Cinema Paradiso (1988)

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.

Director:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Writers:

Giuseppe Tornatore (story), Giuseppe Tornatore (screenplay)

Stars:

Philippe Noiret, Enzo Cannavale, Antonella Attili

Top Rated Movies #52 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 24 wins & 31 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Antonella Attili	...	Maria Di Vita - Younger
Enzo Cannavale	...	Spaccafico
Isa Danieli	...	Anna
Leo Gullotta	...	Usher
Marco Leonardi	...	Salvatore 'Totò' Di Vita - Teenager
Pupella Maggio	...	Maria Di Vita - Older
Agnese Nano	...	Elena Mendola
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Father Adelfio
Salvatore Cascio	...	Salvatore 'Totò' Di Vita - Child
Tano Cimarosa	...	Blacksmith
Nicola Di Pinto	...	Village Idiot
Roberta Lena	...	Lia
Nino Terzo	...	Peppino's Father
Jacques Perrin	...	Salvatore 'Totò' Di Vita - Adult
Philippe Noiret	...	Alfredo

Storyline

A boy who grew up in a native Sicilian Village returns home as a famous director after receiving news about the death of an old friend. Told in a flashback, Salvatore reminiscences about his childhood and his relationship with Alfredo, a projectionist at Cinema Paradiso. Under the fatherly influence of Alfredo, Salvatore fell in love with film making, with the duo spending many hours discussing about films and Alfredo painstakingly teaching Salvatore the skills that became a stepping stone for the young boy into the world of film making. The film brings the audience through the changes in cinema and the dying trade of traditional film making, editing and screening. It also explores a young boy's dream of leaving his little town to foray into the world outside.

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Plot Keywords:

cinema | flashback | film projectionist | coming of age | movie theatre | 

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Taglines:

A celebration of youth, friendship, and the everlasting magic of the movies.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Asmik Ace [Japan] Official Facebook

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

23 February 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cinema Paradiso: The New Version

Filming Locations:

Bagheria, Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,552, 4 February 1990

Gross USA:

$12,397,210

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,645,096

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cristaldifilm, Les Films Ariane, Rai 3

Technical Specs

Runtime:

155 min 174 min (director's cut) 123 min (international)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ranked number 26 non-English-speaking film in the critics' poll conducted by the BBC in 2018.

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Goofs

When the film is borrowed from a neighboring theater, we see that the projector is apparently located in the balcony of the theater, not in an enclosed projection room. Furthermore, the projector has a "magnetic penthouse" sound pickup, an attachment used to play early stereophonic prints. This process would not be invented until 1953 and not used widely until years after nitrate film was phased out.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Maria Di Vita - Older: [in Italian]
[on the phone]
Maria Di Vita - Older: Yes, Salvatore di Vita. You mean you don't know him, Miss? That's right, and I'm his mother. I've been calling from Sicily, all day long. I understand, he's not there.

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Alternate Versions

The footage shown during the end credits has been slightly re-cut for the US DVD version. Most notably, the shot of the adult Elena has been removed.

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Connections

References The Black Arrow (1948)

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Soundtracks

From American Sex Appeal to the First Fellini
Written by Ennio Morricone

User Reviews

A breath of fresh air blowing away the cobwebs of Hollywood "blah" films.

I have seen this film at least a dozen times and each time I am carried away to a small village in Italy, where the dreams of a small boy come true and we can join his spellbinding journey. The Italian language (it is subtitled) adds to the film's beauty and music, the characters are so real you can almost smell them. I am absorbed into "Paradiso" each time I watch it, so that when it is over, I am shocked into the realisation that I haven't actually been anywhere except right there, in my theatre seat. I am not a huge "art house" film fan or indeed enjoy subtitled films (it is hard on the old eyes!) but "Paradiso" is a gem and is worth seeing again and again.