Cinema Paradiso

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Total Tracks: 16   Total Length: 38:20

eMusic Review

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Keith Phipps

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
Ennio Morricone, Cinema Paradiso
1999 | Label: DRG Records

By the '80s, Ennio Morricone had, by his own admission, already composed more film scores than he could remember. But that didn't prevent him from turning out some of his most memorable work. Morricone's music for Giuseppe Tornatore's sentimental 1989 favorite Cinema Paradiso stands alongside the grandiose religious themes of The Mission and the melancholy nostalgia of Once Upon a Time in America as one of his best efforts of the decade. Like the film, Morricone's unapologetically romantic work weaves bits of adult sophistication into passages that capture the unfiltered emotions of childhood. Most tracks offer variations on the memorable title theme, none more impressively than "From American Sex Appeal to the First Fellini," which marches through a quick history of film music from the silent age to the '50s. In another move appropriate for a coming-of-age story, Morricone turns the soundtrack into a family affair, bringing in son Andrea Morricone to compose the sweeping "Love Theme."

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Melancholic Bliss

Davie

A shiver and a sigh!

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Beautiful

glauber

A beautiful soundtrack worthy of a beautiful film.

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They Say All Media Guide

Few viewers are able to resist the charms of Cinema Paradiso, the coming-of-age tale that captured the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1989. Celebrated composer Ennio Morricone’s score captures the gentle-natured, nostalgic feel of the film masterfully. From the graceful title theme (which is revisited within most of the compositions) to the wistful “Visit to the Cinema” to the majestic “From American Sex Appeal to the First Fellini Film,” Morricone manages to set the mood perfectly and unobtrusively. The orchestral score complements while it adds depth and subtle color to every scene. Andrea Morricone contributes the lovely “Love Theme,” a sweeping piece of music incorporating flute and summarizing the entire proceedings. The soundtrack to Cinema Paradiso is another exceptional work from Morricone and the perfect souvenir to the film. – Tom Demalon

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