Cinema Paradiso

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Cinema Paradiso

PG

1988

2h 3m

Drama

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90%

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84 Reviews

96%

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50,000+ Ratings

Young Salvatore Di Vita (Salvatore Cascio) discovers the perfect escape from life in his war-torn Sicilian village: the Cinema Paradiso movie house, where projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) instills in the boy a deep love of films. When Salvatore grows up, falls in love with a beautiful local girl (Agnese Nano) and takes over as the Paradiso's projectionist, Alfredo must convince Salvatore to leave his small town and pursue his passion for filmmaking.

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Critics Consensus

Cinema Paradiso is a life-affirming ode to the power of youth, nostalgia, and the the movies themselves.

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Tim Pulleine

Sight & Sound

01/11/2020

Cinema Paradiso itself possesses enough command and self-conviction to demonstrate that movies can still manage to manifest an alternative universe.

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Adam Mars-Jones

Independent (UK)

12/06/2018

Giuseppe Tornatore, writer and director of Cinema Paradiso, knows that the way to make shameless wallowing palatable is to make no great claims for what you are resurrecting.

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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

metro.co.uk

09/06/2017

A cinema-lover's delight.

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William Stottor

Loud and Clear Reviews

07/11/2024

5/5

One of the greatest Italian films, Cinema Paradiso is a special, timeless classic that will make you smile and weep in equal measure.

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

07/01/2024

5/5

This is both an unashamedly sentimental rite-of-passage picture and a charming reminder of the lost magic of cinema-going.

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Terry Francis

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

05/09/2023

3/4

The story is drawn from the director Giuseppe Tornatore's childhood memories, presented here as a series of loosely-linked episodes commemorating the importance of movies -- of art -- in the lives of people forced to manage on very little.

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Nikhilesh

Sep 24

If you love movies this is a must watch. My gratitude to Regal Cinemas for playing this on the big screen.

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lisa f

07/27/2023

best movie i’ve seen in 20 years! loved it!

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Alcapp

09/02/2022

Cinema Paradiso us a wonderful heart warming film. Youll laugh youll cry youll reflect. The ending is magical.

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Coni V.

@conipsv May 2

Maybe the best movie I’ve ever seen. Its greatest charm is that the movie knows itself. Nostalgia feeds off of there being no resolution. This movie doesn’t try to give you a resolution either.

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Hao Ian L

@HaOiAn Apr 25

Tornatore's love letter to not just the silver screen but to the messy and heartbreaking beauty of growing up.

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Ilias B

@RT68994946 Apr 4

For me is between 5 best movies of all time, cinema at his best! It touched me so deeply, i lived in a village in the province until the age of 11 then i moved to the big city and i identified with many moments of the film. My uncle owned a warehouse in the village where a mobile cinema used to play films some times and i have so sweet memories!

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Giuseppe Tornatore

Director

Salvatore Cascio

Salvatore 'Toto' Di Vita - Child

Philippe Noiret

Alfredo

Marco Leonardi

Salvatore 'Toto' Di Vita - Teenager

Jacques Perrin

Salvatore 'Toto' Di Vita - Adult

Agnese Nano

Elena Mendola

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81%

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Synopsis

Young Salvatore Di Vita (Salvatore Cascio) discovers the perfect escape from life in his war-torn Sicilian village: the Cinema Paradiso movie house, where projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) instills in the boy a deep love of films. When Salvatore grows up, falls in love with a beautiful local girl (Agnese Nano) and takes over as the Paradiso's projectionist, Alfredo must convince Salvatore to leave his small town and pursue his passion for filmmaking.

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Producer: Mino Barbera, Franco Cristaldi, Giovanna Romagnoli
Screenwriter: Giuseppe Tornatore
Distributor: Miramax Films, HBO
Production Co: Cristaldi Film
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 23, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.1M
Runtime: 2h 3m