Cinema Paradiso (Director's Cut)

Okay, this is important, really important: 1. If you possess a romantic bone in your body and you haven't seen Cinema Paradiso, you absolutely need to. It is, for many of us, one of the most beautifully romantic films ever made. A love story - and also a love letter to the magic of movies - it possesses a romantic grandeur which encompasses in its great sweep of a tale love, joy, pathos, the exhilaration of youth, and a good deal of melancholic nostalgia. You'll laugh, you'll cry... and you'll absolutely fall in love with the last scene, which is one of the most wonderful endings to a film ever. BUT 2. If you *haven't* seen the film before, PLEASE watch the original version first. Trust me on this... first impressions are really important, and if you watch the "new" 3-hour version first you'll never be able to enjoy the original as you would have if you'd been new to the story. Why do I say this? Two reasons. First, the new version adds 51 minutes, mostly towards the end, and in doing so takes what was a pretty much perfect film and transmutes it into something that is diluted and at times more mundane. Second and more significantly, the additional footage "explains" what actually happened between Salvatore (the central character) and the love of his life, a girl named Elena who in the original version disappears after her parents (who disapprove of the romance) leave the area. Why is this bad? Well, some will argue that it's not... but for me, the "true" story (the one you didn't get in the original version), by dispelling the mystery, significantly weakens the romance. A girl who disappears and leaves her lover forever wondering and cherishing her memory is poignant but crushingly romantic in its perpetual mystery; a film that reunites the two characters in middle age and reveals a sad twist to their story is - again, for me at least - a lot less magical. The additional parts in the new version come across rather like a sequel to the original that demystifies and drags down the brilliance of the original story. As i said, others may disagree, and if you're one of those people who loves this new version and what it reveals, more power to you. But if you've never seen Cinema Paradiso, see the original first, and immerse yourself in this gloriously romantic film, which also features one of the most beautiful of soundtracks (by Ennio Morricone). Then, if you want, see the longer version and decide for yourself. You'll certainly have some lingering questions answered, but you may well find yourself wishing that you hadn't.

This movie is such a treasure and I have owned it over the years in a number of different formats. For those who love sentimentality, you are in for a delight as a successful movie director returns home after many year’s absence. Through interactions with his little, old mother, his fellow citizens of the little town and various sentimental items his mother has kept, he is transported back to his youth. Tornatore has captured a beautiful age where community and family were everything and life was simple but lovely too. He takes us back to a time we all look back on with an attachment and fond memories. Maestro Morricone’s score will capture your heart and have you in tears, especially the tracks the great violinist Stefan Grapelli plays on. Listen to those songs and you will realise you are listening to a maestro. The ending of the theatrical release is a real tear jerker and one of the most beautiful endings in cinematic history. It’s worth watching this movie if just for the ending alone. Cinema Paradiso is a terrific tribute to the movie industry and especially the Italian film industry. It is one of those movies you will watch a few times over the years and enjoy each time as much as the first time. Hopefully, your children and grandchildren will experience it too.

Cinema Paradiso is one of my all-time favorite films. It tells the story of a successful Italian movie executive who looks back on his early life growing up in post-World War II Italy. We see him as a mischievous altar boy with a love for movies, and then as a teenager who falls in love with the new girl in town. Guiding him along the way is Alfredo, the grizzled projectionist at the movie theater, who becomes a father figure to him. This is a sentimental movie, but it is not cheesy. There is both love and heartache. A love for movies oozes from every pore of this film. In fact, it may be the best movie ever made about movies. The final sequence is one of the best scenes ever filmed--it brings me to tears every time. Cinema Paradiso is currently rated #73 on the IMDB Top 250. It won the 1990 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, as well as a slew of other awards. The quality of the Blu-ray transfer is mostly good. Most daytime scenes are richly detailed. There are a couple shots, however, that are very poor in quality. They looked like VHS. Thankfully, they were brief. Nighttime and indoor scenes vary in quality. Some are sharp, while others are grainy (although never to the point of being gritty). The sound varies as well. The dialogue at the beginning of the movie sounds like it was being uttered in a tin can. But this was soon corrected. Thankfully, the moving score by legendary composer Ennio Morricone comes through well. My old DVD version had both subtitles and a dubbed version that was actually pretty good. This Blu-ray edition has only subtitles, however; the dubbed version is missing. Nor does it have any special features other than the original theatrical trailer. Thankfully, this disc did not include the director's cut, which I hate. It adds about 30 minutes of material that wraps up the love interest portion of the film, but there is a reason that it was cut from the US theatrical release. It turns Cinema Paradiso into a different movie, and that is not a good thing. Parental Advisory: This movie is rated PG for a few instances of sexuality, mostly implied. There are a couple of very brief scenes that show upper female nudity (they are clips of old black-and-white movies) and one scene that shows bare buttocks. There is some mild violence. In a couple of scenes, a mother slaps her child repeatedly. There is also a scene where a teacher is punishing a student for poor performance in the classroom. A scene involving a fire might be intense for younger children. I highly recommend Cinema Paradiso. It is one of the best films ever made. It is a "must see." If you are considering an upgrade from DVD, the improved video clarity makes it worth it. But the loss of some of the special features, particular the dubbed version, is a bummer.

Nice movie to watch and have fun with

One of the best “feel good” movies I’ve watched that was a subtitled Italian movie. The plot and actors were very believable.

Once in a while, a film comes along and dazzles audiences with its smooth viewability, if that is a word, brilliant acting, and well crafted plotline. In the case of Cinema Paradiso, we see these elements combined with a stunningly soothing musical score, excellent cinematography, and a combination of comedic, romantic, and dramatic moments. This film starts in the present, presenting us with the main character, Toto, as an old man, well into his fifties, returning to his hometown to hear his lifetime friend and mentor Alfredo has died. What follows for the duration of the film allows us to see his childhood, his adolescence, and the way he fights through tumultuous times of love, disaster, and peril. Along the way, we are able to see his constant love for the movies and slowly evolving romance with the beautiful Elena. The romantic moments in this movie are especially touching, as are the scenes in which we see Toto struggle to win Elena's love. What makes this film a truly brilliant one is the way everything wraps itself up in the end. We are able to see the people from his youth aged into the present, and the film ends on a perfect close. There are no loose ends to be tied up, and I admit that I became a little teary eyed throughout the last 20 minutes. The scenes of Alfredo's funeral and the destruction of the Paradiso are very sad, and will make you think of good times long forgotten, save but in your heart. I recommend this movie to anyone. I am a college student, and I have loved this movie since the first time I saw it on an airplane when I was 8...admittedly, I can understand and appreciate it much more with age. It is a perfect date movie, and also makes for a nice way to spend an evening with a friend or even by yourself. Buy it today. I guarantee you'll love the story and music.

I love the movie but by accident, I ordered it twice instead of once. Can you credit me for one of them? Thank you very much. Title: Cinema Paradiso

Brilliant film! Couldn’t watch it over and over and over.

Correspond exactement à ma demande

The death of dear old friend prompts a nostalgic looking back at the boyhood memories of a poor Italian town that shaped Salvatore, a now famous film director. The characters and events in this portrayal are very reminiscent of Fellini's "Armacord". Taken under his wing by Alfredo, the movie Projectionist of the only Movie Theatre in town, because of his fascination with the silver screen the young boy becomes, in time, a very short but accomplished projectionist. All the characters of a small town, their joys and tragedies are portrayed exuberantly and with loving care. The loss of Elena, his first love is a very poignant highlight in his life. But it is the community's love for the cinema, that projects all their own hopes and dreams as portrayed on the screen that really permeates his boyhood memories. After a 30 year absence, it is with great fondness and love that he looks back at the events that shaped his life and his future. Loved this film!

Seen it before and it is a wonderful movie.

Sehr guter Film! Preisleicht hoch, Hülle aber schlecht

Cinema Paradiso is a serious movie buff's oxygen! No legitimate student of film can NOT be emotionally affected by it; no serious student of film can ever forget it! It is so many things: a tender story of friendship, a beautiful portrait of a Sicilian village community and a "love letter" to the cinema itself. As uplifting and heartwarming as the story is, it still does show that an obsessive love of something (such as films) can also result in sadness and regret: a man is able to have two "loves" in his life, but success in one of them comes at the expense of the other! There are actually two versions of this film that differ greatly: the original three hour Director's cut and the re-edited, two hour theatrical version which was the one that I saw when I first experienced this magical movie gem. I have since seen the longer version but (as is the case with Coppola's masterpiece "Apocalypse Now") the shorter version is crisper, more intense and makes the ending even more emotionally wrenching! A boy Salvatore (Toto) who grew up in a Sicilian Village returns home as a famous film director after receiving news about the death of an old childhood friend. Told in flashback, Salvatore (as an adult played by Jacques Perrin) reminiscences about his childhood and his relationship with Alfredo (Philippe Noiret), the projectionist at the Cinema Paradiso. Under the fatherly influence and guidance of Alfredo, Salvatore (played as a boy by Salvatore Cascio) falls in love with film making. Alfredo painstakingly teaches young Salvatore the skills that eventually become his "stepping stone" into the world of film making. As the retrospective story unfolds we are are witness to Salvatore as a teenager (played by (Marco Leonardi) and his tortured relationship with the beautiful Elena (Agnese Nano). As this whole endearing human story is finally revealed we are also shown the changes in cinema due to technological progress and social factors. Most of all the film illuminates a young boy's dream of leaving his little town to foray into the outside world Divided into three sections, it is the first section that was left almost intact in the short version. It is of course primarily concerned with the relationship between young Toto and Alfredo. It is full of delightful touches, such as Toto's spellbound face as he watches the footage that will be censored by the town priest. The cinema is portrayed as almost being the centre of life in the town (Giancaldo) in which the film is mostly set. As the film moves forward several years to show Toto as a 16 year old, the wonderful cinema scenes are still present. However, it is mainly concerned with Toto's (now called Salvatore) courtship of and love for Elena, a love that is never to reach its full potential. In the final section Salvatore, now a great film director, returns to Giancaldo as a middle aged man to attend Alfredo's funeral. His reunion with the older Elena (Brigitte Fossey) and his mother and his exploration of the cobwebbed, dilapidated cinema of his youth are extremely moving. And ... as for the final scene when Salvatore opens a certain gift Alfredo left him: it never ever fails to make the skin tingle and the eyes water profusely! I am often asked why I love movies so much (and I too once looked for a definitive answer to that question); Cinema Paradiso gave me the answer! If you love movies, Cinema Paradiso will remind you why you do; if you don't love movies, it will tell you why you should!