'' 1900 '' ( , " Twentieth Century " ) is a 1976 epic historical drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and featuring an international ensemble cast including 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 chronicles the lives and friendship of two men – the landowning Alfredo Berlinghieri ( De Niro ) and the peasant Olmo Dalcò ( Depardieu ) – as they witness and participate in the political conflicts between fascism and communism that took place in Italy in the first half of the 20th century . The film premiered out of competition at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival
1976 Cannes Film Festival
1976 Cannes Film Festival
1900 (film)