Cinema Paradiso (1988)

In a list of great films about the raw power of cinema, Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore's 1988 film Cinema Paradiso would almost always come in first.  There is not much I could say about this film that has not already been said, it won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar and the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival among countless other honors.  If you appreciate the power of the silver screen Cinema Paradiso will undoubtedly make you smile.

The film primarily concerns the growing up of young Salvatore "Toto" Di Vita and his relationships with his mentor Alfredo, his first love Elena, and his town's movie theater (the titular Cinema Paradiso).  Told mostly through flashbacks, Salvatore is a successful film director returning home for the first time in thirty years for the funeral of Alfredo.  It focuses on Salvatore as a young boy when he first made a connection with Alfredo (the theater's projectionist) and his adolescent years when he became the theater's projectionist and experienced the pangs of young love.  

The film is enjoyable all of the way through; that being said, the first half regarding the younger Salvatore and his falling in love with cinema is by far superior to the portion focusing on the adolescent Salvatore (which is also quite good).  The story is unabashedly manipulative, and while I usually dislike that particular trait: it works.  Some parts of the film tend to drag, but it is by no means a boring film and I can all but guarantee that a smile will form on your face (if one hadn't already) the moment the credits begin to roll.

If the film has a weak element, of which there are almost none, it would be the acting.  The actors that play Salvatore (all three ages) and Alfredo do exemplary jobs; and in the case of Alfredo: an extraordinary job.  Philippe Noiret can only be described as masterful in this heartbreaking performance (you will tear up when he says his goodbyes to Salvatore).  In stark contrast to Noiret's performance, many of the supporting characters are portrayed as wooden or caricatured and while it does not hinder the film on the whole, it is frustrating none the less.  

The film, while clichéd and manipulative, has a raw power that is just unmatched when it comes to almost every other film about the coming of age of a young man.  Part of this power must be attributed to the medium through which Salvatore finds himself: cinema.  The kiss-montage at the end of the film exemplifies this perfectly and gives the film a fitting send-off.  

As a fan of all genres, there are few traits I relish more in a film than the ability to blend genres successfully: Cinema Paradiso is near-perfect blend of drama, comedy, and romance.  If you are a fan of cinema and understand that a good film is so much more than just a time-waster: Cinema Paradiso demands to be seen.

9/10

Note: I felt it fitting that my blog, which sprung from my love of film, begins with the review of a film about the love of film.

Additional Note: This review was previously posted on another blog I wrote.