Review of Cinema Paradiso (1988) by Brandon V — 01 Dec 2009

Fantastic acting, great cinematography, and a beautiful and brilliant ending are this film's greatest strengths. It suffers some, though, from a lack of focus and a meandering pace during the second half, as Toto is a teenager.

There are some strange, sloppy edits as well. I shudder to think that the original cut of this film was 30 minutes longer. As it stands, it's a charming movie, and a classic in Italian cinema, but I get the feeling it could have been cut even more and been even better.