world cinema

1. Franqie Chan Jia Yi
2014050035
Film & TV Group 1
World Cinema : Assignment 5 23/03/2015
Cinema Paradiso
Directed by : Giuseppe Tornatore
Written by : Giuseppe Tornatore
This movie is about a famous director in Italian – Salvatore Di Vita. The story begin with Salvatore
returns home in the evening and his girlfriend told him that Alfredo (a man that has a strong relationship
with Salvatore) has died. When his girlfriend ask who is Alfredo, he start to flash back his childhood.
Flashback start from he is a six years old, a son of a war widow, he has a nickname call Toto. He loves
films and always spend his time in the movie house – Cinema Paradiso. Though the beginning, the
projectionist not really like Toto, but their relationship start to develop day by day. Toto always pick up
the censored scene that been cut off from the cinema house. After sometime, Alfredo start to teach Toto
how to run the film projector. However, good thing never last longer, one night, the cinema house
catches fire as the film used that time is a highly flammable film. Salvatore manages to save Alfredo’s
life, but Alfredo is then blind due to the explode of the film reels. After sometime, the cinema is rebuilt
by a town citizen, Ciccio (invests his football lottery winning). Salvatore is then hired to be the
projectionist for the new Cinema Paradiso.
Some years past, a teenage Salvatore, still a projectionist in the Cinema Paradiso, his relationship with
Alfredo has strengthened. He always seek Alfredo for help and ask for advises. Salvatore start to use a
home camera to captured film, and during that time he met a girl name Elena, a daughter of wealthy
banker. Salvatore tries many ways to get Elena heart, but lastly, he can’t win her father’s heart, and
Elena going to move away. During that time, Salvatore left hometown and be in military service. He
tries to write letter for Elena but all returned as undelivered. As he finished his military service, he back
to hometown, Alfredo ask him to leave his hometown and don’t come back again due to the reason, the
town is too small for Salvatore to chase his dream. He must never miss anything in Giancaldo, never
write or think about. After that, Salvatore left.
However, after decades, he back, for Alfredo funeral. There are a lots of changes in the town, and he
finally understand why Alfredo asked him to leave. Alfredo’s widow tell him that Alfredo proud of his
success and left him something – an unnamed film reel and the old stool that Salvatore once stand before.
Salvatore also knows that the Cinema Paradiso is going to be demolished to give way to parking lot.
After that, Salvatore returns to Rome and play the film reel, and he realizes the film reel consist of the
romantic scene that being cut off from the movie, Alfredo make all the scene into a short film.

2. The storyline is base from my view and some words from Wikipedia. This is a nice movie that tells a
story about a film director. The best part, and I love the most is when Alfredo’s hand on Salvatore’s face
(children) then when Alfredo remove his hand it become a teenage Salvatore. This is the best shot
among them.
This movie can consider as educating. This is because the story teaches us to be appreciate and don’t
forget the one who gave us much. In the story, Alfredo taught Salvatore a lot of thing about movie, and
Salvatore did not leave the Cinema Paradiso as he want to help Alfredo to work the projector as Alfredo
taught him a lot. Another thing is, Alfredo ask Salvatore to leave Giancaldo, he listened and left.
However, he also disobeys Alfredo words just to come back and attend the funeral of Alfredo. He
appreciated Alfredo and did not forget what he has taught.
This movie is also quite entertains, as some of the scene showing what is happen in the cinema when
watching different movie is funny. There are one scene that shows a group of teenage bully an adult that
always sleep in the cinema, they put a bug into his mouth and he awake and scold them. In addition,
when in the cinema, the kiss scene been cut and the unfair sound by the audiences are also entertaining.
There is a part where touched me. The part when Salvatore watches the film reel that kept by Alfredo for
a long time and wanted to pass to him. Salvatore received the film reel from Alfredo’s wife. She said
nobody knows what is inside. When Salvatore plays it, the film reel is all the uncensored scenes that cut
from last film they did together in Cinema Paradiso. That part, I keep flashback what I watched just like
Salvatore thinking about the time they spent together.
Of course, there is a horrifying scene. The scene when the Cinema Paradiso on fire. I feel nervous when
Alfredo still wanted to try to save the film. He gets close to the projector and his leg burned. At the same
time, the film reel exploded right on his face. I think that consider as the climax in the movie. After I
finish, I really want to know more about Salvatore’s life after leaving Giancaldo, is he continue to be a
projectionist.
Conclusion, this movie contain of happy, sad, disappointed, and touching. I like the movies very much, I
hope I can make such a meaningful movie after this.