Novecento (1976)

Director:

Bernardo Bertolucci

Writers:

Franco Arcalli (writer)
Bernardo Bertolucci (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

4 November 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | War

Plot:

Set in Italy, the film follows the lives and interactions of two boys/men, one born a bastard of peasant stock (Depardieu)...

Plot Keywords:

Peasant | Friend | Italy | Epic | Land Owner

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Alfredo Berlinghieri
Gérard Depardieu	...	Olmo Dalcò (as Gerard Depardieu)
Dominique Sanda	...	Ada Fiastri Paulhan
Francesca Bertini	...	Sister Desolata
Laura Betti	...	Regina
Werner Bruhns	...	Ottavio Berlinghieri
Stefania Casini	...	Neve
Sterling Hayden	...	Leo Dalcò
Anna Henkel	...	Anita
Ellen Schwiers	...	Amelia
Alida Valli	...	Signora Pioppi
Romolo Valli	...	Giovanni
Bianca Magliacca	...	Peasant
Giacomo Rizzo	...	Rigoletto
Pippo Campanini	...	Don Tarcisio
Paolo Pavesi	...	Alfredo as a Child
Roberto Maccanti	...	Olmo as a Child
Antonio Piovanelli	...	Turo Dalcò
Paulo Branco	...	Orso Dalcò (as Paolo Branco)
Liu Bosisio	...	Nella Dalcò (as Liú Bosisio)
Maria Monti	...	Rosina Dalcò
Anna-Maria Gherardi	...	Eleonora (as Anna Maria Gherardi)
Demesio Lusardi
Pietro Longari Ponzoni	...	Pioppi
Angelo Pellegrino	...	Tailor
José Quaglio	...	Aranzini
Clara Colosimo	...	Woman who accuses Olmo
Mario Meniconi
Carlotta Barilli	...	Peasant
Odoardo Dall'aglio	...	Oreste Dalcò
Piero Vida
Vittorio Fanfoni	...	Fanfoni - a fascist
Alessandro Bosio
Sergio Serafini	...	Young Fascist
Patrizia De Clara	...	Stella
Edda Ferronao
Winni Riva
Fabio Garriba	...	Peasant at Attila's execution
Nazzareno Natale	...	Peasant at Attila's execution
Katerina Kosak
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Anita Foschi
Donald Sutherland	...	Attila Mellanchini
Burt Lancaster	...	Alfredo's Grandfather
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Francesco D'Adda	...	Soldier on train (uncredited)
Allen Midgette	...	Vagabond (uncredited)
Salvator Mureddu	...	Chief of the King's Guards (uncredited)
Mimmo Poli	...	Fascist (uncredited)
Tiziana Senatore	...	Regina as a Child (uncredited)

Directed by
Bernardo Bertolucci

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Franco Arcalli		writer
Bernardo Bertolucci		writer
Giuseppe Bertolucci		writer

Produced by
Alberto Grimaldi	....	producer

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Vittorio Storaro

Film Editing by
Franco Arcalli

Production Design by
Maria Paola Maino
Gianni Quaranta

Art Direction by
Ezio Frigerio

Set Decoration by
Maria Paola Maino

Costume Design by
Gitt Magrini

Makeup Department
Paolo Borselli	....	hair stylist
Iole Cecchini	....	hair stylist (as Jole Cecchini)
Giannetto De Rossi	....	key makeup artist
Fabrizio Sforza	....	makeup artist
Maurizio Trani	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Giuseppe Banchelli	....	production supervisor
Paolo De Andreis	....	production manager
Augusto Marabelli	....	production supervisor
Alessandro Mattei	....	production supervisor
Silvano Spoletini	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Massimo Arcalli	....	assistant director
Suzanne Durrenberger	....	second assistant director
Clare Peploe	....	second assistant director
Gabriele Polverosi	....	assistant director
Peter Shepherd	....	assistant director
Giovanni Soldati	....	second assistant director
Claudio Taddei	....	third assistant director
Giuseppe Bertolucci	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Carlo Agate	....	construction chief
Mauro Pagano	....	assistant production designer
Gianni Silvestri	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Fausto Ancillai	....	sound mixer
Roberto Arcangeli	....	foley artist
Michael Billingsley	....	sound editor (as Mike Billingsley)
Claudio Maielli	....	sound
Giuliano Maielli	....	sound recordist
Alessandro Peticca	....	sound editor (as Sandro Peticca)
Decio Trani	....	boom operator

Visual Effects by
Andrea Baracca	....	digital color timing: restored version HD to 35mm (uncredited)
Ludovico Bettarello	....	digital online film restoration: Technicolor Rome (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Giuseppe Alberti	....	assistant camera
Luciano Galli	....	chief electrician
Alfredo Marchetti	....	key grip
Mauro Marchetti	....	assistant camera
Angelo Novi	....	still photographer
Enzo Tosi	....	camera operator
Enrico Umetelli	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Vittoria Guaita	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Gabriella Cristiani	....	assistant editor
Ugo De Rossi	....	assistant editor
Fernanda Indoni	....	second assistant editor
Ernesto Novelli	....	color technician
Rosemarie Ruddies	....	assistant editor
Elvio Sordoni	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Nando Monica	....	musician: accordion
Ennio Morricone	....	conductor
Rota	....	musician: ocarina (uncredited)

Other crew
Ferruccio Amendola	....	voice dubbing: Robert De Niro
Claudio Camaso	....	voice dubbing: Gérard Depardieu (as Claudio Volonté)
Riccardo Caneva	....	administrative director
Riccardo Cucciolla	....	dubbing director
Leonardo Curreri	....	administrator
Mario Di Biase	....	general manager
Rossella Ferrero	....	production secretary (as Rosella Ferrero)
Maurizio Forti	....	administrator
Clemente Giovannini	....	press office
Alberto Grimaldi	....	presenter
Antonio Guidi	....	voice dubbing: Donald Sutherland
Renato Mori	....	voice dubbing: Sterling Hayden
Nico Naldini	....	press office
Enzo Ocone	....	continuity
Antonio Pala	....	administrator
Giuseppe Rinaldi	....	voice dubbing: Burt Lancaster
Angelo Sarago	....	administrator
Rita Savagnone	....	voice dubbing: Dominique Sanda

Production Companies

• Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA) (as PEA Produzioni Europee Associate-Rome)
• Les Productions Artistes Associés (co-production)
• Artemis Film (co-production) (as Artemis Film GMBH - Berlin)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1977) (USA) (theatrical) (cut)
• United Artists (1977) (USA) (theatrical) (cut)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Action Gitanes (1976) (France) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United Artists (1976) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Cine Video Corporation (CVC) S.r.l. (1998) (Italy) (VHS) (remastered complete version) (Italian dialogue)
• Divisa Home Video (2008) (Spain) (DVD)
• Eagle Pictures (2003) (Italy) (DVD) (uncut)
• Eagle Pictures (2007) (Italy) (DVD) (special edition) (uncut)
• Gativideo (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (France) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Language and Motion Ltd.  post-production (as Language & Motion, Ltd.)
• Eureka Edizioni Musicali  music publisher
• Technicolor  color by
• Veste RTC  costumes (as Sartoria Veste)
• Tirelli Costumi  costumes (as Sartoria Tirelli)
• Ditta Maggi  wigs
• Actiline  makeup
• Ditta Pompei  shoes (as Pompei)
• Ditta Rancati  props (as Rancati)
• Cooperativa  sound post-production
• Fono Roma  sound re-recording
• International Recordings  sound mixing (as International Recording)
• Orchestra dell'Unione Musicisti di Roma (U.M.R.)  orchestra (as Orchestra Sinfonica dell'Unione Musicisti di Roma)
• Cine Audio Effects  sound effects and foley design

Also Known As:

1900 (USA)
1900 - Gewalt, Macht, Leidenschaft (West Germany) (first part title)
1900 - Kampf, Liebe, Hoffnung (West Germany) (second part title)
1900: Seconde époque (France) (TV title)
Nineteen Hundred (USA) (alternative spelling)
Novecento - Atto I (Italy) (first part title)
Novecento - Atto II (Italy) (second part title)

Runtime:

USA:245 min (R-rated version) | 315 min (2 parts) (uncut version) | Argentina:250 min (heavily cut) | Australia:248 min (heavily cut)

Country:

Italy | France | West Germany

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:18 (DVD release) (2005) | West Germany:16 (video rating) (cut) | Germany:18 (uncut version) | New Zealand:R18 | France:-16 (uncut) | Hungary:18 | USA:NC-17 (re-rating) (uncut version) (1993) (rating surrendered) | Italy:VM14 (re-release) (uncut version) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) (uncut version) (1976) | Portugal:M/16 (uncut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Singapore:R21 (cut) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Spain:18 | Australia:R | Finland:K-15 | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Canada:R | USA:X (original rating) (uncut version) (1976) | USA:R (original rating) (edited version) (1976)

Filming Locations:

Busseto, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Company:

Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA)

Trivia:

Original uncut version is 5.5 hours long, and features explicit sex scenes with Alfredo, Olmo, and Neve. It also featured prepubescent boys examining each other's penises.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The snow in the winter scenes is obviously fake, it seems to have the consistency of shaving cream when the cast walks in it.

Quotes:

Attila Mellanchini: You're not allowed past this door!
Olmo Dalco: Where is my daughter?
Attila Mellanchini: You never learn the rules, do you?
Olmo Dalco: Let me see my DAUGHTER! Let me through!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bertolucci secondo il cinema (1976) (TV)

A beautiful European achievement with Hollywood stars.

The cast list alone is fabulous:Burt Lancaster, Sterling Hayden, Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Gerard Depardieu, the best of Italian artists, the incandescent Dominque Sanda, at her prime. The production team: Bertolucci as director, the DOP is Storaro, the music by Ennio Morricone. How much would such a production cost today? $100 million? $200 million? How could you fail with such a line up? Well the film was long, and there were several versions around. It played at art houses in two parts. It was a co-production, (always an ominous sign) still there isn't a DVD available. (Although I saw a laser disc version in Jakarta some 7 years ago which I taped). Is the film beautiful? Yes. Does it sound wonderful? Yes. Does it deal with large important themes across generations? Yes. So how come it doesn't knock everybody's socks off? It should, that much I believe. Its themes of socialism/communism versus fascism across 50 years or so of Italian history don't sit well with American audiences. The two political systems are personified by two sons of the estate, one rich, one poor.Such a subtle (Or not if you are from North Zanesville)device is difficult to reconcile if you are used to a hamburger menu. Many audiences want a such a simple menu- a guy falls in love, gets married, the mob kill her, he takes revenge and kills the mob. Life is a hamburger. But we in Europe know that Life is not like that, it comes with grey areas, imperfections, flaws,nuances.

So the first disagreement is about politics. The second is the length of the movie; what actually are you watching, and where can you get the real longest possible version? That again nobody seems to know. The third is the lack of a DVD. That would make money and re-establish the film as a classic among the video stores to all the believers and make a new audience fall in love with this flawed masterpiece. Flawed, but still a masterpiece. So many people have not heard about it, so they don't know any better. There are some staggeringly beautiful shots that have lingered in my mind for 28 years- pure Storaro, many shot in golden hour- the boy with frogs in his hat, the countryside estate,the hunchback jester moaning about the death of Verdi,all accompanied by a typical Morricone oboe-driven melody with great intelligence and pride. Bravissimo!