Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1976 epic historical drama film 1900 (Novecento, “Twentieth Century”) stars Robert De Niro, Gérard Depardieu, Dominique Sanda, Francesca Bertini, Laura Betti, Stefania Casini, Ellen Schwiers, Sterling Hayden, Alida Valli, Romolo Valli, Stefania Sandrelli, Donald Sutherland, and Burt Lancaster. Set in Bertolucci’s ancestral region of Emilia, the film follows the lives and friendships of two men, landowner Alfredo Berlinghieri (De Niro) and peasant Olmo Dalc (Depardieu), as they witness and participate in the political conflicts between fascism and communism that raged in Italy in the first half of the twentieth century. The film had an out-of-competition screening at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival.
1900 is noted for being one of the longest commercially released films ever filmed, with a runtime of 317 minutes in its original edition. Because of its length, it was initially published in two parts in numerous countries, including Italy, East and West Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Colombia, Pakistan, and Japan. A single edited-down version of the film was distributed in several countries, including the United States. 1900 has become a cult favorite, receiving many special edition home video releases from a number of companies. The film’s restoration debuted in competition at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in 2017.