Reflection: Cinema Paradiso

The film “Cinema Paradiso”, directed by Giuseppe Tornattore in 1988, was set in Italy and focused on a boy named Salvatore Di Vita nicknamed Toto. At the start it showed Salvatore as a grown man going home to his girlfriend. That night, his girlfriend told him about how his mother called again to announce the death of a man named Alfredo. After, they show Salvatore reminiscing about his past.

Soon after they showed Salvatore’s life as a child. They showed how when Toto was a young kid, he developed an interest in film and he would usually sneak into the projection room in the local cinema. Alfredo was the man in charge of the film showings and he was very fond of Toto even if he was very mischievous. He taught Toto at an early age how to work with the projection. He would also give Toto the cut out films that show intimate moments in the film since the priest does not want the people to watch any intimate moments. One film showing there was a fire accident that caused Alfredo to lose his eyesight and burned the cinema down. Toto took in Alfredo’s place in managing the films at an early age once a rich man who won the lottery paid for the cinema to be rebuilt.

They showed Toto as a teenager and how he still works for the cinema. Honestly, this was my favourite, as well as my friend’s, part of the movie since we found Toto attractive. They showed his first sexual encounter in the cinema and how he grew more into cinema like shooting with his film camera and bonding more with Alfredo about the cinema and life. They showed as well how he fell in love with a girl named Elena who was new in town as was a rich man’s daughter. The film showed how they would sneak out together even if Elena’s father was not really fond of their relationship. One day, Elena had to move away and they were supposed to meet with Toto but unfortunately did not. Later on in the film it was revealed that Elena visited the projection room when Toto went to her house and that Alfredo told her to stay away since there is only one future for Toto.

Soon after, Toto had to leave for the army and would still try to contact Elena through letters and phone calls but he never received any reply. When he came back to his hometown, he left to pursue his dream which is to make films. Alfredo told him to never come back and to never look for them.

Going back to the present Salvatore, he came back to his hometown for the funeral of Alfredo and he met up with Elena one last time. He learned over his stay there that he should let go of the past and to move forward in life. He also received a gift from Alfredo that his wife handed to Salvatore before he left. When Salvatore watched it he found out it was all the cut intimate scenes that Alfredo combined to make one film.

At first I did not understand what Alfredo meant when he told Elena that she should stay away but after watching the entire film I learned that if Elena and Toto would have settled down, Toto would not have achieved his dream of being a film maker. Alfredo had to “blind” Toto of “distractions” like love for Elena. He wanted Toto to live out what he always wanted even if it meant sacrificing things.

For me, I think Alfredo was right about Toto living out his film dream. Toto had the talent and skill to become a great film maker but I was deeply saddened at how he could have ended up with Elena and had their own happy family. I wished the director could’ve made the ending a bit better like when he came back to meet Elena, I just wished she was still single end they could have stayed in touch and maybe give a shot at being a couple again. But oh well, you can’t have everything. That’s life.