Where to watch Cinema Paradiso (1988)
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A filmmaker looks back on growing up in a small village, where a local theater sparks his lifelong love of movies. Along the way, he forms a lasting friendship with the projectionist, whose guidance helps shape his dreams and understanding of life.
Cast: Jacques Perrin, Philippe Noiret, Marco Leonardi, Salvatore Cascio, Agnese Nano, Antonella Attili, Pupella Maggio, Brigitte Fossey, Enzo Cannavale, Isa Danieli, Leo Gullotta, Leopoldo Trieste
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Trivia & production notes
- Director Giuseppe Tornatore shot the film in his hometown of Bagheria, Sicily, with the town square scenes filmed in Palazzo Adriano using the real Piazza Umberto I.
- The Paradiso Cinema set was built at Via Nino Bixio in Palazzo Adriano overlooking an octagonal Baroque fountain dating back to 1608.
- The original Italian release ran 155 minutes but flopped domestically, prompting cuts to 124 minutes for international distribution, which made the film commercially successful worldwide.
- After negative comments from the Berlin Film Festival's artistic director comparing Cinema Paradiso unfavorably to Ettore Scola's Splendor, director Tornatore and producer Franco Cristaldi withdrew the film from competition.
- A 173-minute director's cut released in 2002 restored material from the film's original premiere at the Europa Cinema Festival in Bari on September 29, 1988.
- The film won the Special Jury Prize at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival and later won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film that same year.
- Roger Ebert gave the theatrical version three and a half stars but awarded the extended version four stars, yet still maintained the shorter cut was the superior film overall.
- The French poster by Jouineau Bourduge became the last film poster ever to win a César Award.
- The film is credited with reviving Italy's film industry after its Academy Award success, paving the way for later Italian films like Mediterraneo and Life Is Beautiful.
- Ennio Morricone and Andrea Morricone composed the film's score, which earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Film Music.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article Cinema Paradiso, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.
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