He deliberately kept them apart. Why couldn't Toto have the girl AND his career?
And who's to say his career was more important?
Toto's unhappiness stems from his lost love, which was Alfredo's fault.
Yes, I do think he was. I'm less concerned with the romance than the relationship with his family, though. He could've easily come back after he found succes.
shareNobody seems to have given any kind of real answer, and although the thread is 6 years old! i will! Alfredo knew that toto was capable of so much. being stuck in some small town wasn't where toto was going to achieve it. that's made clear by the speech that alfredo gives toto by the sea and also the tale of the soldier and the princess.
The princess has the soldier waiting for 100 days to prove he loves her, after 99 days the solider is still there, does the princess at anytime decide to go down to give him a coat? even spare him and show him some kind of "you've done enough" ?? NO!
Throughout toto sends elena letters, phones her and yet she doesn't reply, she doesn't offer him "something" just like the princess.
alfredo was right
What you have to understand about the film, the most important part is that totos first and only real love is cinema, the tale of the soldier and the princess is a warning, a warning that you can't put your happiness in the hands of others, lets say toto would have stayed in the village and elena who was already playing with his emotions got up and left herself (which she pretty much did) or fell for someone else?
Alfredo getting toto to leave made him go after his one true love, cinema!