Novecento

Novecento

Novecento is a 1976 epic film by Bernardo Bertolucci adapting themes from Alberto Moravia and scripted with influence from Pier Paolo Pasolini. The film interweaves the lives of protagonists across decades of 20th-century Italian history, engaging figures and events associated with Fascism, Italian Communist Party, World War II, and postwar reconstruction. The production features performances by international actors tied to projects like The Godfather Part II, Cyrano de Bergerac, and The Leopard, while employing collaborators from Cinecittà and technicians linked to 1970s European art cinema.

Background and Creation

Bertolucci conceived Novecento in the context of his prior collaborations with Pasolini and the political atmosphere surrounding the Years of Lead (Italy), reacting to debates within the Italian Communist Party and intellectual circles around Antonio Gramsci and Palmiro Togliatti. Financing involved European co-production practices typical of Cinecittà blockbusters and arthouse epics, drawing on producers experienced with films like Once Upon a Time in America and 1900 (1976 film). The screenplay development referenced texts by Alberto Moravia and theoretical work by Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and Antonio Gramsci, while production design invoked rural settings familiar from Neorealism works such as Bicycle Thieves and Paisà. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro brought influences from Federico Fellini collaborations and the visual lexicon of Michelangelo Antonioni and Luchino Visconti. Casting combined stars known for roles in The Deer Hunter, Mississippi Burning, Once Upon a Time in the West, and The Last Emperor.

Plot Summary

Set in the Po Valley and spanning the first half of the 20th century, the narrative follows two men whose lives intersect amid landowning disputes, labor struggles, and political upheaval. The story depicts confrontations reminiscent of episodes from World War I, the rise of Benito Mussolini, peasant organizing akin to incidents surrounding the Biennio Rosso, and violent clashes echoing the tactics of Squadristi. Episodes show characters affected by events paralleling World War II battles, liberation movements associated with the Italian Resistance, and postwar trials similar to the Nuremberg Trials in cultural significance. Sequences dramatize assemblies, strikes, and elections resonant with the activities of the Italian Socialist Party and the Italian Communist Party, concluding with reckonings suggestive of political realignments in the years after 1945.

Characters

Major figures include a landowner scion and a peasant-turned-worker whose arcs intersect across decades. The ensemble features roles performed by actors who also appear in films connected to Francis Ford Coppola, Jean-Luc Godard, Roman Polanski, Sergio Leone, and Luis Buñuel. Secondary characters mirror archetypes from European political dramas: local notables comparable to figures in The Leopard, union organizers recalling leaders associated with CGIL, and militia leaders paralleling historical personalities tied to Fascist Blackshirts. Performances incorporate influences from stage traditions linked to Commedia dell'arte and cinematic methods used by practitioners like Stanislavski and directors such as Elia Kazan.

Themes and Style

Novecento explores class struggle, land reform, ideological conflict, and generational memory through an epic realist approach that references Italian Neorealism, French New Wave, and Soviet montage traditions. The film's political subtext engages theories by Karl Marx, Antonio Gramsci, and debates within the Italian Communist Party, while its visual language draws from Vittorio Storaro's chromatic theories and the mise-en-scène of Luchino Visconti and Federico Fellini. Musically, the soundtrack juxtaposes original compositions resonant with the oeuvre of Ennio Morricone and baroque references akin to George Frideric Handel, echoing motifs found in films scored by Nino Rota and Maurice Jarre. Stylistically, editing patterns recall work by editors linked to Michelangelo Antonioni and the pacing of epics such as Lawrence of Arabia.

Reception and Legacy

Upon release, critics and institutions across Cannes Film Festival, national film boards in Italy and France, and publications influenced by critics from Cahiers du Cinéma and Sight & Sound debated its politics and aesthetics. The film provoked responses from politicians and intellectuals associated with Italian Communist Party and conservative parties that invoked comparisons to historical episodes like the March on Rome. Retrospectives at archives such as the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art examined its place alongside works by Bernardo Bertolucci, Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. Its legacy persists in scholarly discourse tied to film studies programs at institutions like Università di Bologna, University of Rome La Sapienza, and cinematic curricula referencing auteurs such as Jean-Luc Godard and Andrei Tarkovsky. The performances influenced subsequent casting trends linking international stars across co-productions exemplified by films like Nine and The Last Emperor.

Category:1976 films Category:Italian films Category:Films directed by Bernardo Bertolucci