How are the values and ideas conveyed through
the language of the film?
Giuseppe Tornatore uses his film, Cinema
Paradiso, to convey the crucial values that his life experiences have
taught him. By weaving these values throughout the film, Tornatore is able to
show the importance of these values in our lives.
Cinema Paradiso values the development of strong and affectionate relationships between
men. From the start of the film, the value of relationships is evident in
Salvatore's distressed face when he hears about Alfredo's death. The lighting
used is low key and lightning and thunder are used to highlight the worry in
Salvatore's face and the turmoil he is experiencing inside. Lightning and
thunder are a crucial effect throughout the film as they symbolise the
relationships felt by Salvatore as he reflects and remembers his past. When the young Toto and Alfredo playfully
fight with each other, the camera angles used show the imbalance of power and
authority in the relationship. The role of Alfredo as a surrogate father is
shown through low angle camera shots, which presents him with superiority and
power. The two characters are seen in separate shots, however later, both
characters are seen in the same shot and this shows the change and growth in
the relationship. Once Toto has grown up, he has become Alfredo's
eyes, and there is an inversion of power when Alfredo is blind and has to lean
and rely on Toto. On one occasion, a blind Alfredo has his hands over young
Toto's face. The camera angle stays the same as the face under Alfredo's hand
changes into an older version of Toto, showing that Alfredo has been there for
Toto's growing up. Relationship values evolve throughout the film with the use
of camera angles and shots to highlight the significant change in relationship
between Salvatore and Alfredo.
Traditional
Italian religious values are criticised throughout Cinema Paradiso to moderate artistic values. These two sets of
values are juxtaposed in the film’s preliminary flashback scenes, which begin
with a Roman Catholic mass. The mis en scene confirms the religious setting,
and the first flashback scene is principally observed through a high-angled
shot, which emphasises the religious context by representing the elevated
status of God. The sudden opening of the cupboard door and zoom in on the
statue of the Virgin Mary previously concealed inside serves as a reminder of
religious power, which is further reinforced as the cut to the next scene
reveals another statue of Mary, this time inside the cinema. Tornatore shows
the comparison of the church and the cinema by using similar dim lighting and
high camera angles in both settings, and by continuing to focus on the
characters of Father Adelfio and Salvatore. Father Adelfio’s changed costume,
from white to black, suggests the sinister nature of his purpose in the cinema,
and Salvatore’s presence on the edge of the scene, as he views the action
through the opening in a curtain, is contrasted with his central and legitimate
position in the church scene. Father Adelfio’s misuse of the bell, which is now
used for artistic control rather than religious service, encourages the viewer
to see the bell as a symbol of religious authority, which is further reinforced
by the ringing of the church bells at the conclusion of the scene in the
cinema. Tornatore thus highlights that religious values are unsuited with
artistic values in the world of the film, as the artistic truth of Italian
cinema is compromised by heartless restriction.
In Cinema
Paradiso, Tornatore criticises the tendency of Italian culture to be
nostalgic and sentimental, but ultimately values the way in which the past
works to shape our identities. By doing so, through music, lighting and effects, he has created
an environment where we connect to Salvatore’s past. The value of the past is
represented through the whole film as Salvatore reflects on and remembers his
past. One of the most fundamental scenes in the film is when Salvatore and
Alfredo are walking on a cliff discussing Salvatore’s future. On the barren dry
cliff there are mangled rusted anchors which are the symbol of being tied down
to the past in this community. They also show that the town is still traditional, therefore having
never moved on. A medium shot with the arrow of the anchor in the foreground
points towards Alfredo who is in the background, symbolising that he was always
tied down to the past because he never left. The dialogue
Alfredo delivers his own, authentic words which emphasises the importance of
moving away from the past. He wants Salvatore to move away from the
traditional lifestyle expected in the community and grow as an individual. The
close up of Toto's expressions emphasises that he understands what Alfredo is
saying when he declares that the individual needs to be freed. The camera then
cuts back to the older Salvatore. This emphasises that this was a pivotal point
in his life. His hand action mimics his action just after talking with Alfredo,
which emphasises that he is regretting his past decisions. The zoom out at the end of the scene mimics what
Salvatore would be seeing. When Salvatore is leaving at the train station,
there is an emotional goodbye between Alfredo and Salvatore rather than his
family. This shows that even though his family may have been there, Alfredo is
still his father figure and one he has a true relationship with. The language
of the film represents this as the scene is shot on the side, showing Alfredo
holding Salvatore’s head with the two figures of the mother and sister in the
background, which shows the distant and difference in relationships. The
characters fading away is representative of Salvatore trying not to give into
nostalgia, but the characters never completely fade from the shot despite the
effort to forget.
Tornatore
uses the language of the film to convey the value of relationships through
family values, religious values and the value of the past in Cinema Paradiso. By doing so, he gives
the audience an insightful understanding of the film through the manipulation
of film techniques.
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