Movie #205: Cinema Paradiso

Movie #: 205
Movie Title: Cinema Paradiso
Year Released: 1988

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Notable Cast: Philippe Noiret, Marco Leonardi, Salvatore Cascio, Jacques Perrin

Short Description: A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #77
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/10/2013

What I Liked: The acting and writing were so well done that I could almost feel the love Salvatore had for movies, his childhood sweetheart Elena, and his father-like friend Alfredo. Everything in the movie was very relatable to me, from the young Salvatore's passion for watching movies and wanting to learn how to run the theater, to the teenage Salvatore's desire to make movies and court Elena, and finally to the adult Salvatore's reflection on his life and what may have been. I was especially fond of the last few minutes when everything was brought around full circle in a touching gift from Alfredo to Salvatore.

What I Disliked: The movie took a little bit to get rolling. By the end I was craving more, but during the first scenes with the young Salvatore, specifically when he was spying on the priest reviewing movies so the inappropriate parts could be edited out, I was disinterested because of his childlike behavior.

Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)
Rationale: A great reflection on one's life, loves, and friendships, all while centered around one of my favorite subjects: movies.