Cinema Paradiso

Director: Giuseppe Tarnatore

1988 / 155min / DCP

Famed director Salvatore embarks on a journey into his past—and his nascent cinephilia—upon receiving news of the death of his mentor, village cinema projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret), which prompts him to leave Rome and return to his Sicilian hometown. Comprised largely of flashbacks which follow Salvatore as, under Alfredo’s tutelage, he grows from movie mad preadolescence to the threshold of adult ambition, Tornatore’s beloved ode to a lost paradise of popular cinema, set to a swooning score by Ennio and Andrea Morricone, has been a shining beacon for movie lovers since becoming a surprise international hit on its initial release.

Part of Close-Up: Films on Film