Review: "The Legend of 1900"

I never thought I would be interested in some sort of sappy melodrama like this film. Fortunately, after I got into it, it turned out to much, much more than that. The Legend of 1900 is truly a beautiful piece of art.

One thing to admire is the depth of the lead performances. Tim Roth is moving in his role as Nineteen Hundred, an orphan who has spent the entirety of his life on a ship, and Pruitt Taylor Vince as Max Tooney, or Conn, is also touching. We also get great performances from Bill Nunn and Peter Vaughan.

The story is masterfully crafted, drawing in the viewer more and more as it progresses. The whole tale is really depressing: a baby is born on a ship, raised by a man who dies after an accident, and grows up into a skilled piano player that seems happy but has turmoil on the inside. Later on in life, he's in love with a girl but can't find the way to give what he wants to her, and he also wants to explore land for the first time.

I'm not spoiling anything in this review, but the ending of this film almost brought me to tears. But besides some unnecessary cursing (including some racial slurs) and a runtime that may be a bit too long, this film is amazing.

The Legend of 1900 is a beautifully acted film with a compelling story that goes deep in the viewer's eyes to bring out tears.

RATING: 8.5/10