Disc Reviews

Cinema Paradiso 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Review

• 9th Jan 2014

Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. Or so the saying goes. This is one of the most heartfelt films that deals both with sentiment and classic cinema in a very thought provoking way. On the projected screen of the cinema of the title can be seen dubbed films with John Wayne, early Visconti films, Antonioni and other home grown talent from Italy. However, be warned that Cinema Paradiso has different interpretations dependent on which version you are watching. There are three versions available: one at 155 minutes, one at just under three hours and another a little over 2 hours. On this latest, the 25th anniversary edition released on Arrow, the viewer/owner of a copy has a choice of the latter two. More of this later.

The film opens with successful film director Salvatore ‘Toto’ di Vita preparing to leave Rome for his hometown outside of Palermo, Sicily for the funeral of a friend. He has not been back there since he left as a young man. His mind flashes back to when he was a boy in post-war Italy and his fascination with the silver screen in the flea pit in the town square, the Cinema Paradiso. Cheeky little Toto skives off from his duties as an altar boy to spend his time at the cinema. There he befriends the grizzled projectionist Alfredo, much to his single mother’s chagrin (his father died at the hands of the Soviets in WWII). His determination wins out; he observes the man’s work and learns the trade. But Alfredo tells Toto that he must venture out into the world and not waste his life as a projectionist. In time a strong bond develops between the two and, seen through Toto’s eyes and the shadows on the screen a lot of magic; none more powerfully played out than when  a successful Toto film (the Italian comic, not the boy) leads to a near riot when some of the town are unable to get in. Alfredo takes up the ingenious idea of projecting the film in the town square for free. Tragedy strikes, however, when the highly flammable silver nitrate in the old film catches light and the cinema burns to the ground leaving Alfredo blind and the cinema a smouldering ruin. Fortune comes the town’s way when one of the townsfolk wins the pools and rebuilds the cinema as brand spanking new and now called the Nuovo Cinema Paradiso with Toto as the new projectionist under Alfredo’s direction. Toto becomes a young man and is still enchanted by the world of possibilities the cinema has to offer but soon falls in love with a new girl in town, but sadly their relationship is doomed and remains an unrequited love.

The performance by Salvatore Cascio as the young Salvatore is funny and his cheeky face help the film appear a magical vision of childhood with a strong glow of golden sentimentality. This is made particularly poignant when Salvatore as the older man re-visits his town to find choked with smoke fumes, advertising hoardings and worst of all a boarded up collapsing cinema condemned for destruction to make way for a car park. Of course this is not merely a film about nostalgia or its golden glow but also creates a social commentary on the world we live in. Is this world really better or is this the vision through the nostalgic eyes of the boy? The answer will be left with the viewer. Adding another wonderful performance to oeuvre is Philippe Noiret as Alfredo, who always adds an element of hangdog class to any film he is in.

The discs themselves are presented on Blu-ray. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. The rich colours certainly come alive, but the sharp details can sometimes only go to highlight the graininess of the print, particularly in the darker shades. The extras on the disc are plentiful, which include a booklet (not available for review), several interesting documentaries about the filming and the locations. The two discs include the respective two different versions on each disc, presented in an uncompressed format – the first being the 124 minute original version that helped the film become the Palme d’Or winner at Cannes as well as the 1989 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film (as well as a host of other awards) and the other just under 3 hour Director’s Cut. Never the less different versions always make the films problematic as which version should be shown or best viewed. The three hour version presented here spends more time with the older Salvatore and his attempts to re-unite with Elena, his lost love. It is interesting for those familiar with the shorter version to see what happens when the pair meet up. However, this also takes some of the magic away from the original shorter release and quite frankly stretches the film out too long. Whichever is viewed this is a film that does deserve repeat viewings and put Italy back on the map as potential popular international cinema. Over the next 10 years films such as Il Postino (1993) (which also had Noiret in support) and Life is Beautiful (1997) owe much to Cinema Paradiso, the style of this film leaving its imprint (even Ennio Morricone’s subtly moving score is mirrored in both these films) and making it a film worthy of praise.

Chris Hick