Released: 1988
Cast: Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Antonella Attili, Pupella Maggio, Salvatore Cascio
Oscar Wins: Best Foreign Language Film (Italy)
SUMMARY: In the later 1980s, successful Italian movie director Salvatore Di Vita (Jacques Perrin) learns that a man named Alfredo has died. The news came from Salvatore’s mother, whom he has not seen in over 30 years, as he has not returned home in that time. As he lays in bed that night, Salvatore flashes back to his childhood, beginning in the years after World War II. Toto (Salvatore Cascio), as he is called then, loves everything about the movies. He frequently sneaks into the projection booth, to the annoyance of the projectionist, Alfredo (Philippe Noiret). Toto sees how before each film is shown to the townspeople, the local priest reviews it; he then indicates portions that should be censored, like kissing scenes. Alfredo then cuts these portions out of the film and throws the into a pile in the booth. Toto often steals a handful of these cut scenes when visiting the booth. He desperately wants to learn how to operate the projector, but Alfredo only shoos him away. Alfredo tells Toto that he is meant for bigger and better things: he, Alfredo, only operates the projector because he does not have the education to do anything else. In fact, Alfredo and Toto take the same elementary-level exit exam. When Alfredo struggles, he asks Toto for help; Toto agrees only on the condition that Alfredo teach him to run the projector. Alfredo agrees, and the two begin to spend most of their time together in the projection booth. One evening, they show a movie on an outside wall to an overflow crowd, and Toto goes down to join them. While Alfredo is alone in the booth, the nitrate film catches fire, and the booth erupts into flames. Alfredo tries to put out the fire, but the reels explode in his face and knock him unconscious (also blinding him permanently). It is Toto who rushes back inside and drags Alfredo away from the fire. The townspeople are devastated at the loss of the theater, so one of them, who has recently won the lottery, decides to rebuild it. Since Alfredo is now blind, Toto is the only one capable of running the projector. Even though he is only a child (5th or 6th grade), he is hired to run the machine; Alfredo soon joins him in the booth.
Toto (Marco Leonardi) continues to run the projector all the way through school, with Alfredo right beside him. Alfredo has become both a mentor and a father-figure to Toto, whose real father died in a Soviet prison camp. Toto has also started to make his own home movies, and it is through this medium that he first sees Elena. Elena is the daughter of a banker who has just moved to town, and Toto instantly falls in love with her. She does not return his feelings, but after seeing how hard he is working to win her affection, she falls in love with him. Unfortunately, her father does not approve of the relationship, and the family soon moves out of town. Elena continues to sneak back to town to see Toto, always finding him at the theater. When Toto has to leave for mandatory military service, Elena is supposed to see him off, but she never comes. Toto often writes to her during his time in the army, but all of the letters are returned to him. When his service is over Toto returns to his hometown and reunites with Alfredo. The old man advises him to leave town and pursue his dreams, but tells Toto that he must never come back, permanently or on a visit, and that he must not communicate with those left behind. Toto ultimately obeys Alfredo, and leaves town. Thirty years later, he returns for Alfredo’s funeral. When he gets back, he sees many of the same old townspeople; he also sees the theater, which has been closed, sold, and is due to be demolished. After the funeral, Alfredo’s widow gives Salvatore the old stool that he once stood on to reach the projector and a film reel. Salvatore returns to Rome and plays the reel in a private theater. To his amazement, it contains the scenes that Alfredo had censored from films for all those years, spliced together into one movie.
MY TAKE: As a movie lover, I have to appreciate this movie because it captures the magic of cinema. There’s something undefinable, yet really special about movies for me, and this film was about a boy (and a man) who felt the same way; in a way, the movie was a tribute to this feeling. Aside from that, it’s just a really good story. Alfredo is a pretty unlikely father figure for Toto, and he really has no desire to be in that role. He does not want to teach Toto to run the projector because he thinks it’s a dead-end job and lifestyle, but Toto is so persistent that he eventually gives in. As he teaches Toto to use the projector, the two develop a very close bond; it is Toto who runs back into the burning theater to save Alfredo, not the manager or another adult. It is also Toto who agrees to run the projector as a child, so that the theater can stay open. Naturally, Alfredo can’t stay away, and even though he’s blind he can still teach Toto about projectors — and life. It’s also a fairly humorous film, especially in terms of the minor characters. Most of the townspeople are regulars at the movie theaters, and quite a few of them have discernable identities: there’s the town loon who claims that the square is his personal property (good-naturedly ignored by everybody else), the rich guy who sits in the balcony and spits when he disagrees with something; the guy who cusses the rich guy out; the guy who sleeps through every movie, leading children to play numerous pranks on him, and the town Mafia boss, whose spot is reserved even after he dies. I was a little confused about why Alfredo insisted Toto never return if he left home, and never communicate, but I suppose that if Toto were to do these things, he would not be able to totally let go of his past and pursue his future. Toto does experience some nostalgia when he returns, but his hometown has changed dramatically, and sadly: the theater is closed and about to be knocked down. Maybe it’s better to let things live in happy memories.
RATING: Bittersweet, but really good.
The Movie Bucket List 