Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso is about life: the beautiful moments and the difficult ones. It's a coming of age story; a movie about growing up, losing things, and loving something so much it changes your life. It follows Salvatore, a kid living in a small town in Sicily after World War II. His dad never came back from the war, his mom is doing the best she can, and the only escape in that town is the local movie theater. The cinema becomes everything for him: it's where he hangs out, learns, and starts to dream and escape the monotony of the town he lives in as well as the sad reality that his dad is never coming back. It’s also where he meets Alfredo, the man who runs the projector at the movie theater. Alfredo ends up becoming the father figure Salvatore needs. He teaches him how to work the reels but more importantly, he becomes his mentor and his guide. Their relationship is one of the most powerful parts of the film: it’s honest, emotional, funny and just unforgettable. it has stayed with me all this time. It’s through Alfredo that Salvatore starts to understand the world and himself. You also see how the town and the cinema change with time: how people watch movies, how censorship worked back then, and how little by little the old world disappears. But the story always stays focused on Salvatore and his path from boy to man. The cinematography is simple. Don’t expect super artistic shots or crazy visuals. The story and the characters are what matter here, and the way it’s filmed just helps bring that to the front. Ennio Morricone’s music is incredible. It gives the movie its emotion. It's one of the best scores I’ve ever heard. Yes, it’s a long movie. But so much happens in the middle that it never feels dense. There are little emotional peaks all the way through; some moments hit you with sadness, others with joy, nostalgia, even dread. It captures all the emotions that come with life. The ending is one of the best full circle moments I have ever seen.

As a big lover of film, I am still kicking myself for not seeing this masterpiece any sooner. To me, Cinema Paadiso is one of the best films of the 80s and also the most moving, particularly in the final hour. I have seen many visually stunning films, and Cinema Paradiso is up there as one of the most visually ravishing films I've seen. The cinematography and editing are outstanding, and the scenery still looks gorgeous with an epic feel to it. Cinema Paradiso, alongside The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West, also contains one of Ennio Morricone's most haunting scores and it is also one of my favourites of his. Cinema Paradiso is immaculately directed, has an touching, beautifully-written and honest script and a rich, compelling story that while it has an elegiac feel moves swiftly by draws you right in until the ending, which breaks my heart still after 5 times of seeing it. The characters are very well defined, particularly Alfredo, and the acting is outstanding with Salvatore Cascio, Enzo Cannavale, Marco Leonardi and especially Phillippe Noiret particularly impressive. All in all, a masterpiece. 10/10 Bethany Cox