Page 22 - Film
P. 22
THE TIMES ®
AUSTRALIA
Giuseppe Tornatore – An Italian Maestro
By Cait Lyn Adamson
For those of you who have never bared witness cinema. The flm jumps between the present
to a Tornatore flm there are a number elements day, white haired Toto (Jacques Perrin) and
to look forward to: a sweeping musical score his younger self, from boyhood to teenage
and soundtrack, highly romantic and poetic days, as he remembers passion, romance and
dialogue, character relationships that will make his greatest love of all. The flm does have an
you swoon and weep all at the same time, and alternate ending, but if you’re a frst timer I must
beautifully warm and golden colours on the recommend watching the original. Its power
screen that make you believe you’re basking and poignancy is incomparable. You can’t help
in the Italian sunlight. For over thirty years but think when you’re watching Nuovo Cinema
Tornatore has been writing and directing and Paradiso that the flm is about the artist’s own
has over twenty credits in flm and television in frst love: cinema. There are a number of classic
his lifetime from the early 80s until now. scenes and montages that really pluck at the
heartstrings and the ending sequence is one of
Highly acclaimed in his home country, Italy, the greatest, if not the greatest, dedication to
Tornatore has been in the jury for the Venice classic cinema in flm history.
Film Festival and has contributed greatly to
both Italian and American cinema. He is born The Legend of 1900 (1998) – set against the
in Bagheria, near the city of Palermo, and was backdrop of the turn of the century, Max
inspired by the arts at a young age, directing Tooney (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is a now down on
theatre shows at the age of sixteen. Moving his luck Jazz musician, who recalls the days he
through a number of professions, from theatre, spent on an Ocean Liner and the friendship he
to photography, Tornatore fnally found his makes with a musical genius born and raised on
place and passion making movies. In 1986 he the ship known as 1900. Tim Roth plays Danny
directed his frst flm Il camorrista (The Professor, Boodmann T.D. Lemon Nineteen Hundred
1986) but his big break occurred two years ‘1900’ and the flm, which was based originally
after in 1988 with Nuovo Cinema Paradiso for on the monologue by Alessandro Baricco
which he received the Academy Award for Best “Novecento”, is another of Tornatore’s powerful
Foreign Language Film. Since then Tornatore and emotionally poignant flms. The movie
has continued making great flms, with a few was flmed in Italy and the Ukraine but is a
classic and stand out exceptions. testament to the American dream – immigrants
arriving to the free world to start their life again,
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1988) – Tornatore’s the romantic future in New York City. But at the
most highly acclaimed work follows the story heart of The Legend of 1900 the story explores
of a famous Italian director returning to his music, passion and the greatest of friendships.
home town in Sicily to attend the funeral of Baricco’s original monologue is moving and
his mentor, the man who inspired his love powerfully emotive, but what makes this flm
of the movies and who worked at the local stand out is the music and Roth’s performance
22 Independent Media Inspiring Minds
AUSTRALIA
Giuseppe Tornatore – An Italian Maestro
By Cait Lyn Adamson
For those of you who have never bared witness cinema. The flm jumps between the present
to a Tornatore flm there are a number elements day, white haired Toto (Jacques Perrin) and
to look forward to: a sweeping musical score his younger self, from boyhood to teenage
and soundtrack, highly romantic and poetic days, as he remembers passion, romance and
dialogue, character relationships that will make his greatest love of all. The flm does have an
you swoon and weep all at the same time, and alternate ending, but if you’re a frst timer I must
beautifully warm and golden colours on the recommend watching the original. Its power
screen that make you believe you’re basking and poignancy is incomparable. You can’t help
in the Italian sunlight. For over thirty years but think when you’re watching Nuovo Cinema
Tornatore has been writing and directing and Paradiso that the flm is about the artist’s own
has over twenty credits in flm and television in frst love: cinema. There are a number of classic
his lifetime from the early 80s until now. scenes and montages that really pluck at the
heartstrings and the ending sequence is one of
Highly acclaimed in his home country, Italy, the greatest, if not the greatest, dedication to
Tornatore has been in the jury for the Venice classic cinema in flm history.
Film Festival and has contributed greatly to
both Italian and American cinema. He is born The Legend of 1900 (1998) – set against the
in Bagheria, near the city of Palermo, and was backdrop of the turn of the century, Max
inspired by the arts at a young age, directing Tooney (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is a now down on
theatre shows at the age of sixteen. Moving his luck Jazz musician, who recalls the days he
through a number of professions, from theatre, spent on an Ocean Liner and the friendship he
to photography, Tornatore fnally found his makes with a musical genius born and raised on
place and passion making movies. In 1986 he the ship known as 1900. Tim Roth plays Danny
directed his frst flm Il camorrista (The Professor, Boodmann T.D. Lemon Nineteen Hundred
1986) but his big break occurred two years ‘1900’ and the flm, which was based originally
after in 1988 with Nuovo Cinema Paradiso for on the monologue by Alessandro Baricco
which he received the Academy Award for Best “Novecento”, is another of Tornatore’s powerful
Foreign Language Film. Since then Tornatore and emotionally poignant flms. The movie
has continued making great flms, with a few was flmed in Italy and the Ukraine but is a
classic and stand out exceptions. testament to the American dream – immigrants
arriving to the free world to start their life again,
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1988) – Tornatore’s the romantic future in New York City. But at the
most highly acclaimed work follows the story heart of The Legend of 1900 the story explores
of a famous Italian director returning to his music, passion and the greatest of friendships.
home town in Sicily to attend the funeral of Baricco’s original monologue is moving and
his mentor, the man who inspired his love powerfully emotive, but what makes this flm
of the movies and who worked at the local stand out is the music and Roth’s performance
22 Independent Media Inspiring Minds
