This film is exquisitely poignant. Giuseppe Tornatore expresses his overpowering love of movies by giving his viewers a genuinely magnificent movie to love and treasure. The final scene is a perfect blend of film editing and soundtrack music. Anyone whose eyes are still dry half way into that glorious scene needs to see a cardiologist ASAP. Cudos to the great Ennio Morricone & son Andrea. Many reviewers insist that the shorter, theatrical-release version is superior to the director's cut. The full-length version makes a central character morally ambiguous, in contrast to the uniformly benevolent father figure depicted in the shorter version. In the long version this character commits an act similar to but far crueler than the behavior of another character who is ridiculed early on. Most new viewers will watch the full-length film. The shorter version is more satisfying for those who secretly prefer fairy tales in which the good guys & bad guys are consistently good guys & bad guys. Viewers who can handle a realistic dose of moral ambiguity owe it to themselves to see the real reel.
Review of Cinema Paradiso
