When it comes to “film reviews,” I defer to my younger daughter or my husband for their savvy. I watch films and enjoy them … or not. Movies with a story-line related in some way to music will usually get my thumbs-up, even if they’ve been panned elsewhere.
We watched The Legend of 1900 this past weekend, the story of a boy who is born (in 1900) aboard a cruise ship and lives his entire life on board this ship that sails between Europe and New York City.
Some reviews describe this film as a “fable.” That’s the way it should be viewed, a twentieth century fable; otherwise, it’s a meaningless tragedy. The film is whimsical and sweet. The biggest stretch of credibility (for me anyway) is Tim Roth cast as the central character; he played a 27 year old but was actually in his late thirties during the filming.Don’t misunderstand, I think Tim Roth is interesting and energetic in the title role. The makeup people effectively did their job to minimize middle-age wrinkles. In my view, though, it’s difficult to play a fresh-faced youth unless you are a fresh-faced youth.
The movie’s music was superbly crafted by composer Ennio Morricone. I will probably only view the movie this one time, but I could listen to the music all day long. It’s that good. I’d buy the soundtrack, but the domestic version only offers 21 cuts (and omits one of the most memorable pieces!) I’ll hold out for the Italian version that includes all 29. (Amazon’s selling it for “only” $130! At that price, I could only buy it if they included a European cruise.)
Wise Blood / old 