CINEMA PARADISO

The film is about the story of a child in a small Italian town in the years following the World War II.
The boy loved seeing all the films and he became friend of the projectionist Alfredo.
The whole town has been affected by the war and for most of people the theatre has become a refuge from the poverty and the depressing life that surrounds them.
The censor ordered to cut the scenes that he disapproves. Alfredo had to snip out the piece of celluloid…
Years passed and the young Salvatore following the advice of his friend Alfredo left his hometown and his humble origins to build his own life.
Salvatore had become a successful Italian film director and after 30 years he returns to his small village to attend the funeral of his dear friend Alfredo.
In a flashback Salvatore reviews his childhood and adolescence, his love, his relationship with Alfredo.
The film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore shows nostalgia for the times when movies were so important for so many people.
The film is very touching. The final scene is superb. At the end it’s a love letter to the cinema and homage to the cinema’s history.
The soundtrack is marvellous. I love it. The music composed by Ennio Morricone won some awards.
The film was made in Italy.
Philip Noiret stars as Alfredo his performance is impressive.
The film was awarded with the Special Jury Prize at 1989 in Cannes Festival and also in 1989 with the Best Foreign Language Oscar.

I love the film and I love the cinema the same as the film loves the cinema too!!

One short story (maybe for kids)

Mark Twain was a very celebrated American writer (all of you might know him). He is a kind of literary icon; he wrote “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” who is a wide teenager.
Mark Twain explains that in a wonderful sunny summer day, Tom was getting ready to go away to the river (the Mississippi river) when his aunt Polly orders him to paint the garden fence, a very long fence... Tom doesn’t want to paint but aunt Polly is very strict and he has to do. Tom feels specially humiliated because of his friends are going to cross in front of his fence in their way to the river. Tom imagines how his friends are going to make fun of him.
Then Tom has an idea... The first friend arrives and says to Tom:
“Hello I see that you have got to do a very boring and hard work! I’m going to the river to swim!”
Tom carries on painting with a happy expression on his face. Tom’s friend doesn’t understand anything.
The friend keeps on talking to Tom: “You seem to have a good time, are you enjoying this work?”
Tom pretends to be very happy and answers: “Of course I’m really enjoying what I’m doing. At any day you can go to the river swimming but you can’t every day paint a fence”.
The friend is impressed and asks Tom if he can to paint too. He gives Tom an apple thankfully.
More friends arrive; all of them want to paint the fence.
At the end the fence is completely painted and Tom has got many gifts that his friends have given him.

Well, maybe you find that story an innocent story, and really it’s a simple story. But, for me, it teaches that we can change the way we see the things and we can have positive attitudes in situations that apparently have not any interest.
We have to learn to discover the good side of the situations (if it’s possible).

A small comment

I had not written in the blog for ages! Núria was not encouraging for doing it.
We had Mariona as a teacher for some weeks and we have been obedient students doing what Mariona told us to do.
Now I’m again writing in the blog. But... I’m leaving for a week. I’m not going to come to class next week. When I came back I’m going to try to write more.
Have a nice week and work hard!