Cinema Paradiso

16 September 2009

 by Dr. Pied Piper

I'm taking a break from PepSi world to write about a movie that I absolutely adore. This is probably one of the best movies ever. Today, I've been listening to the soundtrack by Ennio Moricone. The music is very sweet, innocent, and almost (but not quite) makes a virtue out of emotions and sadness and all that mushy stuff meant for the weak and the romantic fools.

The first time Toto fell in love, Alfredo told him a story:

Once upon a time, a king gave a feast. And there came the most beautiful princesses of the realm. Now, a soldier, who was standing guard, saw the king's daughter go by. She was the most beautiful one, and he immediately fell in love with her. But what could a poor soldier do when it came to the daughter of the king? Well, finally, one day, he managed to meet her, and he told her that he could no longer live without her. The princess was so impressed by his strong feelings that she said to the soldier: "If you can wait 100 days and 100 nights under my balcony, then at the end of it, I shall be yours." Damn! The soldier immediately went there and waited one day. And two days. And ten. And then twenty. And every evening, the princess looked out of her window, but he never moved. During rain, during wind, during snow, he was always there. The bird shat on his head, and the bees stung him, but he didn't budge. After ninety nights, he had become all dried up, all white, and the tears streamed from his eyes. He couldn't hold them back. He no longer had the strength to sleep. All that time, the princess watched him. And on the 99th night, the soldier stood up, took his chair, and went away.

The original US version of the movie did not explain what the story meant but in the extended DVD, Toto gave his interpretation to Alfredo later in the film:

... In one more night, the princess would have been his. But she also could not possibly have kept her promise. And it would have been terrible. He would have died. This way, however, at least for 99 days, he was living under the illusion that she was there, waiting for him.

My interpretation, however, was different and a bit more realistic: I think the soldier finally realized that IF the princess really loved him, she would not have watched him go through everything that he went through; he would have wanted her to love him for who he was, not because he waited for a 100 days. Actually, not because of any particular reason at all. And so he walked away because a love that is given under any pre-condition is not a love worth receiving anyway. Yep, dude, she just wasn't into you.

The soundtrack is simply amazing, so here it is: Cinema Paradiso

At the end of the film, Toto watched a collection of censored kisses clips which Alfredo had saved and spliced together. I understand that Otalians are hoping for something similar when the show ends this Friday. And I say, "Dream on."