The Legend of 1900

Posted on November 17, 2003 in Film

Max: What the hell are you doing?
1900: I can’t help it. Music makes me cry.

I’ve tried, in vain, to follow the example of a few bloggers who presented their list of “the best overlooked films”. Here I shall tell you briefly about the last film to make me cry, The Legend of 1900.

It’s another one of those European films which slipped past the notice of Hollywood, perhaps because it touched on experiences too deep and too subtle.

It’s the simple tale of a boy born on a ship who never goes ashore but becomes a musical genius. The end touched me: when asked why he never went ashore, 1900 spoke of the finite number of piano keys and pointed to the nearly infinite addresses and faces in an American city. How do we do it? The piano is easy. How do we choose among all those faces and doors?

I understand, 1900. Tonight, I sat in my writing group and listened to people give too much advice to one of the authors. Then I came home to ponder writing my version of the list. How do they do it? How do the pundits decide what excels above all else? How do the authors know what to do? All I have is my keyboard, The Elements of Style, and a dictionary. How do they not go mad?