Cinema Paradiso Reviews

My favourite foreign film

This has to be my favourite foreign film of all time, however, that refers to the director's cut rather than the shorter original release.

It was the director's cut I saw at the cinema first, and it was that version of the film I love. I feel the original shorter release of the film has too much cut out to complete the story.

If you like this film and haven't seen the director's cut, I strongly recommend you get your hands on a copy.

Lovely

Coming from a fairly accomplished art house and foreign film fan, cinema paradiso popped up quite alot as one to look out for. Not having seen a great deal of italian cinema that I can remember as being so I thought I'd give it a go.

I was pleasantly surprised by this quaint and highly nostalgic film. The child in the first third of the film is inspiring with his relationship with the cinema worker being heart warming.

The neutral feel and simple way it is shot give the film a relaxing and easy going feel throughout with a seemingly obvious turn of event to finish changing the mood somewhat.

My only criticism is it does tend to drag a little and If you are looking for non stop action or deep plot then perhaps give this film a wait until your in the mood. And the theatrical version is substantially longer!!

5 stars not enough

The best film I've seen this year. The tears were running down my cheeks.

I was sent the Director's cut by mistake and I can't be too grateful.

Fave foreign film of all time....

Wow! You must rent this DVD NOW!! I first heard of C.P years back and thought it wouldn't be for me. How wrong I was. I watched the theatrical version first and enjoyed it so much, I then rented the directors cut (sad I know). In my opinion the Directors cut is far superior albeit longer. It fills in many of the gaps. It is very rare a film will make me cry, this suceeds! Acting from all is superb, with some wonderful touching moments. This film

will stay with you for a long time.

Sweet, real and intelligent

Cinema Paradiso is a sweet, very real and intelligent film. The young actor stole my heart. A most gratifying film experience. This is a film for those who wish to experience positive emotions. Highest marks from me.

Italian masterpiece

Giuseppe Tornatore's Oscar winning autobiographical vision of a young child growing up in a Sicilian village and finding a father figure in Alfredo, the projectionist at the local "Cinema Paradiso". Salvatore grows up next to Alfredo in the cinema and develops his love of cinema at his mentor's feet.

This film is touching and maybe a little sentimental but it is also one of the most beautiful and sweet and sensitive films made in the last decade and I recommend it to you.

Bravo Alfredo!

Really great film, humourous, passionate (about film and Italian village life)with a serious undertone. Wish I'd seen it sooner. If you have the time, check out the extras allows you to see a very long alternate ending (Director's cut). I'm not saying which version is better...

[Highly rated reviewer]

Transforming Magic of Cinema

Don’t let the subtitles put you off; Tornatore’s nostalgic celebration of friendship, adolescent love and the transforming magic of the cinema has universal appeal. Salvatore (Jacques Perrin), a famous film director, decides after an unexplained absence of more than thirty years, to return home, when he learns that an old friend ‘Alfredo’ has died. As he prepares to attend the funeral, we accompany Salvatore, in flashbacks, to the rural Sicilian village of his childhood.

During these retrospective sequences of dramatised memory, a young fatherless Salvatore (Salvatore Cascio) encounters not only James Stewart, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart and Charlie Chaplin; but also Alfredo (Philippe Noiret), the middle aged and congenial projectionist at the Cinema Paradiso. We learn that films shown in this small cinema have acted as not only the flickering backdrop for this slowly developing friendship between a man and a boy, and the adolescent Salvatore’s (Marco Leonardi) first romantic encounter and subsequent disappointment with Elena (Agnese Nano), but as a cultural portal for the whole village.

This beguiling film is no traditional ‘coming of age drama’; eventually denying any Hollywood romantic resolution, it offers in its place Alfredo’s deeply affecting bequest. This timeless piece will touch both the casual cinema goer and the sentimental film buff. Anyone who remembers sitting in the dark as a child and getting lost in the wonder of the huge screen will love Cinema Paradiso.

Not to be missed!!

Sincere and beautifully observed film about the relationship between a young scamp and the old man projectionist. The film has a feeling of being autobiographical because it deals with Salvatore a successful Italian film director returning home where he reminisces about his love for cinema and his love for his grandfather figure, Alfredo the projectionist.

Charm, wit, humour, love and compassion are some of the ingredients that went into constructing this beautiful film. It won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1989 and would stand up well against many of today’s films. It has a timeless quality that only attaches to great movies and should not be missed by anyone who loves film.

Stunning

A beautiful film. Not one I'd watch more than once but certainly one which I'll never forget.

A film everybody should rent.