|
Comedic Drama
Italian with English Subtitles
Giuseppe Tornatore
Philippe Noiret, Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Antonella Attili
1988
125 Minutes
PG
Umbrella Entertainment
|
 |
1990 Oscar Academy Awards: Best Foreign Film; 1991 BAFTA awards: 5 awards plus 5 more nominations; 1989 Cannes Film Festival: Grand Prize of the Jury.
‘Cinema Paradiso’ is one of the most famous and most awarded of recent Italian films. Based on the life and times of screenwriter/director Giuseppe Tornatore, the film offers a nostalgic look at cinema and the effect it has on a young boy who grows up in and around the village movie theater.
The story begins in the present as a Sicilian mother pines for her estranged son, Salvatore, who left many years ago and has since become a prominent Roman film director. He finally returns to his home village to attend the funeral of the town’s former film projectionist, Alfredo, and, in so doing, embarks upon a journey into his boyhood post-WWII.
In the dark confines of the Cinema Paradiso, the boy and the other townsfolk try to escape from the grim realities of post-war Italy. One day, Salvatore saves Alfredo’s life after a fire, and then becomes the new projectionist. Thirty years later, Salvatore has come to say goodbye to his life-long friend and father figure, who has left him a little gift in a film can.
A celebration of youth, friendship, and the everlasting magic of the movies.
|
