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‘Cinema Paradiso’ Director Giuseppe Tornatore Talks Love Stories & Cinema

Through November 18, Los Angeles is getting a dose of “Cinema Italian Style” thanks to its new partnership with AFI Fest 2014. This year’s edition showcased the 25th anniversary of Cinema Paradiso’s release, as a digitally restored version of the classic was previewed November 10 at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles.

On Thursday, November 13, actor Francesco Scianna (Fasten Your Seatbelts), director Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso), Human Capital director Paolo Virzi and Human Capital actress Matilde Gioli attended a press conference to promote “Cinema Italian Style” at Mr. C. Beverly Hills.

Francesco Scianna, Matilde Gioli - Mr. C Beverly Hills, Press Conference (Kika Press)
Francesco Scianna, Matilde Gioli – Mr. C Beverly Hills, Press Conference (Kika Press)

“First of all, 25 years ago, in this kind of press conference, I was always the youngest,” said Tornatore. “Now I’m the oldest. That’s the difference.  But despite this, the screening (several days ago) at the Egyptian Theatre was really a big surprise for me. The reaction of the audience was exactly the same of the reaction of 25 years ago. . . . discovering the movie, after all these years is still alive – and me too (the press members laughed) – it’s really comfortable.”

Cinema Italian Style Press Conference - Thursday, November 13, 2014 - Mr. C Beverly Hills
Cinema Italian Style Press Conference – Thursday, November 13, 2014 – Mr. C Beverly Hills

During the press conference, I asked Mr. Tornatore why love and memory are so intertwined in his body of work (his other films include Malena, The Legend of 1900, and most recently The Best Offer).

To hear his answer, click on the audio below:

For a full screening list and info on Cinema American Style, please go to http://www.cinemaitalianstyle.it/

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Digitally Restored ‘Cinema Paradiso’ Previewed At Egyptian Theater

 

One of this week’s AFI Film Festival highlights came at the hands of renowned filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore, as a worldwide preview of his digitally restored masterpiece Cinema Paradiso took place November 10 at Los Angeles’ Egyptian Theatre. The event spotlighted the 25th year anniversary of Cinema Paradiso’s release (the picture won Best Foreign Film in 1990).

Actor/director Danny DeVito introduced Tornatore to the audience before the screening. Actors Al Pacino, Mark Feurstein, Nastassja Kinski, Gisella Marengo, and Dolce and Gabbana model Kate King were among the screening’s attendees.

Giuseppe Tornatore, Danny DeVito

The Cinema Paradiso restoration was completed by Immagine Ritrovata di Bologna and overseen by Tornatore and cinematographer Blasco Giurato.

In a statement, Tornatore talked about how Cinema Paradiso’s effect has not dissipated over time:

It is a film present constantly in my daily life. Journalists never cease to question me about the reasons and the contours of this adventurous experience. In whatever country an audience attends, I always feel a throbbing emotion, so for me it is completely unnatural to believe that all those seasons have passed. It seems to me to be an arithmetic error, a passage of time poorly recorded, or at least hazardously so. Furthermore, the memory of working on the movie is fresh in my mind as if I had made ​​it only a few months ago. So many friends and collaborators shared this adventure with me, and we speak of it whenever we meet, although many have abandoned us in the meantime.  I also happen to return periodically to the places where I imagined and realized the film, because it is not uncommon that someone comes to shoot interviews or documentaries about NuovoCinema Paradiso, and they ask me for news, testimonials, and information.  I experience it, therefore, as a work that essentially has never ended.

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