Discovery of a rotten hobby
So you can blog thru Friendster? Hmm, why haven’t I discovered this before? Anyway, let me stain it with a first stroke.
I rarely get satisfied and beaten by a movie. Normally, I would start criticizing every detail and every second of a film and not end. I even urge myself to go far beyond criticizing that if the director or the writer would have known of it, he would not think twice of putting a bullet straight through my head. Harsh? Not quite. Every normal viewer does that.
And so there was Nuovo Cinema Paradiso – a film that beat me up for more than 2 hours but still prompted me to watch it again. The film was Italian but the English subs guided me through conversations that require higher understanding of the Italian language. It’s what I call an aesthetically correct and accurate film that was not too compelling and complex to make you forget the beautiful dialogues and rhythmically arranged narrative.
I won’t go into details as to reveal the exact gist of the story but Cinema Paradiso is a beautifully weaved story of Salvatore Di Vita (played by 3 actors including famous French film producer Jacques Perin) who must travel back home for an old friend’s funeral and try to understand and confront the missing pages of his life that made him into a successful film director.
The usage of available light created strong contrasts to every shot making it feel like a classic Rembrandt study. Moreover, the addition of the chiaroscuro effect to distinctly outline the characters and their emotions remind us of the Baroque style of art. Along with this, the camera movements remained honest and true to the situations. Director Giuseppe Tornatore created shots that were not complex and sophisticated rather they were merely fundamental and strong. He knew how to move you from sentimentality and open your eyes to an enlightenment and pragmatism. He perfected how the way of life should be without sacrificing to dwell on just pure humor, indifference or self-pity.
The actors’ portrayals of their characters were simply real. They were simply simple human beings part of a story of a young man’s poor but beautiful and adventurous past. Marco Leonardi was simply exemplary in being a crafty adolescent driven by his passion for films, sensitivity for his people, care for a friend, and undying love to a woman. Leonardi somehow connected the young clever Salvatore and the adult successful but incomplete director.
It’s a tragic story that tells us that decisions play an important role in life no matter how painful they can be to the point that one might feel betrayed or deserted. Tornatore’s walk past memory lane teaches a strong advocacy and affection of the past, confronting and taking risk of the present and finally moving on.
Now, why didn’t I see this on the big screen? With all the crap that queues up every cinema, this film reminds me of a sad reality that beautiful films now exist only in the hidden and untouched corners of DVD shops. Nuovo Cinema Paradiso has got to be in my 5 most influential and favorite films among The Godfather, Casablanca, Clerks, and Cidade de Dios.
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