Film Review: Cinema Paradiso

Memoirs of a Film-maker

Cinema Paradiso is an Italian drama film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. It was first released in 1988. The second version, which is the director’s cut, was released in 2002. The movie followed the life of a fictional Italian film director and how his past affected his present life.

The film was set during the 1980s in Rome, Italy. It started when Salvatore Di Vita, a famous film director, returns home on nignt, where her girldfriend tells him that someone named Alfredo has died. The movie then flashes back to Salvatore’s childhood in his homevillage of Giancaldo, Sicily. The rest of the film then took place shortly after World War II in the late 1940s.

Salvatore, known then with his nickname Toto, discovers his love for movies and spends his every free time at Cinema Paradiso, which is a local movie house. He then develops a friendship with the cinema’s projectionist, Alfredo. He often lets Toto watch movies in the projection booth. At first, Alfredo sees Toto as a pest but later on, teaches the kid how to operate the film projector.

The film then followed their friendship and how Alfredo taught Toto how to operate the film projector. Thre came also a time when Alfredo was replaced by the young Toto as the town’s projectionist because of a tragic incident that made him permanently blind. The film then followed how Toto grew up as a young adult, how he fell in love with a girl named Elena, their sad love story, and how Salvatore beecame a successful director.

The entirety of the story is laudable. The flashbacks and the constant use of montage made the film easy to understand. I think that the film’s theme is love. Not love for a human being, but for cinema. From the title itself, the movie tries to emphasize Salvatore’s love of movies and how it becomes a paradise to him. There was also some sex included in the film. But unlike movies like Sex and Lucia, Swimming Pool, and the Dreamers, the sex scenes are not that many. I think there were only three.

There were also some symbolisms found in the film. First are the rusty anchors by the seashore. It somehow symbolizes Toto’s life in his hometown. Similar to the nature of anchors that prevents ships from moving forward, it symbolize him being prevented from reaching his potentials in being a film-maker. Another symbolism was the demolition of the Cinema Paradiso. It signified the end of a chapter in the lives of the people related to the cinema, including Salvatore’s.

Overall, I think it is a great movie to watch. It is interesting, quirky, and inspiring. It somehow inspired me to love my craft and reach for my dreams. Although the movie is very long, I still had fun watching it.