Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore

Starring: Philippe Noiret, Enzo Cannavale, Antonella Attili

A filmmaker recalls his childhood when falling in love with the pictures at the cinema of his home village and forms a deep friendship with the cinema’s projectionist.

I’ve wanted to see this film for so long, so was very excited when the opportunity arrived for me to watch it. Sadly, though, I was disappointed.

I now firmly believe the reason for the film’s high acclaim, is due to the nostalgia it contains. This must be a feast for movie buffs who enjoy yesteryear’s films, reminiscing the clips from countless films.

As for the story, it really wasn’t anything special. The friendship between the projectionist and the young boy, was a wonderful, touching story. Alfredo is a very likable character, and we feel for the young boy with his back story. There were some beautifully shot scenes. However, after the halfway mark, the film plunges into boredom, becoming a soppy love story that never pays off. It became sentimental and uninteresting. The young boy had become a hapless, idiotic fool, running after a girl and disregarding everything else in the process.

The final moment was probably supposed to give me goosebumps, but by that time I didn’t care for the character anymore. This is purely for sentimentalists and the nostalgic.

‘Cinema Paradiso’ won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It also won awards for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Score, Best Screenplay, among others.

In Italian.

Would I watch it again? No.