Feng Maozhen, Class 8, Senior 2, Shenzhen Foreign Languages School Instructed by Yang Suning

On the first day of 1900, Danny, a coal worker on the Virginian, unexpectedly found an abandoned newborn. Danny raised the baby and named him 1900 to commemorate this special day. Nevertheless, a sea accident brought about the death of Danny. One night the people on board were awakened by the beautiful sound of the piano and went along with it. It was 1900. From then on, 1900 started the journey of playing the piano at sea.

Max came down to the Virginian to join the orchestra, and became good friends with 1900. After competing with Jelly, the legendary pianist of the day, 1900 became increasingly popular. Then, when he was recording his personal album for the record company, he was attracted to a girl outside the cabin. As the girl left the boat, 1900’s heart began to fluctuate.

However, he finally abandoned his love, and chose to stay on the ship forever. At the end of the movie, 1900 did not choose to leave the ship. He was born on a ship and grew up there, and eventually chose to be destroyed with the ship.

This was the best ending for him. But most of us don’t understand it. A man, who grew up on a boat and never left it, had a lifetime on it. The choice of an average person is to leave the ship and see the much bigger world, but 1900 stayed there forever, and he was destined to be on the ship, which took longer than life. His fate was closely fastened to the ship, and there was no need to go anywhere else.

The music in the film was just a weapon of 1900. He used the piano to fight the loneliness of the sea and the hustle and bustle of the crowd, which brought him comfort as well as peace. This was how artists in this world chose their own worlds, which differentiated from most people’s world: lonelier, calmer, but more complex. Though born in this restless world, these people were unique in nature, belonging only to love, belonging to music and belonging to a ship drifting on the sea. They simply wanted to indulge themselves in their own world like how the lines in the film put it, “The world weighs heavily on me. You don’t even know where it ends. Don’t you ever crash out of fear of living in endless choices?”

Despite the monotony on board, there was music. Music was beautiful, kind and powerful. And at the outside world, although dazzling, there were too many choices, so why not choose their own favorite life? The world of music was big enough. Music can be limited keys playing unlimited music.

For 1900, love was a choice, and it fascinated him, but love was not the only choice. Human life consisted of constant choices, but choice was also painful, because you choose one thing at the cost of others, and when love had made his mind unstable, how can he guarantee himself what would happen to the outside world?

So 1900 preferred to shelve the problem and returned to his tranquil boat. The city had everything, but the city would let itself lose its original idea, so he would rather be lonely all his life than drift with the tide.

“People on land like to ask for the truth and have wasted their time. Winter worries about summer, and summer worries about winter. Therefore, they kept wandering around in pursuit of a remote, summer-like place. I didn’t envy.”

As a pianist, music was 1900’s lifelong pursuit. He did not choose what afflicted his soul, because only in this way could he pay attention to the charm of music. 1900 just wanted to stay on the sea, drift with the waves, and concentrate on playing God’s piano.