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Cinema Paradiso Poster

Cinema Paradiso

An enchanted village. A wonderful friendship. Star-crossed lovers. And the magic of the movies.
1988 | 124m | Italian

(306424 votes)

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Popularity: 6 (history)

Details

A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.
Release Date: Nov 17, 1988
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Writer: Giuseppe Tornatore, Vanna Paoli
Genres: Drama, Romance
Keywords sicily, italy, kiss, flashback, haunted by the past, nuovo cinema paradiso, comforting, parent child relationship, movie business, coming of age, magic realism, censorship, movie theater, compassionate
Production Companies TF1 Films Production, RAI, Les Films Ariane, Tre Forum
Box Office Revenue: $11,990,401
Budget: $5,000,000
Updates Updated: Jul 17, 2025 (Update)
Entered: Feb 27, 2025
Trailers and Extras

Full Credits

Name Character
Philippe Noiret Alfredo
Jacques Perrin Salvatore 'Totò' Di Vita (adult)
Marco Leonardi Salvatore 'Totò' Di Vita (teen)
Salvatore Cascio Salvatore 'Totò' Di Vita (child)
Agnese Nano Elena Mendola (teen) / Elena's daughter (in Director's cut)
Antonella Attili Maria Di Vita (young)
Pupella Maggio Maria Di Vita (aged)
Enzo Cannavale Spaccafico
Isa Danieli Anna
Leo Gullotta Ignazio, usher
Leopoldo Trieste Father Adelfio
Tano Cimarosa Fabbro, blacksmith
Nicola Di Pinto Village idiot
Roberta Lena Lia
Nino Terzo Peppino's Father
Turi Giuffrida
Mimmo Mignemi
Mariella Lo Giudice
Giorgio Libassi
Beatrice Palme
Ignazio Pappalardo
Angela Leontini
Turi Killer
Angelo Tosto
Franco Catalano
Nellina Lagana
Margherita Mignemi
Giuseppe Pellegrino
Concetta Borpagano
Brigitte Fossey Elena Mendola (adult) (in Director's cut) (uncredited)
Giuseppe Tornatore Projectionist (uncredited)
Name Job
Giuseppe Tornatore Director, Story, Screenplay
Ennio Morricone Original Music Composer
Blasco Giurato Director of Photography
Alberto Doni Sound Mixer
Vanna Paoli Writer
Giovanni Corridori Special Effects Coordinator
Andrea Morricone Additional Soundtrack
Angelo Ragusa Stunts
Luca Montanari Assistant Editor
Maurizio Trani Makeup Artist
Luigi Bonanno Assistant Costume Designer
Alvaro Passeri Animation
Paolo Borselli Hairstylist
Danilo Bollettini Special Effects
Andrea Crisanti Production Design
Giuseppe Giglietti Assistant Director
Giuseppe Di Biase Camera Operator
Massimo Anzellotti Sound Effects Editor
Dan Edelstein Supervising Sound Editor
Beatrice Bordone Costume Design
Franco Tamponi Musician
Mario Morra Editor
Name Title
Giovanna Romagnoli Producer
Franco Cristaldi Producer
Organization Category Person
Berlin International Film Festival Best Director Giuseppe Tornatore Won
Berlin International Film Festival Best Supporting Actor Philippe Noiret Won
Berlin International Film Festival Best Picture N/A Won
Cannes Film Festival Best Picture Giuseppe Tornatore Won
Venice Film Festival Best Supporting Actress N/A Won
Venice Film Festival Best Picture N/A Nominated
Venice Film Festival Best Director Giuseppe Tornatore Won
BAFTA Awards Best Picture N/A Won
Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 4 44 76 27
2024 5 42 57 32
2024 6 45 61 32
2024 7 50 76 31
2024 8 37 54 25
2024 9 31 43 23
2024 10 43 82 22
2024 11 37 68 26
2024 12 38 53 29
2025 1 36 50 28
2025 2 28 41 6
2025 3 11 37 3
2025 4 7 9 5
2025 5 6 7 5
2025 6 5 5 4
2025 7 5 8 4
2025 8 5 7 4
2025 9 7 8 6

Trending Position


Year Month High Avg
2025 9 241 669
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2025 8 184 673
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2025 7 97 495
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2025 6 222 639
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2025 5 261 655
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2025 4 222 731
Year Month High Avg
2025 3 270 644
Year Month High Avg
2025 2 586 683

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Reviews

tanty
8.0

Nice comedy-drama about the youth at the small town of an Italian kid. ...

Jun 23, 2021
shiri4frnz
10.0

**Soulful** Why did it had to end... The movie was like a breath of fresh air.Every thing about it was so refreshing and soulful that you can never get bored of it.It's one of those movies that you can watch again and again and again...The music, the story, the acting, the direction, the editing, ... all of it makes this an absolutely beautiful gem of a movie. One of the best movies that i ever saw and will ever see not because it was any different from other movies or better written, directed or acted, but because it's MAGIC, it stays with you.The soul of the movie stays with you beyond the credits.It stays with you forever. I just can't stop smiling remembering the scenes, the smiles on the characters faces, the music... Everybody who wants to FEEL happiness must watch this movie.In one word it's just SOULFUL !!

Jun 23, 2021
tmdb86370050
9.0

When you think about cinematography, nowadays you usually think about digital cinematography. But during the early '50s, '60s, and onward, there was a use of this thing called film. Film was what they used in cameras before cameras actually saved them into memory slots digitally. Projectionists actu ... ally had to crank the film projectors early on, before the automatic film projectors started coming in, otherwise the film would catch on fire. This movie is about friendship between a projectionist in a film watcher/altar boy, and the film watcher/altar boy was young, maybe 4th grade age. This movie is great! I haven't seen foreign films, in fact, this is the first foreign film I've ever seen. But I'm glad this is the first one to be a foreign film that is a first for me. Want to know why? Because this movie is phenomenal! The little soundtrack that there is has been greatly by whoever composed it. Jacquees Perrin is a good adult version of Toto. The only bad thing I have to say about this is the lack of character development in terms of Elena's character development. I mean, she is a love interest for until Salvatore gets back to the town after his stint in the military, and then she is never heard from again. This movie is a classic, and it is also the definition of a classic. Anyone who watches movies, or plans to see a movie should watch this movie. This is a must see film for any era, and any generation of film viewers.

Jun 23, 2021
FilipeManuelNeto
10.0

**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 i ... t. 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.

Apr 03, 2023