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Cinema Paradiso Essay

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Cinema Paradiso: Still Relevant Today Released in 1988 by director Giuseppe Tomatore, “Cinema Paradiso” follows the life of a young boy in Italy who dreams of being a filmmaker. The road the boy, who eventually becomes a famous Italian film director named Salvatore Di Vita, takes to reach his goal is difficult and includes many sacrifices and trade-offs. Today, the film is widely regarded as one of the most popular foreign films ever to be released in the United States. Given that foreign films are fairly common in America, it is fair to consider why “Cinema Paradiso” received such critical acclaim, as well as relative mainstream popularity. “Cinema Paradiso” received critical and popular praise because the film includes several timeless themes …show more content…

Another major character in the film is Elena, a woman who Salvatore is deeply in love with. Unfortunately, Elena’s father does not approve of Salvatore, and Salvatore is not even able to send her a letter while he is undergoing his military service (Abrams, 2010). Upon his return, Salvatore is faced with a very difficult choice; he must choose between staying his hometown and trying to find Elena, or he can pursue his dream of becoming a director. Di Vita decides to follow his dream, with the result being leaving his first love interest behind. Today, many people of all cultures face this difficult choice in their lives. With the economy being slow, succeeding in one’s career and finding love are often mutually exclusive scenarios. Many viewers will emphasize with Salvatore’s brutally difficult decision, one that they might have had to deal with themselves at some point in their …show more content…

The importance a mentor can play in a person’s life is something that many viewers will have experienced, while the hard decision between love and ambition is another familiar feeling. Many American viewers will see the scenes involving censorship and consider how the modern American government is practicing authority overreach, just as the priest was doing in Salvatore’s hometown. These themes make “Cinema Paradiso” both insightful as well as entertaining, and help explain its popularity

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