The Legend of 1900 [Blu-ray]

Contrary to what other reviewers are saying recently, the movie audio is NOT in Korean (or Chinese lol). The only thing that is in Korean is the description on the back of the box and the optional Korean subtitles.Subtitles can be turned off completely so you can simply watch the movie in English like you would any other DVD.

Excellent movie & worth the cost

Very good quality and clean play

"Once Upon A Time". All good fairy tales start with this phrase. "The Legend of 1900" does not open with these words but it would still apply. Most fairy tales have become abbreviated over the centuries to become shortened adventure stories that somehow lack the magic of the originals. Such is the tale of this film. Having seen the shortened American version several times, I was already in love with the story. There were always events which seemed to lack a context or remarks that seemed to require an explanation. After watching this near 3 hour version of the film, many of those loose ends were made understandable. More importantly though, the film was restored to being a magical tale of one man who spends his entire life aboard a ship. His only way to communicate with fellow humans is through his music but through his powers of observation and imagination, he creates an entire world and life of giving to others without asking for anything in return. The remastering of this film is impeccable and, unlike, Mr. Bennett in his review, I did not have any synchronization issues with the image and the audio. If you have about 3 hrs of time and a good bottle of wine, order this disc then sit down to an adult fairy tale that will tantalize and entertain you.

Who would have ever thought that Tim Roth could pull off a roll as a pianist prodigy? But Tim nailed this one to the wall! Besides the piano duel, the next best scenes were Tim playing a free rolling piano riding the waves on the ocean liner, and the carousing music and dancing below decks.Absolutely some of the best ever piano music in cinema !!!!

The Movie:This is an English language film directed by the Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore. The musical score was written by Ennio Morricone.This period movie will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea. The idea behind the story or 'fable' itself is really pretty cool, but ultimately, it's a melancholy yarn - an enigmatic man (Tim Roth) is discovered as an (apparently) abandoned baby aboard a luxury ocean liner, the SS Virginian, in the year 1900, and so he's named '1900'. Adopted by the ship's crew, he grows up to be an extremely gifted piano player, and though he would surely find fame and fortune on land, he can never bring himself to leave the boat and set foot on shore. The story of 1900's adventures aboard the Virginian is told mostly in flashbacks by his closest friend Max, a trumpet player (Pruitt Taylor Vince).When I first saw the film many years ago, I was blown away - In all honesty, I still find the story to be intriguing, but with each subsequent viewing, I find it all to be a bit on the smug side. Others might have reservations about the unusual casting for the lead roles, and still others (viewers in the US) might not care for some of the, shall we say, European 'eccentricities' of the film. Bottom line - You may not want to add it to your collection, but if you are a fan of unusual, contemplative, well-crafted films, you should check it out. You'll know if it's for you after about the first half hour.The Blu Ray Version:So, still being a fan of the film, I was geeked to find a Korean import of the film on Blu Ray on Amazon. On top of that, there's almost an hour (!) of extra scenes included in the run time that were not in the original US DVD release.IF you love the film, and want to get the best looking (and sounding) version currently available, this Blu Ray edition beats the DVD version hands down for resolution and color. Unfortunately, the Blu Ray is on the 'contrasty' side - in several scenes, blacks are so black that there is often no detail, and some of the whites appear blown out. The good news is, there is no 'noise' in the darks or lights, and it's still a pleasing transfer overall, with the 'extra footage' caveat.The Extra FootageWith the increased picture quality, you also must watch the film with the additional footage - there is no option to watch different versions of the movie (and there are no significant extra features included here, IMHO).Looking at other reviews here, the longer run time was actually a 'make or break' deal for a lot of previous fans. Personally, I don't think the added footage made the film drag on too long. Virtually every scene in the film is extended to some degree, and it looks like they even may have used some alternate takes here and there. The main aspects of the additional footage:- The character of Max is more rounded-out- The characters of the Bandleader and the Captain are more rounded out- There is much more interaction between Max and the Shopkeeper, and almost everyone Max encounters- The role of the derby hatted, glasses wearing mystery man that watches 1900 play the upright piano from the crowd of passengers in 3rd Class is explained, there's more interaction between 1900 and 'The Girl's' father- Virtually every monologue by every character is extendedIf almost an hour's worth of the above doesn't sound appetizing to you, then stick with the DVD. Me, I'm glad I bought this version. :)

This is such a beautiful movie and wonderful adventure. Taking place solely on board a luxury cruise ship, it features the life of a one of a kind boy who becomes a man creating musical genius for the passengers. It’s an original love story with a great deal of heart and depth. I highly recommend you see it and share it with your family. Lots to talk about afterwards, if you enjoy that kind of depth.

This is such a beautiful but overlooked film. I originally saw it at a private screening in Los Angeles prior to it's theatrical release and fell in love with it. Sadly, it was a commercial failure. Then I discovered that there was a large chunk of the movie removed from the US release. My search for an unedited copy took years. I happened to be in Italy and walked into a video store where I saw the original, unedited Italian version on DVD. It wasn't for sale, but a few months later my girlfriend surprised me with that same full-length Italian version she obtained from an Italian website (luckily I had a region-free player). A couple of years ago the shortened version was released in the US on Blu-ray but I decided to wait and see if it would be released uncut. I was thrilled to find this full-length version on Amazon at a very low price. It is from Korea but is region-free. And it is beautiful! I recommend this film and especially this version to anyone who wants to be enchanted by a wonderful film.