Cinema Paradiso (4k Blu-ray Review)

Reviewed By Jason Lockard

Released in 1988 Cinema Paradiso won awards across the world including Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, 5 BAFTA Awards including Best Actor, Original Screenplay and Score, the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival and more. It is considered by many to be the greatest foreign film ever made.

Now after receiving DVD and Blu-ray releases. Including a previous Arrow Blu-ray release. It is time for this masterpiece to have an Ultra HD release and Arrow Films have stepped up to the plate to hit another home run with a foreign film classic for the foreign film and cinema fans.

The film follows a young boy Salvatore Di Vita (Salvatore Cascio) as he discovers the perfect escape from life in his war-torn Sicilian village. It is 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 tries to convince Salvatore to leave his small town and pursue his passion for filmmaking. Will he fulfill that passion or stay in his home village? You will have to see the film to find out.

This film is loosely based on the story of the Protti family, who have owned a movie theatre in Mantua, Italy, since 1904. It truly is a foreign film masterpiece ranging the gambit of emotions. But I want to make this clear this film is not for the entire family, there is some profanity and some sexual situations. So viewers be warned. 

Now for this Ultra HD release. I have to say this 4K UHD image quality is stunning the film grain is perfect and the colors are vibrant. The audio is in Italian language DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround soundtracks. Sadly there is no English dub, but this release is loaded with bonus features.

Bonus Materials

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) of the 124 minute theatrical version
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation of the 174 minute Director'€™s Cut
• Uncompressed original stereo 2.0 Audio and 5.1 surround sound options
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio commentary with director Giuseppe Tornatore and Italian cinema expert critic Millicent Marcus
• A Dream of Sicily a€“ 52-minute documentary profile of Giuseppe Tornatore with interviews with the director and extracts from his early home movies and interviews with director Francesco Rosi and painter Peppino Ducato, set to music by Ennio Morricone
• A Bear and a Mouse in Paradise:€“ A 27-minute documentary on the making of Cinema Paradiso and the characters of Toto and Alfredo, featuring interviews the actors who play them, Philippe Noiret and Salvatore Cascio as well as Tornatore
• The Kissing Sequence – Giuseppe Tornatore discusses the origins of the kissing scenes with clips identifying each scene
• Original Director'€™s Cut Theatrical Trailer and 25th Anniversary Re-Release Trailer

If you love this film and own it on DVD or Blu-ray and want a stunningly beautiful copy of this film. This one is going to be a major upgrade for the standard DVD of the HD Blu-ray no doubt. 

So if you are a fan of foreign films or films in general, you can pick up a copy of the Ultra HD Blu-ray of Cinema Paradiso at Amazon.com right now.

Out of 4 Film reels (4 being the best) Arrow Video's Ultra HD Blu-ray of Cinema Paradiso receives...