1900 (1976)

On the same day that Verdi died in Milan, two boys are born on opposite sides of the economic and social spectrum, growing up as close friends. When adulthood descends upon them, they become Robert De Niro, a wealthy landowner whose family supports the fascist regime, and Gerard Depardieu, a socialist who fights for workers’ rights on the plantation. Despite being a simplified version of Italian politics, it is a riveting epic through its over five hour runtime. There’s more homoeroticism than I’ve ever seen in a film outside of porn and also features a completely sadistic Donald Sutherland, a sharp contrast to the many other hippie characters I’ve seen out of him during this era.