Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Today I had my first Art of Film Class and tonight I feel like I had my first film appreciation class. Cinema Paradiso is the reason and the why for all movie lovers. It's the explanation for why the cinema means so much to us and how its able to capture our hearts. Although the film definitely had commentaries on the merits of film in general, the tension between religion and the film industry, and life outside of the theater, the film as a whole is a love letter to cinema. Multiple scenes were glimpses into the raucous nature and home environment of the movie theater. The children, elderly, and whole families went to the theater to be part of the communal experience. W witnessed people find their soulmates in there, kids being kids, and movies drawing out the deepest of emotions from the audience. The meta-commentary of Toto's life as a movie was also pleasantly fitting. Toto 's love story, his wish at the summer theater for his life to be like a movie, and his devotion to cinema and film all present him not as a character in this movie but one of us: a film lover who sometimes wishes his life was like the movies. And what a mesmerizing score. The score prompted me to watch this movie and it did not disappoint at all. Ennnio Morricone is a maestro and his music increased the emotional complexity and nuance of "film" as a character a hundredfold. This movie is absolutely going into the foundational folder because it signifies what movies are all about. They are a community, an emotional ride, and an escape. But most of all they are an idealized, romanticized version of the life and the stories we want to lead. And although our life may not turn out like a movie (it almost certainly will not) the joy that watching a beautiful film can have, and the immeasurable power it holds in shaping our psyche and our dreams, makes it all worth watching movies again and again. A beautiful movie.