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From May 23, 2007 issue Scripted foreign flick is 'fantastico' One Italian movie that got a lot of attention way back in 1998, both because of its radical treatment of a delicate subject (the Holocaust), and because of its radical, eccentric star, Roberto Bernigni. "La Vita e Bella" ("Life is Beautiful") won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film that year, and introduced many audiences to the added dimension of subtitles. I remember watching many people turn around and leave the box office when they read the posted sign: "In Italian with English subtitles." Now, unless they were illiterate, they missed out on a device that can draw the viewer into the story on a deeper level. Reading the script while listening to the native language and watching the film can make the movie going experience much more intimate and personal. "Babette's Feast" (1988, Denmark, Best Foreign Language Film Oscar) was one of the first subtitled movies that really knocked me out. The story has a lot to do with food, so that helped, too. But if you want to see a movie-lover's movie, I implore you to rent, buy, borrow from the library, or download "Cinema Paradiso" (1990, Italy, Best Foreign Language Film). If you don't cry during the final scene, then you're not a movie lover. Or, you're illiterate, in which case you're not reading this, so you probably won't watch it anyway. A famous Hollywood movie director, Salvatore (Jacques Perin), returns home to his Sicilian village after being away for 30 years. His mother called to tell him an old friend had died, and he should return for the funeral. As he comes home, he reminisces about his childhood in this idyllic town and the tremendous impact his friendship with Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) had on his life. As a boy, Salvatore (Salvatore Cascio) spends most of his time at the Cinema Paradiso, in the projection room with Alfredo. Alfredo teaches him the changing of the reels and the oiling of the projector, and basic life lessons about love and family. He shows him how to edit out the forbidden scenes (mostly kisses and bare legs), as dictated by the village priest (Leopoldo Treiste). Through the hole in the projection room wall, little Salvatore witnesses movie upon movie, and his neighbors' reactions to them. He grows into adolescence and falls madly for Elena (Agnese Nano), but remains under Alfredo's tutelage, manning the projector on Alfredo's days off. There's the Romeo-and-Juliet action between their families, as Elena's father does not approve of Salvatore. Then the going-off-to-war for Salvatore, missing Elena and her pining for him as she continues her schooling. Through all of it, the slow, tranquil pace of a 1930s Italian village basks the story in a romantic, far-away shade, lovely and inviting. The present day reunion between Salvatore and his old mother and grown-up sister glares with the tensions of modern-day adult concerns, regrets and hang-ups. You just want it to go back to the way it was. But, of course, it can never be again, and you must say goodbye to the past and to dead friends. When Salvatore sees the gift that Alfredo left behind for him, the scene is a perfect movie moment - full of tenderness, joy, sorrow and completeness. Believe me, it's worth reading a few subtitles to get to that point. The film is beautiful. MOVIE RATING: 9 out of 10 or almost a full bucket. Jenny Herron will return to author "Pick of the Flicks" after she returns from a trip to Italy. Ciao!
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From June 20, 2007 issue •
1,000
homes...and counting
•
Iron
Angels fly into Indy •
School
group gives $100K •
Hoosier
Hysteria! •
Pick
of the Flicks (Movie
review) •
Another
Time - Another Place •
Coz'
Corner •
Reality As I See It |
