Cinema Paradiso

Play trailer

Cinema Paradiso

PG

1988

2h 3m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

84 Reviews

96%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Young Salvatore Di Vita (Salvatore Cascio) discovers the perfect escape from life in his war-torn Sicilian village: the Cinema Paradiso movie house, where projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) instills in the boy a deep love of films. When Salvatore grows up, falls in love with a beautiful local girl (Agnese Nano) and takes over as the Paradiso's projectionist, Alfredo must convince Salvatore to leave his small town and pursue his passion for filmmaking.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Cinema Paradiso is a life-affirming ode to the power of youth, nostalgia, and the the movies themselves.

Read Critics Reviews

Tim Pulleine

Sight & Sound

01/11/2020

Cinema Paradiso itself possesses enough command and self-conviction to demonstrate that movies can still manage to manifest an alternative universe.

Go to Full Review

Adam Mars-Jones

Independent (UK)

12/06/2018

Giuseppe Tornatore, writer and director of Cinema Paradiso, knows that the way to make shameless wallowing palatable is to make no great claims for what you are resurrecting.

Go to Full Review

Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

metro.co.uk

09/06/2017

A cinema-lover's delight.

Go to Full Review

William Stottor

Loud and Clear Reviews

07/11/2024

5/5

One of the greatest Italian films, Cinema Paradiso is a special, timeless classic that will make you smile and weep in equal measure.

Go to Full Review

David Parkinson

Radio Times

07/01/2024

5/5

This is both an unashamedly sentimental rite-of-passage picture and a charming reminder of the lost magic of cinema-going.

Go to Full Review

Terry Francis

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

05/09/2023

3/4

The story is drawn from the director Giuseppe Tornatore's childhood memories, presented here as a series of loosely-linked episodes commemorating the importance of movies -- of art -- in the lives of people forced to manage on very little.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Nikhilesh

Sep 24

If you love movies this is a must watch. My gratitude to Regal Cinemas for playing this on the big screen.

See more

lisa f

07/27/2023

best movie i’ve seen in 20 years! loved it!

See more

Alcapp

09/02/2022

Cinema Paradiso us a wonderful heart warming film. Youll laugh youll cry youll reflect. The ending is magical.

See more

Ilias B

@RT68994946 1d

For me is between 5 best movies of all time, cinema at his best! It touched me so deeply, i lived in a village in the province until the age of 11 then i moved to the big city and i identified with many moments of the film. My uncle owned a warehouse in the village where a mobile cinema used to play films some times and i have so sweet memories!

See more

Arianna B

@Aryhann79 1d

A masterpiece. From the acting, to the scenography to, of course, the soundtrack. A great depiction of sicilian after war life in a small village, where ignorance, light mafia, passion are all mixed together to bring up a small kid into becoming "someone". There are some very vibrant moments in the movie, immersed in a small cascade of laughter. At the very end, it is somehow what love is in a movie that is projected in everyone's heart, but, in the short version of the movie there is not the full dimension of how this can be, also disappointing. Fantastic to watch with the whole family. Deep to understand people root and also how a lot of south italian moved north in the 60s, to find fortune and leave misery and more behind. I thought the last 10 minutes of the movie were a bit out of place, in terms of acting, with the characters aged. Not the same class as the rest of the movie. Still important for the story development though. A must!

See more

Tom T

@BTerry73 Jan 17

Absolutely love this movie!!! I am 73 and have watched a lot of movies in my life and this is one of those that more times I watch, the more I love it. Also, fact I do love movies is a big reason love this movie. The story and the cast is fantastic. It truly is a must see movie for anyone who loves movies or movie theaters.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Giuseppe Tornatore

Director

Salvatore Cascio

Salvatore 'Toto' Di Vita - Child

Philippe Noiret

Alfredo

Marco Leonardi

Salvatore 'Toto' Di Vita - Teenager

Jacques Perrin

Salvatore 'Toto' Di Vita - Adult

Agnese Nano

Elena Mendola

The Moderns

81%

64%

The Moderns

Watchlist

Jean de Florette

93%

95%

Jean de Florette

Watchlist

Monsignor

0%

17%

Monsignor

Watchlist

The Accidental Tourist

82%

60%

The Accidental Tourist

Watchlist

Rain Man

88%

90%

Rain Man

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Neve Campbell’s Five Favorite Films

Lorene Scafaria’s Five Favorite Films

Five Favourite Films with Diego Luna

View more photos

Synopsis

Young Salvatore Di Vita (Salvatore Cascio) discovers the perfect escape from life in his war-torn Sicilian village: the Cinema Paradiso movie house, where projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) instills in the boy a deep love of films. When Salvatore grows up, falls in love with a beautiful local girl (Agnese Nano) and takes over as the Paradiso's projectionist, Alfredo must convince Salvatore to leave his small town and pursue his passion for filmmaking.

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Producer: Mino Barbera, Franco Cristaldi, Giovanna Romagnoli
Screenwriter: Giuseppe Tornatore
Distributor: Miramax Films, HBO
Production Co: Cristaldi Film
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 23, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.1M
Runtime: 2h 3m

Most Popular at Home Now