MovieChat Forums > Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1990) Discussion > Is Alfredo the most evil movie villain e...

Is Alfredo the most evil movie villain ever?


If not, who is it else?

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[deleted]

I think it's important to account for the cultural and generational sensibilities involved. I think the bigger (and very common) villain is Elena's father, whose objections to their relationship is based on social status, though as a parent one cannot fault the kernel in that view, which is the wish of security for their children.

Alfredo said something like all love is fire that burns out and is replaced by some other fire (or something like that), which is cynical...but what's key is that Elena agrees with that wisdom; both she and Salvatore conclude for themselves that Salvatore was right and the way things happened was best.

In a way, Salvatore also broke up with his mother and of course with his family, but even she acquiesced and bore no bitter sentiment against Salvatore for his 30-year estrangement. Again, this betrays cultural values of their community.

But the most pivotal key to all of this, is not what we individual viewers with our own insights and worldviews place value or judgement on when there are variations of gray being presented to us (this of course presumes our freedom to "think" and dialogue with the ideas being offered), but what the moral/ethical thread that was portrayed within the framework of the movie...so on that basis, Alfredo was not wrong, a villain, bad, etc.

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Alfredo was quite the opposite. He was the good guy. His intervention is what allowed Elena and Toto's romance to linger after all of these years. He even said earlier in the film that eventually love fizzles. He wanted Toto to remember Elena as a young, beautiful woman. And to remember all of those great times they had together. Instead of trying to elope and figure out how to make their life work, and probably just end up splitting up and bitter at each other. Alfredo gave Toto the cinematic life he always wanted. That kiss between Elena and Toto was proof that what Alfredo did for those 30 years worked.

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