One Of the Best


This is one of my favorite movies ever.
Maybe my first favorite.

It has everything that everybody can relate to.
All the human elements are here.

First love, love found, love lost, family, friends, memories, regret, sadness, not to
mention love for the movies. Which is why we do what we do.
It's not a perfect movie but for me it's the perfect movie.

The simplicity of this movie is what makes it so good.

One of my favorite scenes is when Alfredo is going to school and Toto won't help him cheat.
This is when the child has the upper hand with the adult. Toto is learning
the ways of the world. He's beginning to not be a child anymore.
Simply a brilliant scene.

We see Toto grow up and develop his love for movies.
We see him form relationships that he will have with him for the rest of his life.
Even though he doesn't know this yet.

We all have the things in this movie in common.
This is why we watch movies. It brings us all closer to each other.
This was a much simpler time. The message still holds up in today's world.

Toto learned at a young age that tragedy is a part of life.
It helped him become who he was.
His father is never coming back, the life he knows will never change unless
he does something, people you love will get hurt (Alfredo in the fire) etc...

He had such a deep affection for Alfredo that he listened to the last thing
Alfredo told him. Don't look back.
Some might say it was an easy way to not deal with things.
This might be true eventually but it couldn't have been easy at the beginning.
We all adapt to our surroundings.

Plenty of laughs in this movie also. A lot like life.
When you think back to some of the people you knew as a child sometimes
you laugh. It's all part of the experience of life. The good and the bad.

Towards the end when the man shouts "this square is mine"
It shows him that for as much as life changes it still remains the same.

The ending sequence is for me one the greatest in cinema history.
I tear up every time I see it. The same way I did in the theater 30 years ago.
Not many films can say that.
For me a mark of a great film is feeling about it now just like you did when
you first saw it.

I watch newer movies and am often disappointed.
When I watch this movie It reminds of what movies are capable of.
What movies are supposed to be. How they should make you feel.





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Thanks for sharing Godewey!

I also love this movie šŸ˜Š

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I appreciate it.
Just got done watching it (again).

Surprised nobody had made a recent post about it.
Certain movies make me a little emotional. This is one of them.
It's so beautiful.

For the record this is the theatrical version.
I've only seen the director's cut once and despised it.
The only director's cut I haven't liked better.
It completely changed the whole meaning of the film.

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I agree that the original theatrical release is the best by far.

Hard to think the director had a vision which is less magical to bring back to fans and first timers alike.

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It is hard to believe that Tornatore had that in mind.
He's done some good work.

I'll still watch the DC one more time to see If I feel differently about it.
I don't think it's possible though.

Never thought of the people who would see the DC first compared to the other version.
That would ruin it for those people.

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Didn't know there were multiple versions. Guess I'll need to watch them all!

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I'm all about the interpretation.

The DC really did change the meaning of the film and how you felt
about some of the characters.

For me it went from a heartwarming often poignant movie
to just another movie about failed relationships.
Made me feel bitter about the movie.

Recently I've seen the DC of Once Upon a Time in America and Fanny + Alexander.
Both added to the experience of the film.
This one was the total opposite. IMO

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Thank you for the gentle nudge. I'm on it! The version I got is 2h and 2 minutes long. I hope that's the good one.

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That sounds about right.
I think it's a little longer than that but it's not the director's cut.

You'll get the gist of it.

So happens I just watched it again right before you came on.
Something is telling you something.
It was a gentle nudge but it could also be a slap. GET ON IT.


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So you're slapping women now? Good to know! I'll make sure not to spend the milk money on movies too, then you're really going to loose it.

Anyway, I finaly watched it! And I cried and cried. And I also laughed.

First off, I love how teen Toto and old Toto looked nothing alike lol.

Now I agree, it's not a perfect film, BUT, it doesn't need to be. I don't understand this fixation people have with technical perfection. To me the emotional connection that films create with the viewer is the most important thing. Something I think was masterfully shown here.

Those were some of my favourite scenes, the whole village gathered at the cinema. Especially the one where Alfredo screened the movie in the square, and how that transitioned into the most dramatic moment in the film.

A side note: The New Cinema Paradiso was a bit of seedy place, wasn't it? I mean, there were all the "bad" scenes that the priest would've cut out. And a hooker! There were also a few other things that stood to my attention, but I've forgotten them already (damn...this memory) Shows you how times change.

I really liked that scene with Alfredo and Toto during the exam. The tables had turned and it was good. And in general I loved the relationship between Alfredo and Toto. A father/son one IMO, since the man had no children of his own and the boy had lost his father.

I think Alfredo wanted to make movies as well, and saw that in Toto, that's why he pushed him so hard to stay in school and to leave his home. He knew what missed opportunities meant and cost(?), and didn't want that for the young man.

Now, most everything before old Toto returns home was delightful. Much like life is when you're remembering it from a childs perspective. But when he returned home it was all so sad to me. Everything was different, the old Cinema was in ruins, the people seemed more haggard for some reason to me. And I loved when Toto's mother told him "Don't tell your mother that after 30 years" when he told her it was only an hour by plane. I understand he took Alfredoā€™s advice very to heart, but I was disappointed that he really never returned home in those 30 years. That is very sad to me.

I must have cried from him getting home on continuously. And Iā€™d just composed myself when it finally hit me what he was projecting at the very end (it took a while to register lol). And then the waterworks returned in full force! Truly a beautiful sequence, loaded with so much meaning and emotion.

Thank you for sharing this one with me, Dewey! It was wonderful.

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It was on my bucket list. It back fired of course. By all means DO NOT lose the milk money.
You don't want to know. You just don't that's all.

I saw this movie in the theater and cried. I've watched several times over the years and cried.
I watched it again and cried. For me the mark of a great movie is you feel about it now like
you did when you first saw it. This one qualifies. You know exactly what's going to happen
and you still laugh, feel good and cry.

People change as they get older. Sometimes even their eyes and facial features.
It just happens. Google it.

I couldn't agree more. The emotions in this movie run high. It takes you through the whole rollercoaster.
You really care about these characters. Even the secondary ones.

The New theater was very seedy but like you said times change. The old one shut down for a reason.
The newer one was hoppin though. I would assume the hooker might have had more money then
anybody else. lol

I agree about Alfredo. He never had the chance or opportunity. He knew what it was to let life
pass you by. He saw in Toto as himself and wanted him to have everything he couldnā€™t.
This helped Toto but it also helped Alfredo get through his life.
By Alfredo telling Toto not to come was telling him live your own life.
He knew how hard it is to escape his life in the village.
Thereā€™s always something that would be pulling him to stay.
Love, family, friends or whatever it was.

It was very sad but necessary at the time.
I agree that he should have come back after a little while.
This is also part of life. We become accustomed to our life
and often push people away. We just think ā€œoh Iā€™ll get to it
or theyā€™ll always be thereā€

This one works for you my friend.
Don't wait to follow your dreams.

Yes the beginning was all from his memories as a child.
The late as an adult. I moved away as a child and moved back
20 years later and noticed similarities.
You see people you recognize and know you know them.
Then then it hits you.

I'm so glad you liked it Mina.

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