Plot: In post-World War II Sicily, at the small village of Giancaldo, the fatherless eight-year-old boy, Salvatore "Totò" Di Vita, befriends Alfredo, the grizzled projectionist of the local Cinema Paradiso, and gains a mentor, and the father he never had. As the wide-eyed boy becomes enchanted by the dazzling world of the movies, growing up with the everlasting characters of Akira Kurosawa, Jean Renoir, John Wayne, Charles Chaplin, and everything in between, his vivid dreams start taking shape, even though the village priest, Father Adelfio, never misses an opportunity to censor films. But, after thirty long years of absence, the death of a dear one forces silver-haired Salvatore, now a prominent film director, to reconnect with his old hometown, and his faded, celluloid-scented childhood memories. Can he remember the taste of youth's first kiss?
Alternative Plot: Young Salvatore Di Vita (Salvatore Cascio) discovers the perfect escape from life in his war-torn Sicilian village: the Cinema Paradiso movie house, where projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) instills in the boy a deep love of films. When Salvatore grows up, falls in love with a beautiful local girl (Agnese Nano) and takes over as the Paradiso's projectionist, Alfredo must convince Salvatore to leave his small town and pursue his passion for filmmaking.
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