From the cradle to the grave – victims of history and change!|Sep. 01, 1976|Italy|317 Min.|Unrated
Genre: Drama;History;Romance
Description: The film “1900” (1976) begins on April 25, 1945, the day Italy is liberated from fascist rule. On an estate in Emilia-Romagna, peasants try to join the partisans and arrest the landowner, Alfredo Berlinghieri. Meanwhile, a middle-aged man named Attila and a woman named Regina attempt to flee the farm but are stopped by women laborers armed with pitchforks. The story then shifts to the early 20th century.
Alfredo Berlinghieri and Olmo Dalcò are born on opposite sides of the social spectrum. Alfredo comes from a wealthy landowning family led by his grandfather, also named Alfredo, while Olmo is the illegitimate son of a peasant woman. Despite their different backgrounds, the two boys become close friends. Olmo is raised with socialist ideals, while Alfredo grows disillusioned with the hypocrisy of his family, particularly his abusive and cynical father, Giovanni.
Throughout their childhood, Alfredo and Olmo remain friends, overcoming the social barriers that divide them. However, their lives take different paths during World War I. Olmo enlists in the Italian army in 1917, while Alfredo learns to manage his family’s estate under his father’s guidance. When Olmo returns from the war, their friendship continues, but tensions rise on the estate. Giovanni, now in charge after his father’s suicide, employs Attila Mellanchini as the foreman, further complicating the dynamics between the classes.
The film explores themes of class struggle, friendship, and the effects of war and social inequality in early 20th-century Italy.
Cast director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Cast actor: Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda, Stefania Sandrelli, Laura Betti, Donald Sutherland, Burt Lancaster, Sterling Hayden, Alida Valli, Werner Bruhns
Original name: Novecento