For someone like me who likes movies as much as watching movies, Cinema Paradise is actually a history of how people watch movies.
Of course, in a country like Italy, where there are many famous directors and countless business cards, this movie "Paradise Cinema" from the realist film upstart Gisébe Tonadore is undoubtedly a rare art blockbuster. It's a classic needless to say. Watching this warm and soothing film, it is very easy to recall Tonadore's next masterpiece "The Beautiful Legend of Sicily" (also known as "Malena"). In 2001, the film lost to Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and missed the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, but the background of both stories is "World War II", both have a growing young boy and love, and the style of the film is also different. Very consistent, but the latter method is more skilled. Together with The Pianist at Sea (1998), the three films are considered Tonadore's "Coming Home Trilogy".
Giuseppe Tonadore, the director of the famous Italian neorealist film genre, was born in May 1956, and must have been someone whose films left a special mark on his childhood. And "Paradise Cinema" is not only a warm and touching film, but also a textbook-style film that allows people to witness the magic of film and tell some early film history.
"Paradise Cinema" was released in 1988, which was the 93rd year of the film's birth. It is said that when the film came out in France in 1895, it was not only black and white but silent (silent film), but also considered to be a low-level toy invention, which was difficult to be seen, and was usually only shown in the basement of a bar. Although we cannot know today how people watched movies at that time and what kind of spiritual experiences they had, "Cinema Paradise" gives us the most vivid explanation.
First of all, "Cinema Paradise" tells a tear-jerking story about movies, showing movies, not father and son better than father and son, and even traditional love. According to the description of the film, the background of this story is roughly between the 1940s and 1960s, when the film as a modern entertainment medium entered a glorious period in the world.
In the film, there is a large square in the village of Ji'anga on the island of Sicily, which is the political center of the whole village. There is a small church on the square and a cinema called "Paradise Theater". Interestingly, the film not only shows many early Italian black-and-white films through the story itself, but also accompanies the development of the protagonist Duoduo's childhood experience from watching movies to replacing old projectionists to play movies. how to see a movie:
1, movie review
movie, pastor of the church is every movie content censors. After a day of work, the old pastor sat quietly in the church and enjoyed those black and white films. His inspection standard was very simple, "Kissing is pornography", so the pastor's inspection work is very competent and experienced. Whenever there is a scene where he is suspected to be kissing, he is ready to ring the bell in his hand with fierce light and righteousness, and the old projectionist upstairs hurries away the film, and spares countless spare parts from the wall. Take out one of the small pieces of paper and insert it into the copy to cover it. Once a copy is made, several sheets of paper are often used.
The priest's power is not only to check the content, but also to play the movie. His work was so successful that, as a result, all the kissing scenes in the film were cut out by projectionists, and the piles were dumped and dusted in the cramped projection room, which the village, men, women and children had never seen in 20 years. Any kiss scene, deeply dissatisfied.
Ten years later, Duoduo has also become an experienced projectionist. But the pastor is gone, and facing the kissing men and women on the screen, the men who seem to have discovered a new world can't help but jump with surprise and shout: "Oh my God - they are kissing!"
2. The movie magic
"Paradise Cinema" revolves around childhood The long-term friendship between Duo Duo and the old projectionist begins.
For Duo Duo, the old projectionist is not only the only one in the village who can show movies, but also gives Duo Duo, who has no father, precious fatherly love. Although people liked watching movies at the time, projectionist was a "useless person" job. However, Duoduo is very envious and close to the old projectionist.
However, Duoduo is more interested in the cut-off copies. He was granted access to the projection room by an old projectionist, learned how to operate a projector inadvertently, and his nature and love of movies were infinitely satisfied. Those magical films that are still but can release moving pictures are like magic, which is another world for Duo Duo. Duoduo takes home the scraps of film he picked up from the screening room, and collects it like a treasure, despite his mother's vehement objections. And the men, women and children of Jianga Village also like to watch movies. This is their most important political and social activity. They focus on the square every night, gag in the cinema, and find joy in poverty. Watching movies seems to be all they have. Life.
I think for any child who has experienced cinematic childhood, especially Chinese audiences who are used to watching open-air movies, the story of Xiaoduoduo and Ji'anjia Village is their own story.
Movies are a magic mirror, a window of mythology, which opens the life dreams of many people. The adult Duoduo has also become a "big man". After 30 years, he returned home for the first time as a big director, and sadly attended the funeral of the old projectionist.
3, viewing behavior
today, although the same is go to a dark room watching a fictional story, we must also be groomed and gentle manners. Not only are there notices "No loud noises" in the movie theater, but we also consciously or unconsciously don't talk to each other, don't quarrel, don't twiddle, don't eat melon seeds and snacks when we watch movies. He looked at a piece of white cloth with changing light, and thought about how ridiculous it was. However, due to the familiar relationship between the audience, wonderful in "Cinema Paradiso" in the cinema, people laughing, but very real:
a male cap, entered the cinema to quickly stated that it was "to sleep";
a each snoring are often being teased stout bearded man, turned to wake up always know who is behind the audience fierce and empty scolded: "! I want you all chop the meat,"
a always accounted for The middle-aged pervert in suit and glasses sitting in the front row seems to stand out from the crowd. Whenever the audience boos, he always moves gracefully and exaggeratedly to spit out a saliva of disdain;
An affectionate man with a handkerchief who has probably watched it countless times, with tears in his eyes, always accurately saying every line before the actor;
a woman in the crowd showing her breasts generously and busy breastfeeding and laughing;
a woman standing by the wall A middle-aged woman who is laughing and the male audience who molest her from behind; men
who wait for a deal with the prostitute next door without any intention of the movie;
a row of elementary school students
who are watching the screen while smoking a cigarette; a group of pretending to watch a love scene but below ignorant youth secretly masturbation;
a never watch movies every day stay in the square but always apply to everyone, said "Plaza is my" madman;
and, suddenly burst into loud movie theaters Gambling winning news release full away The villagers in the audience...
In short, when you walk into the Paradise Theater, the villagers live a heavenly life. They are all reckless and do anything. They stand or sit in the movie theater, they can have nothing to do, eat and drink, or wander back and forth, making noise and fighting; when they are dissatisfied, they whistle collectively, and even beat their chests and feet, splashing foam; innocent children experience the happy time every night here, Whereas men meet old friends and exchange cigarettes, sex, news and dissatisfaction and anger at not being seen kissing.
Here, we see that the villagers watching movies is a collective social and cooperative appreciation, rather than mainly an individual watching and private investment; so, in the movie, the whole village's paradise theater and gate Outside the noisy villagers square, its nature and use are not fundamentally different.
4, the spiritual significance of the film's
subtly, "Cinema Paradiso" is not only through video content reviewed the black and white film in the history of the name of those, let us see the show conditions of the film, viewing history, movie fashion, and film industry Some interesting times from the transition from religious power to commercial operation, even hinting at the ruthlessness and sadness of film being replaced by television later in the second half, more profoundly convey the importance of film to people's daily lives in the first half of the 20th century spiritual meaning.
It can be said that the Paradise Theater in the film is not only a symbol of the warmth, happiness and magical world of people’s childhood, but also a social relationship network. It is the center of political education and cultural entertainment in this village, as well as street discussions and public information. The center of dissemination is also the spiritual pillar of the villagers who were in a corner of the "World War II" in the film. They saw the changes in the war ahead in the film and understood the national propaganda of Italy at that time. They also exchanged the secular life of the whole village here. , to pass the ordinary life of poverty.
However, the movie is also a world that can accommodate the flying of the imagination. It is the life focus of the people of Ji'anga Village. They love movies as much as they love life.
It’s also worth mentioning that Cinema Paradiso also conveys a message about how to view the film medium: early film communication was actually quite interactive, far beyond what the term “mass media” can cover today.
We see that in this film, there is no gap between true and false, virtual and real, on and off the screen. There is a high degree of interaction between the audience and the projectionist, between the audience and the actors, and between the audience and the audience. The kind of full-fledged participation and immersion in watching a movie is beyond the reach of today's crazy TV. The cultivated townspeople can't imagine and can only look at it - the villagers watching the movie cheered when the kiss scene was cut, or complained sharply to the old projectionist. And audiences respond to the fiction of the film as they do to the reality around them. As the content of the film changed, they infected each other, laughing and laughing, scolding father and mother, jumping on the stool, and even pointing at the actors on the screen. However, they also held their breath for the wonderful love scene. Laughter or tears, it is the passion.
Life is like a drama, drama is like life.
Here, movies are the precious life of poor Anjiga villagers.
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