1.Choose only one shot from the film which is amazing not only from the shot design /shot taking POV but also has a very strong cinematic content to convey visually .
Everybody has their own choice but this is my favorite. When we see Toto's mother was stitching and the doorbell rings, she immediately recognizes that 'Its Salvatore, his son as she knew that due to his love for Alfredo, he would certainly come. The old lady is sitting alone in an armchair in the parlor, knitting a white sweater. Her hands move very swiftly, almost mechanically. The front doorbell rings twice. MARIA stops. She mumbles in excitement. It's Toto...I knew it...
And she scrambles to her feet, dropping her knitting in the chair, one needle dangling over the edge. She hurries off, forgetting that she still has the ball of white yarn in her apron pocket. And the yarn runs off the needles and the knitting comes undone quickly as she moves about the house, goes down the stairs to the front door. She goes to the door and she has the woolen ball in her pocket while the half knit sweater in lying at her seat.
In one single long duration take, we notice that the sweater she was stitching starts unwinding for us as an audience it symbolizes the "unwinding of her memories" of the past in flash. It is of paramount important to note that the string of white woolen thread was still connected to her .She is still attached to her house with the memories of her own life and Salvatore .While Salvatore left the city for his better life , while she remains in the same town with the family .
The unwinding of thread stops when she reaches the door at a particular moment and the camera follows the thread and from the window from the top we see a yellow taxi leaving.
2. Choose any one impressive lighting sequence from the film.
The scene which I loved the most is when Salvatore returns to his home late at night and this lady in the bed tells him that his mother had called and said that Alfredo is no more .Shadows of the bell and blue light falling on Salvatore's face and camera tracks The shadow of a wind chime plays across his face summoning up endless memories, drawing forth from the infinite depths of oblivion.
# Source light is something which is very interesting from cinematography POV. When Salvatore comes back and goes to meet Elena, we see inside the car they are sitting and the sea shore is nearby . This two-shot of their conversation had a source of street light which is swinging due to wind in the air and keep coming and going on the character face as the light oscillates and brings their faces in light . Else darkness on their faces is an interesting way to create that curiosity to know each other after almost 30 years.
3. In the film the anchors of the boat are used twice in two different scenes, first when Elena leaves and Toto is seen sad in thoughts near the sea shore, and second when Toto is having the conversation after returning from the military camp where multiple anchors embroiled with each other. Why anchors are used in those shot?
What is anchors, one need to understand that first. The vessel is attached to the anchor by the rode which is made of chain, rope, cable, or a combination of these. It keep boats without floating in waters. In the movie, anchors represent the mental state of Toto who is stagnant in his current situations and the small town . He is hooked to the small town with his memories.
When Toto reads the letter from his girl friend Elena at the seashore we see him sitting on the ground and at low level mid shot , with single anchor in the foreground in a pronounced manner to give more importance to it. The rusted Anchor appears bigger in size as compared to the size of Toto.
Salvatore is stuck in a relationship with his love for Elena . When Elena left, Toto is carrying those heavy and sad feelings about his relationship being stuck with her
He even didn't enjoy his work of film projectionist which was his passion One need to remember the dog who is also seen around and the same dog again meets him when he comes back from the military at the square when he was alone in the heat. She was acting as an anchor for Toto where toto is a like a ship which can go to higher destination .
Later when he comes back from military and narrating jokes the Alfredo, we see a cluster of anchors trapped on shore in a long shot and the scene finishes with again long statistic shot where you see only anchors with the wind sound for the transitions .
Alfredo suggest Toto was about not getting trapped in the past memories and leave the place for long years
It is like Toto is forced with the surrounding of his relationships with the cinema hall, Mother, Alfred etc that are eventually stopping him to realize his own fullest potential, hence multiple anchors of boats are used to depict how Totto is bounded by all these relationships he shares with people of the town who are very dear to him.
Like all theses rusted multiple anchors embroiled with each other are holding him to be free to explore other things outside this small town
That is what Alfredo is telling Salvatore " Move higher in your life" don't be like one of those rusted anchors and keep lying in this cursed town. Don't be just like a boat which is anchored in water and remains there . he ask him to gets detached with the anchor.
Why Oscar In the category of Best Foreign language film?
The Film has everything which can make it great Film. But it has subtle Appreciation that..American Cinemas is Great. That's what makes American Or anybody who has to award Oscar happy !
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Q.1. What were the creative uses of "Bell Sounds" in the film.
The bell sounds is used in various of places with variety of sound quality . .It has been used for various reasons .
1.As a Transition :- for the old Toto to the young Toto who falls sleep in the church .
also like for the school scene, the bell rings and the scene cuts to Totto sitting inside the class
From Cinema Paradiso to showing square of town, There is an interesting match cut between the bell in the hands of the priest holding his hand up in the air as an authority to dictate the order with the bells hanging in the bell tower of the square church.
With the camera tracking in through the bell tower showing the piazza square from a top angle and with wide angle lens it creates a perspective ( all of you need to understand this word from cinematography / visual POV ) with the bell clearly signifying its meaning in the film . Five Bells are ringing which is pulled by ropes, when you see on the square where women's were taking water and other activity of the square. This image and its pronounced echoing effect of the sound indicates the viewers the influence and power of the bell sound , which stands for its authoritarianism over the square's people.
2. The priest is using while praying to god, which means it is a sort of appeal or request to the almighty God for the welfare of humanity.
3. Again the same pries second time uses when he orders Alfredo to cut the kissing parts and uses in an authoritarian manner
4. The Arrival of the train , When Toto leaves Gianlcaldo for 30 yaers , the sound of the train bell rings in the background.
5.The Alert sound : last time the bell sound is heard when Alfredo's coffin procession is there and they are taking it to the church. This time the bell sound is used to suggests the farewell to Alfredo by his loved one.
6.For Memory Recalls: The memory of Salvatore begins with The Feng Shui Wind Chime Pipes - sound of the bells hanging outside his apartment, also the shadow of these bells fall on his face while he thinks of his pasts and goes down the memory lane.
Kindly note that The same sound track director has again used when Elena narrates him of her memory after their first meeting after 30 years .
Q.2 How Many Years he actually would have spent in Military training in the film. What is the basis of your Conclusion?
Toto had spent surely more than 1 year but approximately around 2 years in military training . In one of the dialogues he was saying to his senior that "I should have done ten days and it's been a year, sir .without a day's leave.
When he comes back and meets Alfredo, Alfredo tell him that he want to go near the sea. There Alfredo mention he is been out for 1 year or 2 years and everything has changed here.
Q.3. Why did Alfredo tell him the Story of "Princess and Soldier "?
Alfredo says at one point to Toto that "Feeling can never be understood" so that he did not explain the story ending to Salvatore because he wanted Salvatore to feel that story himself.
Alfredo told Salvador the story of "princes & soldier" -
1. To make him understand the reality. Alfredo knew that Toto cannot not marry Elena .
2. He also knows that Toto likes stories and perhaps will understand this language better than telling in a straight way forward manner.
3. He also wants to make him realize the painful side to love. Alfredo did not want Salvatore to remain heartbroken
4. Alfred wanted him to concentrate on his carrier . In the Princess and soldier story he compares Salvatore and Elena with soldier and princess respectively.
And Toto realized after coming from military training that why that soldier left on 99 th day because The princes may not have kept her promise and that would have been horrible . It would have broken his heart forever .This way, at least, while leaving on the 99 nights he had lived with the illusion for the rest of his life that she was waiting for him.
5. Alfredo was a highly practical man and he wanted to make Toto a tough and a man who would never give up on nostalgia and sacrifice his goal for ladies love .
6. Though he was sensitive for Salvatore's love life but he wanted him to Focus more attention to bigger achievements. He wanted him to be like that soldier who would strive hard to achieve his love but in a sense of duty like a soldier will work towards his higher level goal.
7. Toto tells Elena that he would be waiting outside her home for a year and if she loves him, then she should just come at the window to express her love but she doesn't do so. Through this, Alfredo is trying to tell Toto that pursuit of love is temporary and it does not make man successful. He was indirectly trying to tell him that he should focus on his career instead.
Q.4. When Salvatore comes back to his town, before he goes to meet Alfredo, there is a shot of an old broken car where you see eggs and a few chickens. What was the reason to keep that shot in the film?
This entire scene when he comes back to his town after the military in the film is about- How things have changed with time and old things become obsolete. Cinema Paradiso has changed. He sees himself replaced in his village first at the Paradiso. The life around it no more. Everything has become static. Square has changed. There is no life. He was trying to connect with his past old good days .
Toto had sweet memory with car - how he used to go with his girlfriend for outing. It bring back the nostalgia of Toto's first drive with his girlfriend Elena. It is symbolic way to say that what was luxury yesterday is no more the luxury. Time has changed and hence the importance has also changed.
When Toto went near the car he found chickens and eggs inside the car.
The car is there in the broken condition. The condition of Toto's relationship with Elena is just like the car i.e old and broken. Now it has taken over by birds. This made him feel he has lost his place and everything remaining of him has been taken over by someone and they are making a living out of it, be it the new projectionist or these birds. Perhaps It also gives an illusion for Toto of having his own family with Elena like Chickens have their eggs. As some of you says
"Broken car in such a pathetic condition along with chicken and eggs is a visual metaphor for their broken relationship and also hints at the fact that she already has been married and having children with someone else, as we see later in the film, that she has a son and daughter of her own"
"The car having become a chicken coup is a beautiful metaphor, for his youth (car) and it's many pointless adventures (chickens) which he can only look into now and not drive. He can only look back at his youth as a memory. Time to grow up for Toto"
Q.5.Body language of an actor is an important element while performing and equally important for a director while giving instructions to an-actor. In context of the film Cinema Paradisco-You noticed the Body language of an actor. Choose any two scenes which are your favorite one from body language point of view.
1.The Mad Character - Village Idiot , who is highly energized and who expressed himself through a a lot of through the energy while chasing people at the square. He is the only one jumping around when cinema hall was burnt, shouting "Everything is Bunt. when you see him at the end he is cool down and just walk through murmuring in a low torn Square is Mine as if "Mad Man has Mellowed Down ! "
2.) When Old Salvatore comes back after 30 years to his own town and goes to visit Cinema Paradiso which is in a dilapidated state and, looks at various objects inside the cinema hall and later while walking around, he is totally opposite of his speed with he used to walk around when he was young.
3.) Hail Hitler. First scene when father of the church is censoring the kissing scene and he acts like he has a power. When any kissing scene comes father would lift the hand and ring the bell in his hand holding up in the air- gives you the feeling off- Hail Hitler.
4) Little Totto Jester to Alfredo in Examination Hall was really worth Noticing when he says he would not help him.
5.) Train Station Scene .The love between Toto and his family is shown only by close up of tight hugs of hands and the body portions and not the faces.( Very import to note ) with his sister and particularly his mother and they are standing.
Kindly Further Note that Alfredo is sitting and Toto too is at his low level , He hold him tight close to him and says to him 'don't come back' while pushing him close to his ears .When Alfredo is whispering, Toto's sister is keen to know what Alfredo is whispering in his ear and wants to go closer to them, asking her mother permission.
His mother is overwhelmed with emotions and don't pay any attention to what his sister is saying and keep looking at both of them and they are kept out of Focus so as seen just a s full figure while Alfredo and Toto in the foreground . One can feel their breathing also .As the conversation finishes ,we see Alfredo pushes him to go away. As from the eye level shot from Toto's POV, while train is leaving ,we see Toto's sister waving at her brother enthusiastically while his mother very slowly raise the hand very quietly.
Understanding Time lapse:
Many of you did not understand properly the Question - How Creatively time elapse was used. I repeat..CREATIVELY... Normally people use montage/ dissolve to show the Time Lapse in many films .Sometime film makers uses other interesting modes of transitions-thats what i wanted you to notice. We would be discussing that at some point in context of other films too. What i was taking about the two shots seen together or after a point in the film and we know a substantial number of days /months/ years has passed.
1. As mentioned in my email that ,The first time 'time lapse' is used when young Toto becoming a teenager at operating the projector and Salvatore touches his face and in the same space after his close up another shots with gloves on his hand you see the gown up Toto.
2. ALFREDO
"These are the shipping invoices for the film. They are always to be kept. You see?
SALVATORE( Little Totto) saying OK, Alfredo.
Down on the main floor, a scene from Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Everyone screams and hides their faces when Hyde looks at the
camera. AUDIENCE looks at that ugly face and hide their faces and Bow down
One young man, ANGELO, doesn't hide his face. He looks up at
a young woman, ROSA, in the balcony, who turns and smiles at
him. Next Time you see them Together sitting in balcony.
Now when Tottotto has Grown up and showing film in the same cinema hall, you see Angelo and Rosa Sitting together and Rosa has a little child)
3. Salvatore saying goodbye on the station as he leaves by train and Then we see a flight landing and Old Salvatore coming by car back to his hometown. Many of you have identified this Transition a time lapse
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Q: In the same film Cinema Paradiso,3 times a person wearing glasses spit from the balcony, in the cinema hall who has no dialogue in the film. Why do you think he did that?
The rich and well off gentry sits in the balcony , wearing suits and tie and quietly watching films in a well behaved mannered manner while the poor working class audience sits on the chair as well as on ground or even stands in the downstairs and cheers, laughs, cry and enjoy themselves without being bothered about who is watching them .
As per the script....1st time
After the dialogue " What a shame! I've been going to the movies for twenty years and I never saw a kiss! " From the balcony, a MAN with a moustache wearing Tie and Coat having a look of a public notary, is sitting right in front of the railing . He spits down below with contempt. Person sitting next to him is also in Tie and Coat throws his cigarette bud at them as if below balcony is dust bean. we hear the voice of Protest followed by a chorus of protests.
He cannot tolerate the enjoyment of working class people who are seating below and he thinks it is the privilege for rich and upper class. He feels that he is superior to them. It is due to sheer hatred towards the poor working class people he spits on them
2nd time:
SALVATORE mounts the film on the sprockets. Now SALVATORE sets the projector into motion, opens the shutter and stands on tip-toe to see the screen from the hole...
A shot from the film " In nome della legge " is going on . The main-floor audience applauds on a line spoken by Massimo Gironi ,Frencessaco Messan, " in the name of the law" you are under arrest... And from the balcony, the same MAN spits below. and from the main floor, we hear the voice Bastard!! Pencil-pusher!!
Pl note that the scene going on is celebration of the working class victory and their cheers and Joy which he cannot tolerate and hence spits on them .
3rd Time
Now Salvatore has grow up and audience watching the film having a scenes where Dialogue comes as
workers of the world...........
Now in the new Cinema Pardiso , Audience has grown up and is no more the same crowd which was their 10 years ago when Totto was kid. How progress triggered rebellious nature among the poor working class people is something needs to be noticed.
In the balcony, the same MAN with glasses spits down below with a contented look at the cheering audience. But this time the people below the main floor takes their revenge and a blob of Mud hits him square in the face and He faces the music for his acts.
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Q: Film Cinema Paradisco has a Madman, who appears in the film 4 times and says very often - "Square is Mine". What is the reason to invent such a character. If his part of the film is cut, will it affect the film?
"Square Is Mine". Madman is referred as Village Idiot in the credit tiles of the film in IMDB. "A piazza is an open "public square" in Italy, usually surrounded by buildings. The Italian piazza is the center of public life. You'll often find a bar or cafe and a church or town hall on the main piazza. Many of Italy's towns and cities have beautiful main squares with decorative statues or fountains"
so Square is a place for everyone.
1.When Alfredo projected a movie on the square the owner comes to people asks them to buy the tickets for half the price, . Then the people says collectively "Get off! The square belongs to everyone." Village Idiot listens and he wakes up and says "No, The square is mine! Don't joke about it, it makes me mad." Madman saying ..it makes me Mad..!! makes everybody laugh. This was the 2nd time he is seen in the film.
2. After Alfredo and his assistant leaves the square, the Village Idiot pops up in the frame and said -"The square is mine .Its midnight and time to close the square. The way Cinema hall - CINEMA PARADISO needs to be closed everyday in the night he also say , I must close the square." after the nightly late show and vigorously shepherds the townsfolk out of his square before curling up in the lap of a central monument.
3. Also 3rd time , when the women working are making Tomato paste in the squares are Village Idiot again pops up and repeats "The square is mine, the square is mine."
4. After the Burning of Theatre where Projectionist loses his eye sight otherwise silently watching crowd he is the only one who is jumping around and says different line this time- -" All burned down" rather than "Square is mine"
5. 5th time when Salvatore again visits the town after 30 years and the day Cinema Paradiso will be demolished to ashes , we see the same Village Idiot -as a white-haired old tramp, filthy and covered in rags, makes his way through the crowd watching falling theatre .There is an empty look in his eyes and he repeats obsessively in a low voice "The square's mine, the square's mine, the square's mine. Salvatore recognizes him, it's the village idiot, the one who used to close down the square at night. He watches him walk off, raving, with nobody even noticing. The madman becomes more calm rather when he was young.
If we pay attention to the key word..." Square & Mine " which belongs to one person and crowd says-" It is belongs to everyone". The Way Square belongs to everyone ( all activities would happen at the square mainly ), Cinema belongs to everyone too and that was the reason why Alfredo without caring for the ticketed audience, turns the beam of the projector for masses to watch the film at the Square's wall . Everybody used to come to "cinema hall" and enjoy and they have the best moments of their life there. Something which was for the benefit of the humanity in general could not survive at last and burned down to ashes, how something which belongs to you ( read Mine) , one person would last !
The way Cinema is Illusion ( Connected with Cinema hall-CINEMA PARADISO ), so is the word MINE( Connected With -Square ). If you ask me in one sentence. "One needs to refrain from the word-Mine" is the moral of the story,
Also on the other hand It can be interpreted in another sense that Through " Cinema Pardiso" was a source of earning from its audience for its owner. Now deliberate destruction of the Paradiso in contemporary Giancaldo . Only The idiot has the last word in reasserting his ownership of the square after the cinema has been knocked down and it is transformed into a car park – into commercial space which will service the needs of consumers and businesses whose pursuits are primarily acquisitive – makes the idiot’s words prophetic...means ...square is mine...means (empty space) is yours...which means nothing is yours.
A colleague of mine Indranil says " Madman, represents the unchangeable, he remains trapped in a world of his while everything else around him changes. There's a deep sadness in it. There is a sincerity and innocence in his sense of ownership. That makes his madness enduring. He is like a child who thinks a square can be owned. He is the contrast to the material world "A Dreamer". Remember the madman in Nostalgia ? Domenico - who jumps from the statue of Marcus Aurelius after putting himself on fire He also has a simplistic faith. In European tradition madman is always a marginal character. He often represents a wisdom which ordinary people do Not have .He is a unchanging figure in a rapidly changing world. Even for us there are certain things in our Mohalla or village which do not change despite we being in a digital age To summarize - madman is a half real, half metaphorical character. It adds texture to the film "
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Another Colleague Madhu Bhushan Says
The village idiot is a symbolically ironic commentary on the concept of ownership concerns.
It is ironic in the sense that collective ownership means rights of usage for all but look after of it the duty of none unless each of the owners admits like the villager that the square is 'mine'. The way he alone closes down the square at night shows how he assumes the duty of the look after of the square. Such persons who take on their own shoulders such a duty for so called public property are often dubbed "idiot".
Cinema Paradiso is also a larger projection of this very illusion of ownership concept. As long as it entertains public, it is in everybody's reach and domain. The moment it is on fire, it is nobody's concern. Only that very idiot knows and realises that all is burnt, that is, his(mine) as well as everybody's.
The whole is a reflection at large on the affairs of the world where in everybody wants to have equal rights of ownership but no duty as an individual.
Such ironic commentary in cinema and drama is quite common. It is like the repeated echoing " everything is fine -Sab Theek Hai " in Bandini.
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Understanding - | Cinema Pardsico.
Q.Why "Gone with the wind" film poster is placed on the wall of ruins when Totto is walking with his Mother, who is crying while he smiles after looking on it.
First question is why a poster in the ruins when world of Toto's mother is completely destroyed. Because It is first representation of a film in the mind of audience and particularly for Totto who is obsessed with cinema. Though her mother lost her husband and he lost his father, his hope which can bring smile on his face is CINEMA.
Earlier in the film, Toto while ride on the front part of the cycle asked the projectionist " Alfredo, Did you know my father? Alfredo replies " He was always smiling like CLARK GABLE.". Toto knew how his father looks like via faded black and white pictures which he kept in the film clipping box. Since he knew who is Clark Gable as he watched many films with Alfredo , he connects his father as Clark Gable. Poster reminds him of Projectionist words whom he always look up as father and trust immensely.( Both on the cycle is an important master image which is also used in one of the film poster in big Size and in small size with other images )
He knew his father is no more, but now it is confirmed news as his mother has come after signing the pension papers. Although his mother is weeping who had some hope that her husband may be alive but now it is cleared officially he is no more. So this news don't comes as shock to little Totto.
He is normal while walking with the mother in the ruins, he sees Clark Gabble in the poster and smiles as for him He is still alive in the form of Clark Gabble on screen. Hence the poster having Clark Gable.
Why only the film "Gone With the Wind" film poster as Clark Gabble has acted in many Films? But this particular films has also the premise of war as the backdrop with Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien leigh) the leading lady who got windowed due to the war in the film. So the situation matches with the current situation in the film.
It is interesting to note the placement of the poster in the ruins,
while he is walking across the ruins with his mother, which is symbolism to Toto and his mother's destroyed world.
Poster is a kind of metaphor of love between Toto's Mother and Father and is complimenting the emotional situation of the Totto's mother . This is precisely the same situation of Totto's mother as she has lost her lover ( Husband)
