director: Giuseppe Tornatore. Script: G. Tornatore. Director of
>>> Photography: Lajos Koltai. Editing: Massimo Quaglia. Scenarios:
Francesco
>>> Frigeri. Costumes: Maurizio Millenotti. Music: Ennio Morricone.
>>> Production: Laura Fattori for Medusa. Distributors: Medusa.
Country: Italy.
>>> Running time: 2h and 40 min.
>>>
>>> The Actors: Tim Roth (Nineteenhundred), Pruitt Taylor Vince (Max);
Bill Nunn
>>> (Danny Boodman), Malanie Thierry (the girl), Clarence Williams III
(Jelly
>>> Roll Morton).
>>>
>>> Here's a published summary of the story: "A poor baby is
abandoned, at
>>> birth, by his parents on board a transatlantic liner, the
Virginian. The
>>> crew find and take care of him giving him the name of the just
begun
>>> century. Nineteenhundred will never leave the steamship, here he
will meet
>>> characters of any kind and belonging to various social classes.
For him each
>>> journey will be a world to be underlined by the melodies of his
music:
>>> because, among all the jobs he could take, he chose to play the
piano. His
>>> talent will become legend, so that the "king of jazz", Jelly Roll
Morton,
>>> will challenge him in a piano duel."
>>>
>>> I was totally captivated and charmed by the movie - there is life
after
>>> LOTR. But imagine my surprise to see a good friend of mine -
musicologist,
>>> Marcello Piras - named in the credits as a consultant.
>>>
>>> I wrote to Marcello and he was kind enough to reply with
interesting details
>>> about the film. Here is some of our dialog:
>>>
>>> A: I felt so good when I saw your name in the credits. Thus I
understood why
>>> the continuity of the vintage music was so expert.
>>>
>>> M: Thanks! My contribution was really minor, but I'm happy it
worked fine
>>> into the movie's larger fabric.
>>>
>>> A: What was your actual role? And tell me more about this "Amedeo
Tommasi, a
>>> jazz expert, [who] collaborated with Ennio Morricone for the
music."
>>>
>>> M: Ennio Morricone is clueless about jazz. So, when he signs a
contract for
>>> a soundtrack involving jazz, he resorts to consultants. At first,
he needed
>>> help for the small band playing on the ship, and took Amedeo, who
is, or
>>> was, a jazzman--he was Chet Baker's pianist when Chet lived in
Italy. ("Chet
>>> Is Back!" session, RCA Victor, Rome 1962). Amedeo is quick at
writing music
>>> in any style, and familiar with the job -- he wrote for movies and
soap
>>> operas -- , but is basically a bopper, hardly at ease with earlier
styles.
>>> (Incidentally, you can see him in the movie. He plays the role of
the piano
>>> tuner toward the end).
>>>
>>> When they needed the Morton pieces for the duel scene, and the
ragtime
>>> pieces for the dance party the kid is peeping at, Amedeo and Ennio
agreed I
>>> could help them find the right stuff. Tornatore agreed on my name,
for while
>>> documenting himself to write down the script, he read something I
wrote on
>>> Morton and liked it. From that point on, I was called any time
they needed
>>> advice. I addressed them to use the Dapogny transcriptions,
suggested
>>> Peacherine Rag, of which I have the original orchestration, and
introduced
>>> them to the Alexander's Ragtime Band, which plays it in the movie.
(They
>>> studied Joplin's repertoire with me).
>>>
>>> Also, the pianist, Alessandro Panatteri, wrote the Sousa-like
marches (a
>>> wonderfully perfect false Sousa), and transcribed Morton's "Jungle
Blues"
>>> for a scene that was eventually cut. It took place in a Victor
studio during
>>> a Red Hot Peppers recording. Someone tells Morton there is a
pianist on the
>>> ship who is better than he, and the session ends up in fisticuffs.
>>>
>>> I supervised the recording session when "Peacherine Rag", "Jungle
Blues",
>>> and the pseudo-Sousa marches were done. "Peacherine" was then
redone to
>>> accommodate Tornatore's request to have a piano solo strain
inserted (he
>>> needed a close-up on the pianist's hands). I also supervised the
final
>>> mixing of these pieces. Only a fragment of "Jungle Blues" survives
in the
>>> final cut, as background music behind a dialogue on the docks.
>>>
>>> For the recording session made on board. Tornatore needed certain
details
>>> for the sake of the plot, and I gave some suggestions, but there
was really
>>> no way to save both the story and historical accuracy. That's why
the
>>> episode shows recording technique in a somewhat (purposely)
distorted way.
>>>
>>> Some minor compromises like these are always needed in fiction --
although
>>> Tornatore loves to be very accurate about historical data (he
seems to be a
>>> great admirer of Luchino Visconti's).
>>>
>>> A: Also, perhaps you'd like to add a bit more about the veracity
of Morton's
>>> supposed trip to England. And, is "Alexander's Ragtime Band" an
Italian
>>> group - something I seem to remember? As you know, Italian jazz
musicians
>>> are almost totally unknown in these parts. I was very pleased to
meet some
>>> of them on my very memorable trip there a few years ago. Italian
jazz
>>> musicologists are even less known. Canadians are further down the
list.
>>> ( ; >)
>>>
>>> M: "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a 12-piece group of Italian
musicians,
>>> which includes mostly classical players, and a few jazz ones.
>>> Instrumentation is: flute - clarinet - trumpet - trombone - tuba -
string
>>> quintet - piano - drums. They have been active for about ten
years, and
>>> their repertoire includes all the Joplin rags in the original
>>> orchestrations.
>>>
>>> I also gave info about period instruments, recording technique,
and anything
>>> else they asked me.
>>>
>>> Amedeo wrote all the small band pieces but one. Also, he wrote the
>>> super-virtuoso piece Morton is defeated by, and made the MIDI
files for that
>>> piece and the two Morton selections (which Tornatore and I chose).
Ennio
>>> wrote all the rest.
>>>
>>> I never cared of the credits they should have given me. I got the
money, and
>>> a wonderful experience. Other people strove to have their names
everywhere,
>>> and that's ok, they wanted their actions to raise on the movie
market. But I
>>> have no career in the movies, so I was uninterested.
>>>
>>> A: Even if you say your role was small and that you aren't
pursuing a career
>>> in the movies, I'm sure others would like to know about it. I
showed the
>>> duel scene to some of my students today (Monday, Jan, 8) and
talked about
>>> the myths, etiquette and posturing shown in that scene. It was
fun.
>>>
>>> I'm interested in what some critics would say about the fact that
the most
>>> prominent pianist and composer of early jazz is bested by a white
man who
>>> never stepped off the boat. I didn't find 1900's piece besting
Morton as a
>>> "jazz" piece, but simply as a show of virtuosity. That it was
based on
>>> Monk's "Epistrophy" made it even better.
>>>
>>> I loved the way the legend about Morton going to England and
returning
>>> immediately was used as the raison d'être for that scene.
>>>
>>> Finally, I'd like to share this story about you and "Novecento" on
the list.
>>> Will you allow it?
>>>
>>> M: Dear Andrew,
>>>
>>> You surprise me every time! Well, I think you need no permission
from me.
>>> Once it is made clear that I'm not responsible for any and every
detail of
>>> the movie, but only for those my advice was requested, it's ok.
>>>
>>> I think I told you everything on my contribution. All I can add
is, both
>>> Ennio and Amedeo are old friends of mine, while I knew Tornatore
on those
>>> days, and could see a great mind at work.
>>>
>>> Take care,
>>>
>>> M.
>>>