Magnificent.
I saw this movie for the first time a good few years ago, but I only decided to talk about it now, after seeing it again. For me, it is one of the best Italian films ever made. It's like a modern fairy tale, showing us the fascinating side of cinema and reminding us why we love it. Of course, everything passes, and cinema has gone through many phases, it has undergone metamorphoses, and the end of the great classic movie theaters was one of them. And now? The pandemic has shown us that cinema can learn to survive without its theaters. And if we consider the manufacture of televisions and sound systems increasingly “cinematic” and economically viable? Will the living room one day be our own private movie theater, with all the comfort and quality of the big screen?
The future is anyone's guess, and it's as wonderful as it is frightening, but let's put these digressions aside. Anyone who likes cinema should see this film. It has a good dose of nostalgia, it can move the audience (it moves me) and makes us think about life. It's a little difficult to explain, I think it's one of those films that manages to touch something personal in whoever sees it, and that's not easy to translate onto paper because no two lives are alike. It is also worth going to see the various films that appear on the screens of Paradise, and which are very fair tributes to several well-known films.
The cast has very strong names. It is one of the best films of Phillippe Noiret's career, which offers us such a good job that he could well have been nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor that year. Young Salvatore Cascio also does an excellent job and is believable in his role. Enzo Cannavale and Marco Leonardi also do an excellent job. Tornatore's steering is virtually flawless.
Technically, the film is equally remarkable: in addition to accurately recreating the times in which everything takes place, it perfectly shows the technical evolution of cinema, and the way in which the place itself – Giancaldo – changes over time. The choice of filming locations was careful, all the work with props, costumes and sets was meticulous, and the cinematography is very beautiful. The edition does not deserve any repairs, especially if we are talking about the extended version of the film. Ennio Morricone, with his work in this film, gives us one of the best soundtracks of his career, every melody is worth listening to.