The short and long of Cinema Paradiso

The cut original release version of Cinema Paradiso is an engaging film about the endearing relationship between an old man and a boy, the joy of cinema, and a charming Sicilian village full of amusing characters. We have seen films like this before, both of quaint villages and friendships between the old and young. 3 1/2 stars for being a very good one in those genres. However, the uncut director’s edition is a classic, one of the finest films ever made. 4 stars and more.

So what did they cut out upon the orders of one Harvey Feinstein? They cut out the complexity of the relationship between the man and the boy, the darker side of Alfredo, and the resolution of the heart wrenching love story between Salvatore and Elana. With the full version, Alfredo goes from kindly older friend to a flawed individual who projects his own ambitions onto Salvatore. We thought of him as wise, but to some extent he really was as Salvatore said “a madman.” His own cynicism about romantic love decided the boy’s future. The man lied about Elena trying to meet with Salvatore against the wishes of her parents. Who is he to lie? Is a career as a film director really worth more than love between a man and a woman? Who is to say? The full film leaves that as a question. We don’t have an answer. We see the pain it caused. The film career was a shot in the dark. The love was here and now. I think it’s reprehensible what Alfredo and the parents did. True love is rare, but it does happen. We see that Salvatore pined for this woman all his life.

And we see that when they met up again, the chemistry was as powerful as when they were young. This time it was based on more than beauty. These two clicked, two classy, mature individuals. What a love they could have had. But is that how it would have played out? Who knows? And that’s the stuff of a great film. It leaves us with questions. With the director’s cut, we think about the ideas of the film after it’s over. With the edited version, we remember it’s charm.

I saw the cut version in the theater decades ago. I wondered, what happened to Elena? The film spent 40 of the first 120 minutes on their romantic engagement, both his meeting her, pining for her, and briefly getting her. It was the most intense part of the film. You need to resolve it. In life, you don’t always get to. But art is artifice. You can do what you want. The resolution is 15 minutes long. Why is that what you’d cut out?  There are plenty of other scenes that could have ending up on the floor. Were the sex scenes really necessary, like the numerous ones of prostitutes and the one of boys masturbating in the theater to images of Bridge Bardot?

Did Weinstein make the call? I have heard that as producer he ordered the film to be shortened, but did he pick this part of shorten? We see from his conviction decades later on charges of sexual assault in the first degree and rape in the third degree that he probably didn’t relate so well to love. Rather, he might have preferred scenes about prostitution and masturbation. I want to know. Who chose to turn this film from a classic to 3 ½ stars.

We are so glad they released the full film. We waited as long to find out what happened to Elena as Salvatore did. The reunion scene with the recently deceased French actor Jacques Perrin and Brigitte Fossey is so superbly acted. I imagine their disappointment when the original was released, particularly Brigitte’s since she only appears in the reunion scene. Find me a more powerful scene in all of cinema. I have watched it 25 times.

Classic.