Nuovo Cinema Paradiso Plot

The film is set in two different times and places: Rome in the 80s (at the beginning of the film) and a small village (Giancaldo) in 1950s’ Sicily (at the end). What unites 2 places so far away is the main character. Salvatore Di Vita was, in fact, born in Giancaldo and is now a well-known film director living in the capital city. He is reached by a phone call from his mother who informs him that Alfredo, a close friend of his, has died. Salvatore is deeply touched by the news and resolves to fly to Sicily the day after to attend the funeral. In that sleepless night Salvatore starts recalling all his past, which he has tried to forget for many years.

We are thus given a picture of 1950s Sicily and of Giancaldo, a typical southern village centered around the main square with a church and a parish cinema overlooking it. The parson runs the only popular entertainment, watching each film in advance and imposing the projectionist (Alfredo) to cut out the most “outrageous” scenes (mainly kiss scenes). Salvatore, a child at the time, manages to win Alfredo’s love and starts playing with the censored scenes. Some time later, by helping Alfredo to get his primary school “licenza”, he obtains to be Alfredo’s apprentice. His mother (a widow whose husband has died in the Russian Campaign) strongly opposes his passion for films, beats him and forbids him to go and see Alfredo, but she ends up accepting her son’s interest by time. The cinema “Paradiso” is often overcrowded and one night Alfredo is moved to pity in front of a considerable number of people who couldn’t get a seat and are gathered in the square. He makes them a gift: using screens and mirrors, he manages to project the film on a palace front, and with the help of a loudspeaker he offers them the chance to watch the film from the square. Unfortunately, while he is rejoicing looking at them from the projection room window, the film catches fire and the whole cinema burns down. All the spectators run away: only Salvatore remembers Alfredo and runs inside the cinema to rescue him. Alfredo is still alive but has gone permanently blind.

Under the pressure of villagers lead by the parson, a man who has won the pools offers to restore the cinema. Films are not censored any more and sex starts playing the lion’s share on the big screen. Salvatore fulfils his dream: he works as projectionist (obviously “in the black”, as he is still a minor). We see him growing up and, already of age, having his first sexual intercourse with a prostitute working in the cinema. Soon after he falls in love with Elena, daughter to the local bank director. They meet twice, but he isn’t able to utter a word in front of her. He resolves to phone her, but unfortunately Elena’s mother answers and severely reprimands him. Alfredo strongly advises Salvatore against embarking on a love affair and tells the tale of a soldier who falls in love with the king’s daughter. The girl promises to marry the soldier if he waits for her every day for 100 days in front of her window. The soldier accepts but, on the 99^th day, he leaves. Alfredo is unable to provide an explanation for the tale and Salvatore goes on courting Elena. He hides in the confession box, while Alfredo distracts the parson and finally declares himself. He has a bad blow when he hears Elena plainly stating she doesn’t love him, but Salvatore doesn’t give up. He promises that every evening he will wait for her to come to the window, but, as in the tale, she doesn’t appear. When he has already lost his heart, Elena goes to meet him in the projection room and declares she now loves him. The two start driving to the countryside on Salvatore’s rickety car and one day, obliged to stop for a breakdown, they have the venture of meeting Elena’s father. Some days later Elena tells Salvatore that she will spend the summer in Florence with her family and that they will soon move to Palermo. She comes back in Autumn and this time Salvatore is reached by the call-up papers. The two decide to meet before leaving Giancaldo, as Elena is to marry the son of a bank director (a friend of his father’s). Surprisingly Elena misses the appointment and when Salvatore goes to her house, Elena’s mother refuses to answer the door bell. All the letters Salvatore sends Elena from his barracks come back and he soon loses any hope to meet her again. Back to Giancaldo, Alfredo comforts him telling everything was written in the stars and that he has to accept this as his destiny. Salvatore can now explain Alfredo’s tale: the soldier’s action was sensible, as he spared himself the sorrow to receive the queen’s refusal. Alfredo persuades Salvatore to leave the village “go away, this is a wicked land!” for many years and to seek his fortune in Rome advising him to “love everything he does as he has loved the projection room.”

Now we move to the present, with Salvatore coming back to Giancaldo. His mother shows him a room where she has kept all his belongings, sure he would come back sooner or later. At the funeral service he meets Alfredo’s wife, who tells him Alfredo has left two presents. The procession stops in front of the old cinema and, looking back, he recognises the owner of the cinema and other people. Going to a bar he is shocked at seeing an 18 year old girl who resembles Elena. He decides to follow her and finds out that her father is a dull schoolmate of his, Boccia (Lo Meo Vincenzo). Back to his mother’s house, he asks her why she had not re-married and she answers she wanted to be faithful to her husband and to her sons (Salvatore and Lia). She can’t say whether fidelity is a value, because she has often felt lonely, but she is sure her son takes after her. Salvatore now reveals he has always feared to come back: he believed he could forget everything, but he realises time has come for him to face his whole life again. He then goes to Alfredo’s house and collects his gifts (the stall he used when he was a child and a film). Later on he finds out Elena’s home number, spies on her house and when her husband and her daughter leave, he phones her. After some resistance, Elena goes to meet Salvatore and manages to find him on the harbour quay, thinking of committing suicide. In the passionate discussion that follows Salvatore finds out that Elena actually came to the appointment, though she was late. She hoped that they would run away together, but could only talk to Alfredo. Alfredo advised her to give up, as love affairs were like fires ending in ashes. Besides, in his opinion, Salvatore had only one chance for his future and would spoil it if he didn’t leave. Not trusting him, Elena left Salvatore a card with her address, without Alfredo knowing it. Salvatore now realises Alfredo had deceived him and declares Elena he has always looked for her in all the women he has met. He has always felt he was missing something and can’t still believe his only love could come to an end because of the man who acted as his father. Elena comforts him saying Alfredo was true, as Salvatore would not become a famous director if he stayed at the village. They make love for the first time in their life. Salvatore comes back to the cinema and finds Elena’s card. He tries to persuade her to start a love-affair but she refuses. The cinema is pulled down and Salvatore comes back to Rome. He hears that his film has been awarded, but he doesn’t care. He looks forward to watching Alfredo’s film and is moved to laugh and tear in finding out it is a collection of the cut-out scenes he was fond of when he was a child.