Alfredo's motives........


Seen too many posts where Alfredo is portrayed as a villain, as he destroyed Totos'
and Elenas' chance at happiness, and that he had no right to do so...etc...
Don't believe that Elena was ever the enemy as far as Alfredo was concerned.
The enemy was the village and the destructive influence it would have had on the
artistic development on someone like Toto.
Elena was simply an innocent bystander who got caught up in Alfredo's "evil"
plan.
The older I get, the more I tend to agree with Alfredos' actions.

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I agree that it was the village or the island of Sicily that Alfredo wanted Toto to leave rather than Elena.

He had to go to Rome to get into the film industry.

I think Alfredo thought that if Elena was in Palermo at university and Toto was going out with her Toto would stay in Sicily, perhpas even his in home village.


You're an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks, to collect a bill

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I first saw the 123 minute version, which I still prefer. Probably I'm reading a lot into the movie, but three bits seemed like subtle clues to me:

1. When Alfredo is giving the young Toto a ride on the handlebars of his bike, Alfredo gives the boy some advice and adds, "That's what I tell all my children." Toto says, "You don't have any children!" Alfredo smiles thoughtfully and says, "When I do, that's what I'll tell them."

2. We see a photo of Salvatore's mother and father, probably taken at their wedding. A young Alfredo is in it, close to Salvatore's mother, smiling at her.

3. Alfredo's widow says that just before he died, Alfredo told Salvatore's mother that there's something Toto must never know.

My conclusion was that Alfredo is probably Salvatore's biological father. He knows it, Salvatore's mother knows it, but Salvatore does not. This is why Alfredo sends Salvatore away. Like all fathers, he wants more for his son, bigger possibilities. If Salvatore remained in the village and married Elena, what would happen to him? He probably would wind up working for Elena's father, a dignified, possibly lucrative job...but he would not be doing what he loved. I think Alfredo knew how painful the choice would be. In sending Salvatore the montage of love scenes, he's apologizing...and saying "I love you, son."

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I took the montage as meaning Alfredo has given him his true love, the love of the movies, which he could only have by giving up a doomed (in Alfredo's mind) teenage romance.

That was Alfredo's motive; enforcing the bigger picture into Toto's life. No pun intended.

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Remembering Space Shuttle Columbia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERBr0lKIwOs

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3. Alfredo's widow says that just before he died, Alfredo told Salvatore's mother that there's something Toto must never know.

My conclusion was that Alfredo is probably Salvatore's biological father. He knows it, Salvatore's mother knows it, but Salvatore does not


Interesting interpretation. OR I took it that he must never know that Elena came back for Toto and Alfredo never told him.

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Wow! Thay is a quite a theory you have here, and I think you are on to something. It's left to one's own interpretstion. I will forever see this movie in a different light.

We are led to believe that Alfredo wants something more than ordinary village life for Toto, for him to pursue his love of cinema. Now, unrequitted love becomes the primary and more sinister motivation for Alfredo.

Perhaps hw was in the situation with Toto's mother. He was seen as unsuitable for her, and he wanted for Toto to aviod the pain of seeing his love with another. And, it's ironic and cliche that Toto thinks he is the son of a war hero.

One thing though, Toto's mother never, that I can recall, showed any longing, or regret with regards to Alfredo.






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As Toto’s mother said —

“… But your life is there. Here, there are only ghosts.”

Alfredo warned Toto about this years before. He understood that this would be the case and, acting as a surrogate father, he didn’t want Toto to stifle his own future as had been the case for Alfredo and all the people of the village — all living in the same place, now ghosts of their own, and Toto’s, past.

Alfredo freed Toto to grow continually in lieu of his own (Toto’s) desires.


“Your thinking is untidy, like most so-called thinking today.” (Murder, My Sweet)

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Alfredo didn't do things with bad intentions since he really cared for Toto and both shared a strong bond but I feel like Alfredo did it wrong on not letting Toto make the choice, he decided for him.
He should have helped them or at least being honest to him and let Salvatore decide maybe if he looked for Elena and go to Rome together he could have had both things.


But hey many people say his true passion and love were films which at a certain point it may be true but I'm sure it frustrating to him that Alfredo didn't let him choose and give him the opportunity to try to accomplish both

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I have no problem with Alfredo trying to encourage Toto to go to Rome to fulfill his dreams. But forcing him to cut all ties with his past and missing out on his family and friends and love is something else. He was just mean and it came out of nowhere. I saw no evidence that Toto would ruin his own dream career (or was it Alfredo's?) by coming back once in a while.

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The ending says it all.
And this works for both versions or the film.
Toto, wether confused by Alfredo not wanting him to come back, or hating him for breaking up him and Elena , realizes when he watches the reel Alfredo left him that Alfredo was absolutely right. Tito’s first and only true love was the cinema , he would’ve never been happy doing anything else.
That’s why Alfredo left the reel for him, he knew Toto would come to bury him. he knew he’d be confused, nostalgic, guilty. So he left the reel for him.

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"Tito’s first and only true love was the cinema , he would’ve never been happy doing anything else."

Except that Toto hadn't actually been that happy.

Again, I have no problem with Alfredo trying to encourage Toto to go to Rome to fulfill his dreams. But  forcing him to cut all ties with his past and missing out on his family and friends and love is something else. He was just mean and it came out of nowhere. I saw no evidence that Toto would ruin his own dream career (or was it Alfredo's?) by coming back once in a while.

The movie was rather black-and-white when it came to Toto's options in life.

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