Saturday 12 July 2008

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (New Cinema Paradise) [1988]


A beautifully composed film, Nuovo Cinema Paradiso is Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore’s loving and evocative homage to the world of cinema and a nostalgic look at the simple, unadulterated joys of movie going in the yesteryears. The coming-of-age story of a young boy’s journey (now a famous filmmaker) through poverty, experience of a wonderful friendship and first love, lost innocence, childhood, youth, heartbreak, celebrity-hood, world-weariness, and finally his return from Rome back home to the little village where he grew up thus completing a full cycle, in post-war Italy, is a truly marvelous, touching and heart-wrenching experience. All the while the only constant string is his tryst with the magical world of cinema, which started at the eponymous New Cinema Paradise theatre before completing the aforementioned journey, filled with joy, pain, smiles and tears, thanks in large parts to the passionately honest and heartfelt direction of Tornatore. The acting is exceptional, especially that of the character Alfredo film-projectionist and the protagonist Salvatore’s best friend during his formative years (the chemistry between them is unforgettable to say the least), the legendary music director Ennio Moricone’s haunting tunes amplify the sense of nostalgia and passing away of an era, and the climax of this timeless classic will surely move even the most hard-hearted cynics.









Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Genre: Drama/Coming-of-Age/Romantic Drama/Buddy Film
Language: Italian
Country: Italy

No comments: