Country: Italy
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
It seems opportune that I start this blog on books and movies with this gem of a film by auteur Giuseppe Tornatore. In itself a salute to the magic of the movies, it is also a nostalgic film about a boy growing up in a small Italian town, falling in love, and living in the limbo created by his own success. Very few films has touched me as deeply or lingered as long in my memory. Cinema Paradiso will surely be one of my favorite films of all time.
Tornatore set the film in his hometown in Sicily. Citizens of post-war Italy might have sought solace in their small cinemas to temporarily escape the hardships brought about by the war. With the mischievous antics of young Toto, the scenes of this first part of the movie were happy nostalgic. Salvatore Cascio was perfectly cast as the mischievous young Toto, the film’s main protagonist. I found his chemistry with Philippe Noiret (who played the role of Alfredo, Toto’s friend and father figure) to be one of the highlights of the film. Later, I found out that both actors were honored in the BAFTA Awards.
The second part of the film when Toto was a teenager brought a different tone to the film but was similarly effective in showing the strengthening friendship between the two protagonists. The relationship between Toto and Alfredo may be construed as the result of mutual dependence as they filled the gap in their lives by becoming each other’s father and son. The arrival of Elena was pivotal not only as it was Toto’s first experience of love but also, as seen in Alfredo’s perspective, it showed how love’s powerful dominance over Toto could root the latter to the small town, denying him of what would be a brilliant future. Alfredo’s intentions for firmly ordering Toto to leave the town and never to return may be seen as that of a father who think only of his son’s future, neglecting the emotional burden it brought to the latter. However, Toto seemed to have never gotten over his loss of Elena. As Toto’s mother commented, Toto was always in the company of a different woman every time she called yet he remained unmarried.
The return of the older Toto meant reliving his fond memories as well as his pain at losing Elena. As he walked around the old cinema, seeing the familiar places and faces in the crowd, he was shown that everything in the town had gotten old and decrepit albeit still the same. The old cinema may be seen as a metaphor for what could have been Toto’s life had he stayed in the town which after seeing its brief glory had faded and crumbled until it was time to be torn down. In the famous last scene of the film (and in my opinion also the most touching), Toto was watching the film bequeathed to him by Alfredo. It was a montage of the kissing scenes that were cut by Alfredo and he had promised to the young Toto. For me, it was also a metaphor of Alfredo giving back to Toto that important part which he had taken away many years ago.
Other favorite parts of the movie include Alfredo’s projection of a film on the wall of a nearby house. This scene was quite magical which made the following scene all the more shocking and tragic. I also liked the scenes between Alfredo and Toto. Their walks around the village were particularly strong in conveying the closeness of their relationship as well as the depth of Toto’s love for Elena. Like Toto, I was unable to identify the reason why the man in Alfredo’s tale gave up after a long time of waiting for his love. It took the director’s cut to answer that question. Another favorite scene was Toto’s last visit to the deteriorating cinema. I could almost hear Toto’s thoughts as he reminisced his exploits there as a child. And seeing the familiar faces in the crowd, many of whom have grown old, it was like seeing some old friends and remembering the old times.
There had been at least three edits of the film but the version I watched was the shorter one (123 minutes) that was released internationally and won several international awards including the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars and the Best Film Not in the English Language at the BAFTA Awards. I’m glad I followed the advice of my friend who told me to watch the short version before the director’s cut. Watching the director’s cut a few weeks later almost ruined the film for me. I thought the director’s cut showed more than was necessary, like a chef adding some wild exotic ingredients to what was already a perfect broth. There were only three revelations in the director’s cut that I liked. The first was the confirmation of what I could only guess – the reason why the two young lovers failed to meet. The second was the answer to Toto’s question about Alfredo’s tale of the man who waited a long time below his beloved’s window only to give up on the second-to-the-last day. And third, what it was that Toto’s mother would not tell him. I also liked the scene when Toto would project Elena’s image on the wall of his room imagining her to be with him. Everything else seemed superfluous.
When I first watched Cinema Paradiso, I was scheduled for a vacation, I only had time to bring the video with me and watch it on a portable player. In some ways, watching the movie in a quiet intimate setting away from the daily grind of the city has helped me focus and appreciate the movie more. I just can’t help think how the experience would have multiplied many times over within the confines of a movie theater. I can imagine myself sitting in the dark as the older Toto, watching that final montage of kissing scenes taken from several old films with the glorious music of Ennio Morricone sweeping the whole theater. The experience would probably have been sublime.
Blu-Ray Disc of the original theatrical release and director's cut
DVD of the original theatrical release and the director's cut
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
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