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Like all right-thinking people, I saw Cinema Paradiso back in the day and absolutely loved it. Who can’t fail to be charmed by the tale of the love of cinema bringing together projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) and the movie world’s new biggest fan, ‘Totò’ (played as a young boy by Salvatore Cascio).
The film begins with Toto’s mother phoning him thirty years on from the film’s main events. He is now an adult and he hasn’t seen her in thirty years. He’s out when she calls, so gets the message later from his better half. That message is that a man he knew as a child, Alfredo, has died.
Flashing back to when the man was a child, Alfredo was the projectionist at the Cinema Paradiso, being ordered to censor films for kissing scenes, of all things, when instructed by the local vicar. As Toto first finds his love of the cinema, Alfredo moans to him in the projectionist booth that it’s hard work being in this profession, given that the only holiday you’re guaranteed to get is Good Friday, “and if they hadn’t put Christ on a cross, we’d have to work even then”.
Despite being at odds with the young lad, the his elder friend needs help with one thing – to pass the School Certificate exam, which he should’ve passed at the Toto’s age, but life has passed him by, academically. The depiction of their friendship is pure magic.
The Cinema Paradiso is the centre point of the entire village. In a world before television and TiVo, everyone went to the cinema for their entertainment. Unfortunately, the place burns down thanks to the combustible nature of the nitrate film stock and town resident Ciccio funds the construction of a new one after having won the pools. It’s like a rebirth, and as events change lives, Toto grows up and takes over as projectionist whilst also being a novice film maker with his own cine camera. Romance also comes calling as he falls in love with local girl Elena.
For a three-hour film, it’s surprising how tightly packed the film is and how every minute is essential, so if you’ve only seen it in its two-hour version then it’s time to check out the full movie in its intended format. The director’s cut adds a whole complete section to the film which I won’t detail here, but now having seen it, it makes the theatrical version feel completely bereft now that you, literally, know what you’re missing. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Cinema Paradiso is a tale of friendship, love, lost love, regrets, finding your way in life but not knowing if you’re really happy. It’s the whole of Toto’s life in one film and it’s magnificent. If you’re not swept away by the time the credits roll, then you’re not human.
Go to page 2 for the presentation and the extras.
The film is presented in the original 1.66:1 widescreen ratio and in 1080p high defintion and there’s a hazy look to the print on occasion but most of the time it’s a glorious high-definition print where bold colours shout out at you and – at one point I felt like I was getting warm from the sun in Sicily itself! Hence, there’s nothing major to concern yourself with if you think the hazyness might put you off.
In restoring this film, Arrow Video obtained the original 35mm camera negative elements, which were scanned in 2K resolution at Technicolor Rome, with all grading and restoration work completed at Deluxe Digital Cinema, EMEA, London. Any original grain, texture details were kept intact by the digital processing.
For the record, I’m watching on a Panasonic 50″ Plasma TV with a Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray player.
For the sound, you have a choice between the stereo soundtrack, which was brought in for the Director’s Cut, and the DTS 5.1 version. Both are available across both versions of the film. The dialogue is crisp and clear, although I needed subtitles anyway, and Ennio Morricone has never put a foot wrong with his music.
The extras on this disc are as follows:
- A Dream of Sicily (54:57): This is a documentary about the director along with clips of his films and also some home movies.
There’s additional input from director Francesco Rosi and painter Peppino Ducato.
- A Bear and a Mouse in Paradise (27:28): A look at the relationship between Alfredo and Toto. Again, Tornatore takes us through this and it also includes interviews with the actors Philippe Noiret and the now-grown-up Salvatore Cascio.
Both this and the previous extra could’ve used some chapters to break them up.
- The Kissing Sequence (7:03): Tornatore talks about the lynch-pin of the film and it plays them all together along with crediting the films and actors in each one.
- The 25th Anniversary trailer (1:42): Made to commemorate the film’s return to the cinema in its complete form. Thankfully, this just plays out Morricone’s wonderful score, rather than what you get on the other one.
- Director’s Cut trailer (1:22): The sole extra on the director’s cut disc, although obviously it’s a full one already. The only downside to this trailer is the cheesy American voiceover.
- Audio commentary: with director/screenwriter Giuseppe Tornatore and Millicent Marcus, Professor of Italian at Yale University, and author of a series books on Italian cinema.
The film comes complete in a luscious gatefold sleeve design with a 32-page booklet containing a behind the scenes gallery and thoughts on the film from Italian cinema expert Pasquale Iannone with “Stolen Kisses: Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso”.
As you put the disc in, the menu bursts into life with clips from the film and a piece of the main theme. There are subtitles in English, but when it comes to the chaptering, I feel one should come every five minutes on average. Arrow, like many other distributors, go for a low 12 however long the film, even when it’s running to almost three hours in length. I would like them to increase that number.
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FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS |
10 9 8 7 |
| OVERALL | 8 |
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 101 minutes
Year: 1988/2002 (director’s cut)
Distributor: Arrow Films
Released: December 16th 2013
Chapters: 12
Cat.no: FCD887
Picture: 1080p High Definition
Sound: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 Stereo
Languages: Italian
Subtitles: English
Widescreen: 1.66:1
Disc Format: BD50
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Producers: Franco Cristaldi and Giovanna Romagnoli
Screenplay: Giuseppe Tornatore and Vanna Paoli
Music: Ennio Morricone
Cast:
Alfredo: Philippe Noiret
Salvatore ‘Totò’ Di Vita – Child: Salvatore Cascio
Salvatore ‘Totò’ Di Vita – Teenager: Marco Leonardi
Elena Mendola: Agnese Nano
Salvatore ‘Totò’ Di Vita – Adult: Jacques Perrin
Elena Mendola – Adult: Brigitte Fossey
Maria Di Vita – Younger: Antonella Attili
Maria Di Vita – Older: Pupella Maggio
Father Adelfio: Leopoldo Trieste
Village Idiot: Nicola Di Pinto
Lia: Roberta Lena
Spaccafico: Enzo Cannavale
Anna: Isa Danieli
Usher: Leo Gullotta
Blacksmith: Tano Cimarosa
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.
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