MovieChat Forums > La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano (1998) Discussion > Worst. Movie. Ever.

Worst. Movie. Ever.

posted 19 years ago by ccs1969
76 replies | jump to latest

I heard good things about this movie from a friend and the reviews on this site. Then I saw it, and what can I say, but it's utter schlock. The plot is contrived, the writing is clichéd and the characters are so one-dimensional, I could barely stand to watch the entire film. Roth's performance and the art direction/cinematography are superb, but it can't save a plot that makes Forrest Gump look like a documentary.

A piano duel? Am I supposed to be really excited about that? The winner wasn't clear to me except for the utter predictability that 1900 was supposed to win, because his buddy was sure he wouldn't. On a musical level, all he did was play faster than Jelly Roll Morton. Faster does not equal better.

This is a personal bias, but I prefer to see movies that are all fiction or all history. Mixing a historical figure like Jelly Roll Morton into a fictional world just seems like a cop-out to me.

[–] tongxinsuede 18 years ago

i never understand people who think a movie is bad just because it not seems "real".of course it is not real,that's why we wanna see a movie.and honestly i don't have much theory about both jazz and piano but this movie is awesome all the same.i watched it lots of times and never got tired of it.it's just the kind of movie that you can watch over and over again and get something from it every time you watch.but of course,if you are looking for entertainment on a saturday night,this movie definitly won't suit you.

[–] batta-ever 18 years ago

man this movie is one of the best movies i ever seen by the way it is one of my top ten movies and i share your opinion TONGXINSUEDE about if you watch the movie many times u dont get bored and not all movies must be real :D

[–] kemarsh 18 years ago

Let me guess. The second to worst movie ever in your opinion was "Amadeus"?

[–] larrydunsmore 18 years ago

Well, at the risk of sounding condescending, I am an English jazz pianist who for the past 30 years have worked primarily on cruise ships - some very much like the Virginian. I first saw this movie on cabin TV and it quite literally blew me away, not so much for the whimsical will o' the wisp subject which in itself was haunting and quite beguiling, but for the very reason that I realised to my shock that I had become 1900 in so many ways... least of all that I, like so many other musicians quite simply never got off the ship - anywhere! As for 1900's piano playing - it is incredibly difficult for a non-playing actor to 'mime' to an intricate piece, for example when bass registers are playing, the actor's hands are playing on the top registers! Awful and check out the Tyrone Power Eddie Duchin Story to see how it's not done! Tim Roth had me convinced, even though I knew he wasn't playing... the illusion was perfect. The duel was, despite the predicted outcome... exciting and superbly understated. Fast doesn't mean great but in this case it was. Wihtout doubt one of my favourite films of all time as it is with many of my colleagues in the cruise industry. Whimsical, enchanting, beguiling, poignant and it touches many emotions I hadn't realised I had. I would give it 100 out of 10.

[–] psiphi17 18 years ago

"Unfortunately, the story is ruined by an utter lack of believability"

So how did you feel about Superman, LOTR, Night of the Living Dead, and just over half of the movies made in any given year?

"It's immpossible for me to enjoy a movie if I'm constantly noticing inaccuracies, of which this film holds in abundance."

I noticed that, too. I cant remember any of the innaccuracies I saw, but I noticed them. And you know what? It's impossible for me to care one bit about them, because the movie is fantasic.

[–] smokehill retrievers 18 years ago

[[[Tim Roth had me convinced, even though I knew he wasn't playing... the illusion was perfect.]]]

Absolutely. As an ex-pianist and organist, semi-pro many years back, I watch for that stuff also, and Roth was spectacular -- the mark of a true professional who will spend God-knows-how-much time to perfect that illusion rather than "shoot around it." The old film "Intermezzo" gave us that, as did Amy Irving and Shark-boy in "The Competition."

Unfortunately, there just weren't enough car chases, gunfights and silicone-enhanced breasts to suit many of the viewers ... and of course there are those who only want films that are "...all history or all fiction..." -- which eliminates everything but Disney nature documentaries, unless one really believes that historical events usually happened exactly the way they're portrayed. Words fail me there. The minor bit of disbelief one had to suspend was truly very small, and well worth the trade.

One suspects that what we're seeing in some of these comments is a phenomenon all too common on the Forum -- the almost universal tendency among those who have taken a couple of Film or Drama courses to display their newly-acquired "knowledge" (generally conveyed by some failed industry professional who now teaches) and appear sophisticated and astute by issuing blasé critiques. Sometimes they bring out valid and useful points; often, though, they are just dorks.

I seldom see anything more than twice unless it's one of those "Nothing On, Lesser of Three Evils" nights, but I've seen this one five or six times and am blown away each time. And I generally dislike foreign, especially Italian films, and don't much care for obvious allegories. Roth's and Vince's acting is simply superb.

I am reluctant to state that it's the finest film ever made, or that Roth's acting is the finest piece of work on film. But if pressed, I cannot name anything that I believe honestly tops either one, even considering all my favorites. But I do think it should rank near the top of any "All-time Greats" list.

[–] zabath87 18 years ago

I am sorry that you prefer movies that are all fiction or all history, does that mean becuase spiderman was set in New York its a bad movie? Honestly. The movie is called the legend of 1900. LEGEND! The winner of the piano duel is also pretty clear especially to musicians. While I agree that faster does not equal better. 1900s reiteration of Jelly Role's second piece is enough to win it for him. He plays a very chalenging song by ear and even improves on it.

[–] amusedtodeath-1 18 years ago

Friggin IDIOT -Napoleon Dynamite

[–] erinddd 18 years ago

I am a fan reader of Alessandro Baricco. In almost all his books I have read, the plot, the characters are quite unreal...but that's ok, because this is meant not to be all real (what would you think about his "OceanSea"?!?!). So, as I have seen this movie, I was so happy to find it like his book: 1900 walking in a ship during a storm like nothing is happening around him, his piano duel, his life itself.
Then, I can understand that some people may don't like it - everybody has his/her own tastes - but then, I wonder, why seeing a movie like that? Maybe you should read or at least know a little about the movie you want to see, so you would not be so bitterly disappointed...just a suggestion
(Hope my english is not that bad)

[–] hakeem-8 18 years ago

Indeed, I agree. I have read Baricco's Silk, Ocean Sea, Without Blood and seen this movie and Baricco definitely is not the author for people who like "realism".

Although he has written a realistic piece too - Without Blood. And while rather "dreamy" Silk is in a way "sort of" realistic.

And compared to Ocean Sea, 1900 is realistic too!

But in general 1900, in my opinion, should rather be taken as a fairy tale, not as a true story or a historical fiction story.

[–] danaa-lii 15 years ago

THANK YOU! My dog! I was reading all the comments in search of someone that would have explained to the world what Baricco's litterature really is. The OP's comment was so superficial I was nearly dying while reading it. How can someone be so mentally limited: when you chose to watch a film, you AT LEAST inform yourself about the origins of it, or the meaning of its characteristics. The book, as the film, is so deep, so real despite all the surrealism, that one could never hate it or say it's to badly written (or directed...). Please, people, read more books, watch more films, and be more critical but in a constructive way!

[–] whatscookin-1 18 years ago

YOU sound like the comic book store guy on the simpsons. your life must imitate his, too, if you did not get the beauty of this film. shlock like Saw must be to your liking, now there are 3D CharacterS. No wait Hostel, NOW,there is art direction/cinematography.

[–] JR541 18 years ago

.

He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?

[–] tomsense76 18 years ago

The piano duel:

When 1900 plays the "same" piece as Jelly Roll, listen carefully. He doesn't play the same exact piece. He adds flair and notes that Jelly Roll didn't play...Proving that he could do something better. It also shows that he could play something after hearing it only once.

When he plays the Christmas carole it was a sort of insult...Showing he wasn't taking anything very seriously....

As far as the final song....Yes, it was very fast, and no you can't really play it with only one person. "Musical Masturbation" was a term used in The Commitments, and it pretty much defines the last two songs. Jelly Roll was pretty much playing the fastest, most complex song he knew in an attempt to overwelm 1900. In response, 1900 played something impossibly fast....

The plot and characters:

1900: Spent his whole life on the ship. He didn't go out, only knew the people that came and went, and was friends with people he knew backwards and forwards. Living a life like that could cause a certain level of anxiety in the unknown...Hence his almost fear of leaving the ship, even to pursue a love.

Max: Isn't really there for anything asides as a device for 1900 as opposed to doing a narrator's voice over. 1900 is able to talk to Max about his reasons for staying on the ship, and how he comes up with his improv pieces...

Click Here --->http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?Tomsense