Available at Amazon.com
Available to own or rent on November 6, 2006
Director
Giuseppe Tornatore
Cast
Antonella Attili……….Maria (Young)
Enzo Cannavale……….Spaccafico
Isa Danieli……….Anna
Leo Gullotta……….Usher
Marco Leonardi……….Salvatore (Adolescent)
Pupella Maggio……….Maria (Old)
Agnese Nano……….Elena (Adolescent)
Leopoldo Trieste……….Father Adelfio
Salvatore Cascio……….Salvatore (Child)
Tano Cimarosa……….Blacksmith
Nicola Di Pinto……….Village Idiot
Roberta Lena……….Lia
Nino Terzo……….Peppino’s Father
Jacques Perrin……….Salvatore (Adult)
Philippe Noiret……….Alfredo
The Movie
When Cinema Paradiso was initially released to American audiences, it wasn’t the near three hour epic that had captivated audiences nationwide. Fifty one minutes had been cut from its release, taking out a large portion of the plot and leaving part of the story unresolved. Now, in an era where the “Directo’s Cut” is often a marketing plot to sell multiple copies of virtually the same film, Cinema Paradiso has been restored and released for American audiences who never got the pleasure to see the Best Foreign Film as recognized by the Academy Awards.
Cinema Paradiso follows the story of Salvatore (Salvatore Cascio), a fatherless child with an affinity for the local Cinema. Stealing milk money to go see legends such as Charlie Chaplin, Akira Kurosawa and John Wayne, he bonds with projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret). Giving him advice about everything in life, from women to how to run a theater, Alfredo and Salvatore bond quickly as Alfredo takes him on as an unpaid apprentice. Here he learns lessons that would serve him well in life, as Alfredo becomes a substitute for Salvatore’s dead father and teaches him the sort of things a father would teach his son. As the years move by, the film shifts its focus from Salvatore as a youth, turning into a coming of age drama. Connecting it all is a love of film and a grand old theatre, as Sal reflects on his life and Alfredo’s role in it from many years after the events of the film take place.
With the hour of excised footage being returned to the film, it’s one of those rare cases where it neither helps nor hinders the film. It’s a masterpiece before and a masterpiece after, unlike many films with new cuts containing a plethora of new material. Unlike Apocalypse Now, where the addition of plenty of new material takes a classic and waters it down, Cinema Paradiso is still the same great film before and after the footage. The film’s story is stronger than before, filling in the gaps of story the original film left open and giving the already powerful finale a higher level of intensity.
The Audio
Presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 format, both versions of the film have a tremendous audio track to them. The film’s score, one of the best of the last 50 years, comes through magnificently.
The Video
Presented in a widescreen format with a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, the picture has been given a bit of an upgrade as well. The new scenes and parts of the film included in the film mesh seamlessly with the material from the original cut shown in U.S theatres.
The Extras
For such a unique and great film, the new Limited Collecto’s Edition of Cinema Paradiso comes complete with a wide range of extras. Including theatrical trailers for both versions of the film, the film contains several new documentaries. The first is Exploring a Timeless Classic, which focuses on the film’s impact throughout the years. Featuring Tornatore, as well as some candid comments from Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers, this featurette is part autobiographical for the director and retrospective on the film. A flop in its native Italy, the film would be a rather remarkable success and did take home an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film. The film itself would be a shot in the arm for Italian film, and the feature’s main focus is a loving retrospect on Cinema Paradiso.
The other featurette is Little Italy Love Story: Cinema Paradiso Style, which focuses on the film’s impact on the city of Baltimore’s Little Italy Film Festival. Being the grand finale of the festival, this feature focuses on how the film appeals to a group of people who have come to see it for close to a decade.
There’s also a unique featurette to the DVD, Cucina Paradiso — A Food Network Tribute — Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello. Ripped from an initial television showing, this special has Chiarello making a meal from scratch (including drinks) to indulge in while watching the film.
Also included with this release is the CD Soundtrack, composed by Ennio Morricone, as well as reproductions of lobby cards and one sheet posters of the film in postcard sizes. A series of recipes inspired by the film, courtesy of the Food Network’s Michael Chiarello, come in a convenient brochure as well as a Commentary featuring Tornatore and Italian Film Expert Millicent Marcus on the U.S theatrical version is included as well.
The Inside Pulse
With the release of a single disc edition of the new Directo’s Cut of Cinema Paradiso, one could be tempted to merely pick up the new version to compliment the prior release. However, it’s well worth it to pick up this new version if only because it’s a complete version of the film. One gets both copies of the film as well as the soundtrack for much less than the combined cost of all three at Amazon.com and, as a bonus, comes in a nice display box. For one of the great films of our time, it’s a worthy investment.
| The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Cinema Paradiso: Limited Collecto’s Edition | |
