Certification. PG
Running Time. 2 hours 54 mins
Director. Giuseppe Tornatore
Cast. Antonella Attili, Enzo Cannavale, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Leopoldo Trieste.
Rating. 93%
The film opens in Rome, in 1988. When Salvatore Di Vita (Jacques Perrin), an apparently prominent film director, returns home one evening his girlfriend informs him that his mother telephoned to say that someone by the name of Alfredo has died. It is evident from the outset that Salvatore has not returned to his childhood home for more than 30 years. A sleepless night ensues and the relationship between Salvatore Di Vita and the projectionist of Cinema Paradiso, Alfredo is subsequently depicted almost entirely as a memory.
The setting is a small village, Giancaldo, in Sicily, immediately after the end of World War II. We are introduced to eight year old Salvatore (Salvatore Cascio), or Toto as he is known at that age, who has just begun to discover the powerful nature of cinema. Toto spends most of his free time in the village's film house, Cinema Paradiso and it is here that Toto befriends Alfredo (Philippe Noiret), the cinema's projectionist. These formative years watching eight year old Toto develop a love of cinema and the relationship with Alfredo evolve are simply divine. Alfredo inevitably becomes a surrogate father-figure to Toto [tellingly Toto's father has yet to return home from the conflict] and would appear to be an unwavering pillar of support in Toto's life.
The performances from the three central characters are roundly impressive. From Salvatore Cascio as the rambunctious eight-year old Toto, to Marco Leonardi, the awkward young man falling in love for the first time - both develop an easy, natural chemistry with the wonderful Philippe Noiret. Noiret masterfully portrays Alfredo as a wry sage and whilst Alfredo is undoubtedly the heart and soul of the film, it is eight year old Toto that steals the show time and time again.
Written and directed by the then unknown 32-year old Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore Cinema Paradiso is crafted with genuine child-like awe and wonder. The storyline harks back to magical memories of childhood and the key moments that shape our lives. Tornatore taps into themes of belonging, community, social history and the true escapism of cinema. The gorgeous melodic variations of Ennio Morricone's moving score are in-keeping the calibre of the visuals, and not a false note is struck among the sun-kissed Sicilian locations and incredible yet gentle performances.
On release, Cinema Paradiso performed poorly domestically in Italy. However having garnered the Special Jury Prize at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival and the 1989 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Cinema Paradiso went on to become one of the most successful foreign language films of its time. But the film transcends the potential barriers of a foreign film, with subtitles and the arthouse label. If you haven't sobbed uncontrollably by the time a forty-something Salvatore unwraps Alfredo's bequeathed gift, then you're most likely dead.
If ever a film came from the heart, then it is Cinema Paradiso. "Bravo, Alfredo!"
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