[Tyson]

Preamble
I started this movie with a lot of hesitation and trepidation.  My library posts on their website all the new movies they have on order, sorted by DVD and Blu Ray.  I usually just request whatever blu ray's are new releases, including older movies that have been remastered and re-released.  That's what happened to me with Cinema Paradiso.  Warning, spoilers below.

It was a movie I'd heard a lot about and I 'ought' to watch.  Sigh.  OK, here we go.....


Haiku

What started as a fun little trip down nostalgia lane:




It becomes a meditation upon the nature of movies and our relationship with them:




A love story:



And ultimately a story about tragedy, missed opportunities, hard sacrifices, love, careers and art:



I will admit, I started this with a bit of a ho-hum attitude.  By the end it had me weeping and smiling through my tears at the same time.

Phenomenal.

[restrav]

one of the best. i hink i have wtched the whole thing 5 times by now. before anything else it is a tribute to cinema itself.

[artur9]

I remember seeing this.  One of those movies I got dragged to.   My dread at the thought of it was palpable as around the same time frame I was subjected to a movie whose title I just need to whisper to my wife and she knows what's coming.

But Cinema Paradiso is one of those bittersweet delights that stays with you.  Anyone that loves the movies, the movie watching experience or just Italian movies should see it.

[Wind Chaser]

Cinema Paradiso is definitely a must see, but it may not appeal to everyone. I stumbled across it 20 years ago when I lived near a video store that kept a good selection of up to date foreign films on hand. Thanks to them I saw a lot of great foreign films. Some of those films were very dark pushed and boundaries way beyond anything I've seen come out of America; Léolo comes to mind, I can't remember if it had subtitles, but what a ride! I'll have to make a point of seeing it and Cinema Paradiso again.

[macrojack]

Easily top 5 all time with me. It's been at least 15 years since my last viewing. Surely time to revisit. Thanks for the reminder, Tyson.

[md92468]

 Another Tornatore  classic that is less known in the US is a film called "A Pure Formality," with Gerard Depardieu and Roman Polanski.  Brilliant film....you can rent it to stream on Amazon.