Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Well, maybe I was in full fanboyism when I first gave it the score of 9/10.  I was wrong.  Don't get me wrong!  Giuseppe Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso (or Nuovo Cinema Paradiso) is a good film.  Definitely better than a lot of the schlock that comes out now-a-days.  However, while the first two acts are amazing.  When Salvatore becomes a teen, the film just falls apart.  I'm sorry, but this film easily went from a cinema loving film, a love note to cinema, to just becoming a sappy romance story with little meat.  I mean, there's nothing wrong with romance films (Hey, my favorite film of all time is a romance film).  But I just was expecting much more than what I got.  This is a classic case of hype really killing a film.  It's a shame too because I was enjoying the first half.

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso is in short, a tribute to film in general.  The story follows the life of a boy named Salvatore, who lives in a small town in Italy.  He works as an altar boy and goes to Catholic school, but he has no interest in either of those.  What he does have an interest in is the art of cinema.  He sneaks into his local movie theater, where he watches the uncut version of the film.  Then, on release day, nearly everyone in town gathers to watch the censored version.  Salvatore (or Toto for short) is so enticed that he sneaks into the projector room, where he meets Alfredo, the man in charge of running the film.  Alfredo teaches Toto the ways of cinema and Salvatore grows up to become a well known film director.  Most of the film is based on Tornatore's life experiences as a child, and how he grew up to become a director.

Now, I'll start off with the things I loved about this film.  First off, the film is excellently shot.  Tornatore creates wonderful angles for us to enjoy this experience, and he incorporates archival footage of the films Toto watched as a kid.  There's a magical flare that is present throughout the first half, giving us what cinema is truly about: a graceful, majestic art.  The first half is easily the more charming half as well.  It features likable characters, witty dialogue, and some very humorous moments within it.  I can't tell you how much I laughed at that crazy lunatic who runs people out of the town square.  The film is also marvelously acted.  You know, I've never watched a child actor with half as much charm and charisma than Salvatore Cascio has when he plays the young Toto.  The rest of the supporting cast is great as well, including Philippe Noiret as Alfredo.  Then....the final act comes in.

The final act is not necessarily bad, but it's just a little too sappy.  Whereas the first act focused on Toto as a child and when he learned the art of film, the second act focuses more on his love.  The humor also noticeably dies down as well, causing this uneven tonal shift.  It hurts the movie a lot and really slows down what could've been the best film ever.  Cynical jerks, who hate romances a lot, may be turned off by this rather sappy romance.  But for me, I really didn't mind it.  It's just too reminiscent of......The Notebook(Gosling's worst film of all time, mind you) However, the acting is still just as great, even though only 2 actors were added.  

Overall, the film was basically killed by the hype, in my honest opinion.  The first two acts are easily the better half, and the last one dissolves into The Notebook.  I can't believe that such a great film can have such a weak ending.  However, if you look past the cheesy romance, you will find the true gems of this film.  It's well acted, features great acting, and is nostalgic.  Even though I didn't live in the 50s, the film does make me reminisce of a time in which I did not exist.  It's sweet and enjoyable, with a great sense of humor, though it can be a tad much (Those boys were doing what in the theater?) (o_0)....Anyways, it's a good, not great film, and should be watched by any film lover....except people who hate love stories.

7/10