The Stars of Stage and Screen…Song #49/250: Love Theme by Ennio Morricone from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the Film Cinema Paradiso

Welcome back. It is nice to have you here again. I hope that your holidays went well and that you are all set for another year of writing about music and the stories behind the world’s most memorable songs. As always, your presence makes this blog better. Please feel free to share your thoughts, your stories and your questions in the comment box below this post. Thanks again for being here. I am happy to see you all. That said, let’s get this show on the road. Here we go!!! 

Waaaay back when I was still a bachelor boy, I went through a phase when I was very much into foreign films. I wasn’t married nor had any children so I had plenty of time to plunge headlong into various things that interested me. Thanks to the wonder of Blockbuster Video, foreign films became one of those things. For those who are too young to have ever experienced the wonderful feeling of being able to wander through aisles and aisles of nothing but movies, movies, movies, you don’t really know what you are missing. This was the pre-internet, pre-streaming, pre-digital download days when you would get in your car, drive to the nearest Blockbuster location and hope like heck that the movie you wanted to see was in stock. Most times it was but on those occasions when all of the available copies had already been borrowed, you would find yourself cast into the aisles of the movies that were not new releases to see what you could scrounge from those racks. It was on one such occasion that I discovered the foreign film aisle. That visit also coincided with the upcoming Academy Awards ceremonies so there was a special display set up for Best International Film nominees. It was from this display that I ended up watching films like Fanny and Alexander by Ingemar Bergmann, The Decline of the American Empire and Jesus of Montreal by Canada’s own Denys Arcand, Babette’s Feast by Gabriel Axel, Pelle the Conqueror by Bille August, along with non-nominated films such as the original German version of Das Boot, Run, Lola! Run!, City of God and, of course, a few years later, the wonderful, award winning film, Life is Beautiful. All of these films told stories that appeared fresh to my eyes and for that I was extremely grateful. Part of growing as a human is being exposed to different cultures and, through that, different myths, legends, history and art. It never bothered me at all that most of these films were presented in languages other than English. Reading subtitles became just a different way to listen to the beautiful dialogue present in all of these films. In fact, I contend that many of these movies are diminished when they are presented with English dialogue dubbed over the film as it plays. There is something more authentic to the storytelling aspect of a movie when the dialogue is presented in a language that makes the most sense for the film. And so it was that I began finding myself drawn directly into the foreign film aisle at Blockbuster on purpose. It was during one of those visits that I came across a movie that had won the Academy Award in 1988 for Best International Film. That movie was called Cinema Paradiso. It was an Italian movie directed by a man named Giuseppe Tornatore and quite simply, it is the most beautiful movie I have ever watched in my life! I have cried during movies a few times in my life but nothing like what happened in this movie. Cinema Paradiso made me bawl like a child. It did so not because the movie was sad but, quite the opposite, I cried because the movie was heartbreakingly beautiful. I have never seen the concept of love expressed so perfectly as it was in this film. It was just so uplifting as to almost be glorious. So, as we begin a new year together I felt that it was the right time to share with all of you the story of one of my favourite movies of all time Cinema Paradiso and from it, a wonderfully used piece of instrumental music known simply as “Love Theme” by Ennio Marricone.

Cinema Paradiso is a movie that is set in a sleepy little town after the end of WWII. There are no big action scenes in this film. Instead, it is a character-driven movie that tells its story through the relationships and idiosyncrasies of the people who populate this small, quaint town. In the centre of the town there is a small theatre known as the Cinema Paradiso. It is through the movies that come to the cinema that many of the townsfolk form their views of the outside world. Thus, the cinema plays an important role in shaping the opinions and personalities of those who live there. There are many, many scenes involving a variety of characters, each of whom contribute something of worth to the overall story arc of the film. However, it is the relationship between the cinema’s projectionist named Alfredo and a young boy named Salvatore that drives the emotional storyline of the film. Salvatore is a mere child when his parents first take him to see the talking movies at the cinema. He is instantly captivated with the images and the sounds and demands to know more about how the magic happens. He ends up finding Alfredo in the projectionist booth. He pesters and begs Alfredo to allow him to stay and to teach him the magic of movies. Initially Alfredo adopts a crusty air and tries to shoo the boy away. In time, Salvatore’s innocence wins him over and Alfredo starts to teach him the art of being a projectionist. In doing so, Alfredo also begins to teach Salvatore about the actors he is watching and about other places around the world such as Paris and New York. Despite his studies with Alfredo, Salvatore is shielded from a secret about his town that no one else was privy to. It turned out that Alfredo had been under strict orders from the local priest to censor the films that were played at the cinema. Before ever showing a new movie to the townsfolk, Alfredo would screen the movie himself and, by using scissors, would physically cut out any scene that showed physical affection. Thus, the projection booth floor would be littered with snippets of film that showed hugging and kissing. Alfredo would tape the film back together after removing the romantic scenes. He would play the film for his audiences who would watch the movie completely unaware that scenes had been removed. Thus, the people of the town were denied access to scenes of love. 

As Salvatore grows into a teenage boy, he meets a young girl with whom he develops romantic feelings. By this time, Alfredo has become more than a mere projectionist and mentor to Salvatore. He has taken on a father-like role in his life. Alfredo knows about romantic love because he has seen the Hollywood actors kissing on screen. He also knows that there is a whole world of wonder beyond the limits of their small town. So Alfredo begins the process of encouraging Salvatore to not only follow his heart in terms of chasing after the girl that he desires but also, of preparing him to leave the town and make a name for himself in the real world that exists only in most people’s imaginations. He does all of this even though he knows that the boy is the source of much of the happiness he experiences in life. This relationship between Alfredo and Salvatore deepens when Alfredo is blinded in a fire and can no longer run the film projector. This accident places Salvatore in the unique position of being gatekeeper of information for the people in his town. He becomes the projectionist because he is the only one who knows how to run the projector properly. It is around this time that the girl of his dreams leaves the town thus breaking his young heart in the deeply profound ways that happens to all young people sooner or later. His innocence is further eroded when Alfredo informs him of his secret role as film censor. Suddenly Salvatore feels angry at having been denied access to images of love that may have helped him to better approach his dream girl. He also feels the strain of wanting to chase after this girl and explore the world beyond the town limits with the responsibility he feels as the only one who can run the films at the cinema. If he leaves, where will the good people of his town get their information from? It is a lot for a young boy to deal with. In the end, Alfredo tells him that he has no choice but to choose love. So Salvatore leaves Alfredo and the cinema and the people he loves in the town and heads out into the world.

When the movie Cinema Paradiso opens, we find a much older Salvatore receiving the news that his friend Alfredo has died. In flashbacks, he explains to his wife who Alfredo was. It is at this moment that we learn that Salvatore has become a filmmaker. We also learn that Alfredo’s parting words of advice to young Salvatore when he was preparing to leave was that he should never come back. Alfredo told him that leaving would change him and change the way he viewed the town and those who lived there. Alfredo encouraged Salvatore to leave and never look back. This is what Salvatore had done for the next thirty years. The message that his friend had died and that a funeral was being held brought Salvatore back to his hometown. As Alfredo had predicted, being away had changed everything for Salvatore. However once he was back at the funeral, Salvatore learned that Alfredo had followed his exploits the entire time that he was gone and that his every accomplishment had filled the old man with pride. Salvatore also learned that Alfredo had left him a special gift in his will. The moment that Salvatore discovers what this gift is and gets to experience it is the moment that wrenched my heart completely from my body. I am teary at the memory of it. It is also at this moment of discovery by Salvatore that the “Love Theme” plays in the background. This musical score was composed by Italian composer Ennio Marricone. He is the man who is most famous for the score of the film The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. While most well known for his work in Italy’s famous “spaghetti westerns”, Marricone’s arrangement during “Love Theme” in Cinema Paradiso perfectly complements the onscreen emotions of the moment in a way that you just have to watch the movie to appreciate fully. 

As we start our new year together on this blog, I do so with the firmest, highest and most fervent recommendation that I can make…if you have never watched Cinema Paradiso before then do yourself a favour and watch it at your earliest convenience. Watch the whole movie, subtitles and all. It is an absolute cinematic masterpiece. It won the Academy Award for Best International Film for a reason. I cannot think of a greater accomplishment in life than to love someone as deeply as Alfredo and Salvatore loved each other and then, to be able to express that love as fully as Alfredo does in the form of the gift that he bequeaths to Salvatore at the movie’s end. Many movie critics agree that the success of Cinema Paradiso helped revive the Italian film industry and helped make possible the creation of a movie such as Life Is Beautiful a few years later. Foreign films and the stories they tell have helped to make me a better person, of that I have no doubt. Trust me when I tell you that not all of the best stories are told in English and not every film needs to be filled with car chases and huge explosions to capture your attention. Thanks for reading my words as the year begins anew. If there are foreign films that you have watched and liked, feel free to let me know in the comments below. Until then, take care, Bye for now. 

***Normally I encourage my readers to explore the content contained in the links that follow. However, in this case, I offer one word of caution. Viewing the links will reveal what Alfredo’s gift to Salvatore was. Seeing that bit of information would probably blunt the emotional impact of watching the movie if you have never watched it before. Therefore, DO NOT watch the content of the links if you plan to watch the film. If you have already seen this movie or have no plans to view it ever then, by all means, avail yourselves of the information found by clicking on the live links.

The link to the video for the trailer to the movie Cinema Paradiso can be found here.

The link to the video for the composition “Love Theme” by Ennio Marricone from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the Film Cinema Paradiso can be found here.

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