“CINEMA PARADISO IS NOTHING MORE THAN A SENTIMENTAL STORY ABOUT A BOY GROWING UP IN A SMALL ITALIAN VILLAGE.” TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT?
It is not disputed that Cinema Paradiso is not a well recognized and awarded film, after winning many awards such as the Special Jury Prize at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival, considered to be one of the most prestigious awards within the film industry, however I as an audience member cannot help but think that without the superb acting and flawless direction, Cinema Paradiso would not be near as good a film if left just to the story alone. I intend to find out whether the film is just a sentimental story of a boy in an Italian village or if more underpins the film.
Within the opening scene there is a hint of sentimentality, the audience is already being thrown head first in to a heart wrenching tale, without any details, with the line “He will remember” being repeated. The line is repeated by who it turns out is Salvatore Mother, and she is commenting on Salvatore himself, who is in Rome and has not returned to the village in 30 years. After phoning to inform him of the death of Alfredo, the village projectionist and Salvatores oldest friend.
“He will be remember”: is this the first clue of what is to come? Hours of emotional flashbacks from the point of view of our protagonist.
The film is set in a Sicilian village. Sicily is in the largest island in the south of Italy, and it is known for being less privileged than the rest of Italy but they are very patriotic and families from Sicily can often be traced back hundreds of years and rarely leave. Villages in Sicily are often close-knit communities and this is apparent in Cinema Paradiso, and Sicily is also know for being very religious, this is emphasized by the censorship within the cinema in the village and the constant use of the church within the film.
Many people would claim that the film is set around the village, however I believe that it is just the backdrop, this story could be set in any village, town, city or country.
The film is not a story of a boy growing up in a village it is the story of
Within the opening scene there is a hint of sentimentality, the audience is already being thrown head first in to a heart wrenching tale, without any details, with the line “He will remember” being repeated. The line is repeated by who it turns out is Salvatore Mother, and she is commenting on Salvatore himself, who is in Rome and has not returned to the village in 30 years. After phoning to inform him of the death of Alfredo, the village projectionist and Salvatores oldest friend.
“He will be remember”: is this the first clue of what is to come? Hours of emotional flashbacks from the point of view of our protagonist.
The film is set in a Sicilian village. Sicily is in the largest island in the south of Italy, and it is known for being less privileged than the rest of Italy but they are very patriotic and families from Sicily can often be traced back hundreds of years and rarely leave. Villages in Sicily are often close-knit communities and this is apparent in Cinema Paradiso, and Sicily is also know for being very religious, this is emphasized by the censorship within the cinema in the village and the constant use of the church within the film.
Many people would claim that the film is set around the village, however I believe that it is just the backdrop, this story could be set in any village, town, city or country.
The film is not a story of a boy growing up in a village it is the story of