Cinema Paradiso
Director: Giuseppe Tonatore
Country: Italy
Year: 1988
IMDB
Average Score: 4.6
Across an audience of nearly 110 people, everyone seemed to have found the Italian classic ‘Cinema Paradiso’ to have been a highly emotional film:
‘Emotionally heavy’; ‘Joy, sadness and laughter - nothing held back!’; ‘Very amusing, but also very moving. A lovely portrait of a simpler world of simpler pleasures and the inevitability of change’; ‘A true classic. So beautiful - there wasn’t a dry eye in the house’; ‘Poignant’; ‘So moving, so lovely, wholesome, heart-warming’; ‘I laughed and cried and marvelled at the way watching someone else’s memory operating triggered my own memories’.
…. but also an extremely memorable and enjoyable one, which achieved an average score of 4.6
‘Very interesting and very enjoyable’; ‘Lovely’; ‘Delightful and refreshing - I came out with a smile on my face’; ‘Beautifully indulgent’; ‘Warm, very personal, very funny’; ‘Wonderful’; ‘Enchanting’; ‘I enjoyed every minute’; ‘Beautiful scenery, characters, music - a really feel good film’; ‘Fabulous - it had everything’; ‘Just excellent!’; ‘Superb’; ‘Fascinating’; ‘They don’t come much better than this’
The audience particularly liked the film’s wonderful and nostalgic storytelling:
‘A nostalgic review of the magic of celluloid’; ‘Wonderful storytelling. A film I could watch over and over again’; ‘A truly magical film. Loved the cast, loved the cinematography, loved the story’; ‘A great juxtaposition of a boy becoming a man and going from strength to strength with the death of a cinema. Great story and how the boy went through to a man was dealt with superbly’; ‘A delightful step through cinema nostalgia interweaved with Salvatore’s coming of age’; ‘A beautiful film exploring many themes, including memories, love, and friendship’
The extreme, obtrusive sentimentality of the film left others feeling emotionally manipulated:
‘A little mawkish’; ‘Perhaps a little over-sentimental at times’; ‘Felt it could probably have finished after the fire; the ending dragged on for me and I wasn’t so interested in the teenage/adult story’
The atmosphere created by the film, as well as the music and photography were commended unanimously:
‘Beautifully filmed, lovely music’; ‘Good music. A lovely nostalgic mix’; ‘Lovely photography, atmospheric - just superb’; ‘Great music’; ‘Music was exceptional and the clever humorous touches simply wonderful’; ‘The film score was amazing’;
…. as was the lead child-actor, Salvatore Cascio:
‘Wonderful child-actor’; ‘The study of an old village was a fascinating way of displaying great acting’; ‘Great performances from Alfred and the child, Toto’
Director: Giuseppe Tonatore
Country: Italy
Year: 1988
IMDB
Average Score: 4.6
Across an audience of nearly 110 people, everyone seemed to have found the Italian classic ‘Cinema Paradiso’ to have been a highly emotional film:
‘Emotionally heavy’; ‘Joy, sadness and laughter - nothing held back!’; ‘Very amusing, but also very moving. A lovely portrait of a simpler world of simpler pleasures and the inevitability of change’; ‘A true classic. So beautiful - there wasn’t a dry eye in the house’; ‘Poignant’; ‘So moving, so lovely, wholesome, heart-warming’; ‘I laughed and cried and marvelled at the way watching someone else’s memory operating triggered my own memories’.
…. but also an extremely memorable and enjoyable one, which achieved an average score of 4.6
‘Very interesting and very enjoyable’; ‘Lovely’; ‘Delightful and refreshing - I came out with a smile on my face’; ‘Beautifully indulgent’; ‘Warm, very personal, very funny’; ‘Wonderful’; ‘Enchanting’; ‘I enjoyed every minute’; ‘Beautiful scenery, characters, music - a really feel good film’; ‘Fabulous - it had everything’; ‘Just excellent!’; ‘Superb’; ‘Fascinating’; ‘They don’t come much better than this’
The audience particularly liked the film’s wonderful and nostalgic storytelling:
‘A nostalgic review of the magic of celluloid’; ‘Wonderful storytelling. A film I could watch over and over again’; ‘A truly magical film. Loved the cast, loved the cinematography, loved the story’; ‘A great juxtaposition of a boy becoming a man and going from strength to strength with the death of a cinema. Great story and how the boy went through to a man was dealt with superbly’; ‘A delightful step through cinema nostalgia interweaved with Salvatore’s coming of age’; ‘A beautiful film exploring many themes, including memories, love, and friendship’
The extreme, obtrusive sentimentality of the film left others feeling emotionally manipulated:
‘A little mawkish’; ‘Perhaps a little over-sentimental at times’; ‘Felt it could probably have finished after the fire; the ending dragged on for me and I wasn’t so interested in the teenage/adult story’
The atmosphere created by the film, as well as the music and photography were commended unanimously:
‘Beautifully filmed, lovely music’; ‘Good music. A lovely nostalgic mix’; ‘Lovely photography, atmospheric - just superb’; ‘Great music’; ‘Music was exceptional and the clever humorous touches simply wonderful’; ‘The film score was amazing’;
…. as was the lead child-actor, Salvatore Cascio:
‘Wonderful child-actor’; ‘The study of an old village was a fascinating way of displaying great acting’; ‘Great performances from Alfred and the child, Toto’
