Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Cinema Paradiso

Play trailer Poster for Cinema Paradiso PG Released Feb 23, 1988 2h 3m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 86 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 Buy Now

Where to Watch

Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso

What to Know

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (86) Critics Reviews
Tim Pulleine Guardian The skill of Cinema Paradiso happily manages to suggest that such a legacy has not entirely evaporated. At any rate, I find the experience it offers an enchanting one. Jul 26, 2022 Full Review Tim Pulleine Sight & Sound Cinema Paradiso itself possesses enough command and self-conviction to demonstrate that movies can still manage to manifest an alternative universe. Jan 11, 2020 Full Review Adam Mars-Jones Independent (UK) 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. Dec 6, 2018 Full Review William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews One of the greatest Italian films, Cinema Paradiso is a special, timeless classic that will make you smile and weep in equal measure. Rated: 5/5 Jul 11, 2024 Full Review David Parkinson Radio Times This is both an unashamedly sentimental rite-of-passage picture and a charming reminder of the lost magic of cinema-going. Rated: 5/5 Jul 1, 2024 Full Review Terry Francis Southern Voice (Atlanta) 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. Rated: 3/4 May 9, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
lisa f best movie i’ve seen in 20 years! loved it! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/27/23 Full Review Alcapp Cinema Paradiso us a wonderful heart warming film. Youll laugh youll cry youll reflect. The ending is magical. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/02/22 Full Review Will G One of my favorite movies! It’s an Italian movie about a boy who is friends with a projectionist. The he grows up and falls in love. The music was made by Ennio Morricone. There are scenes of old films in this movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/31/25 Full Review Tom S A beautiful film worthy of all the awards it got. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/20/24 Full Review Trent K My second favorite film of all time. Cinema Paradiso is a film that is very personal and very special to me. It scares me because of how similar it is to my life. This film moves me in ways no other film can just by how personal it is. It deeply upsets me and hurts me because of how heartbreaking and how beautiful and how raw the film is and how much it mirrors my own life back when I was growing up in Romania. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/15/24 Full Review Marcus P A true Italian classic which commentates on topics such as nostalgia, love, and cinema itself. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Cinema Paradiso

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All Cast and Crew

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

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
The Moderns 81% 64% The Moderns Watchlist Jean de Florette 91% 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
View All Cinema Paradiso photos

Cinema Paradiso

Jacques Perrin and Brigitte Fossey in Giuseppe Tornatore's CINEMA PARADISO. View more photos

Movie Info

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