Blog Post # 1 : Cinema Paradiso (1988) - Cinephilia at it's finest

It is said that movies can wield a strange power over those who sit in the darkened seats of a theatre. The truly great ones manipulate your perception of reality, suspend your disbelief, and ultimately either alter or affirm your view on life. If ever there was a movie that came from the heart, it would be the famous 'Cinema Paradiso' directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. Originally called 'Nuovo Cinema Paradiso', the film was released internationally as 'Cinema Paradiso'. This movie received critical acclaim and was rated 8.5/10 on movie site IMDB and 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

If you like foreign movies, this is a must-watch. If you don't, watch it all the same.

Plot :
Cinema Paradiso tells the tale of a young boy, Salvatore, also nicknamed Toto, who finds passion in cinematography in a village called Giancaldo, Sicily, and befriends the local projectionist, Alfredo. The movie starts with an older Salvatore receiving news from his girlfriend that Alfredo has passed away. Salvatore then recalls his past, when he was a kid. It was through Alfredo, Salvatore learned to fall in love with cinematography and the movie magic that was the village's main source of entertainment. The movies screened at the cinema were missing scenes that were cut off or censored by Alfredo, accommodating to the local pastor's wishes. Seeing Toto's love for movies, Alfredo then teaches him to operate the projection booth. When Alfredo unfortunately gets blinded by fire emanating from the highly flammable nitrate film reels, it is up to Toto to operate the projection booth in his stead. He (Toto) grows up and meets a new girl, Elena, the daughter of a wealthy banker, in his school. Eventually, after countless efforts on his part, she succumbs to his advances and they become romantically involved. Toto eventually has to enlist in the military and in that time, Elena's family moves away to an unknown location, rendering all his efforts to write to her fruitless. Alfredo then urges Toto to leave Giancaldo permanently to achieve his dreams, and to forget everyone and everything in the village; to never turn back. The film then fast forwards to the funeral. Before Salvatore leaves to return to Rome, Alfredo's widow hands him an unlabeled film reel (Alfredo left it for him), which he watches when he gets back to Rome. Cinema Paradiso ends as the movie reel, containing all the censored scenes from the past, ends on the screen with a teary Salvatore after watching it.

Analysis & Reflection :


There are many key points in the film to discuss, so let's start from the beginning. At the start of the movie, it is implied that Salvatore shies away from committed relationships, as his mother does not even recognize the voice of his girlfriend. To quote her, "Everytime I call you, it is a different woman picking up the call". This could stem from Salvatore's tragic past experiences, in which he lost the love of his life, Elena. This could have caused Salvatore to avoid committed relationships due to the fear of being hurt again.

What is love? :'(

Another key psychological scene was when Toto managed to put in the film reels and project them on the cinema screen whilst Alfredo was distracted. He had no prior lessons and had just learned via observational learning. This behaviour displays the social learning theory that Albert Bandura famously introduced to the world of psychology in 1971.

Smart eh? I learned it watching you :D

A major key point was when Alfredo forcefully urges Salvatore to leave Giancaldo and forget everyone and everything in the village. In psychology, role models are essential and seeing Alfredo as a father figure (the father he never had), he consented and left to pursue his dreams.  Hence, Alfredo was the one that made the decision for Toto and he has indeed lived a life of success, but at the cost of his friends and family. When he left Giancaldo to pursue his dreams, he did not contact anyone at all in his village, true to Alfredo's instructions, for over 30 years. This means that although Salvatore led a successful life in the end, it was most probably a lonely one, which begs the question, "Was Alfredo right in making Salvatore walk this path?".   

Wearing sunglasses because Toto's future is too bright

Lastly, the finale. The final scene ended as inexplicably as it began, with Salvatore watching the movie montage that Alfredo made for him. What I got from the ending was a sense of closure, in the sense that Salvatore left his whole life behind to achieve success, and in the end, he realized while he was watching the movie that the deluge of concentrated ardor depicted on the screen acts as a forceful yet simple reminder of the one thing that has been missing from his life ever since he lost his one true love, Elena; passion in love. 

In addition to that, the last bequeathment from Alfredo to Toto indicated that the deal was complete due to the two conditions being fulfilled, one, Salvatore leaving Giancaldo, and two, the film was to stay in Alfredo's possession. In the end, Salvatore's tears when as he watched the tape could have been a reaction to the experiences in his life ( the lost love & last bequeathment). That scene, depending on how one interprets it, was probably the most moving scene in the entire movie to me.

Kissing? STILL UNACCEPTABLE

Conclusion :
As seen in this movie, cinemas were much more popular back in the day. In this technological day and age, movies are streamed online, sold as VCDs and DVDs, and even pirated. People still go to the cinema to watch movies for the experience, but the cost usually deters viewers. Even then, people who watch movies in cinemas do not appreciate the cinematic experience as much as they used to, with so many forms of entertainment available nowadays. I, for one still love watching movies in cinemas, and rather watch movies in cinemas than on television or online. In cinemas are where the magic is, now and forever. If you have not noticed by now, I really liked watching this movie and strongly recommend it, totally not biased due to my cinephilia.

Rating : 8.5/10 

Best. Movie. Ever.