Cinema Paradiso
Plot
The movie tells the tale
of Salvatore Di Vita, shining light on his early experiences in the
younger years of his life as his mother phones him to inform him of the death
of his dearest friend and mentor, Alfredo.
Reflection
Intense Interests
Salvatore Di Vita (Toto) displayed a total
fascination towards films in the early years of his life. When he was six, he
would often visit Alfredo in the projection booth and sneak some
censored film scenes, mainly involving love and violence, home with him.
The young lad had so much passion for film that he had an entire tin box filled
with movie scenes.
Alfredo & young Salvatore Di Vita (Toto) in the projection booth.
Here we can see that
Toto, just like many other young children, had a tendency to develop an
obsession towards objects that they find fascinating, and an enduring and deep
obsession is known as intense interests (Alexander, Johnson, Leibham, &
Kelley, 2008).
He
would also constantly rehearse films scenes at home and think about films at the movie house, at home, as he walks pass a poster. He
is always portrayed to be interested in film.
Toto obsessed with films pieces he took from the projection booth.
Father Figure
Toto's relationship with
Alfredo started off rocky. Alfredo felt annoyed by Toto's persistence, and forces Toto to leave him alone.
It was later revealed
that Toto's father who went to fight in the second world war has not returned
for some time after the war. I feel that Toto's intense interest in film could
be a secondary fixation, as he did not have a father figure growing up, and
Alfredo was the next best person to be seen as a father figure.
Some children who grow
up without a father figure develop some behavior problems, such as creating an aggressive or impulsive identity to mask underlying negative emotions such as unhappiness and anxiety (Pougnet, Serbin, &
Schwartzman, 2011). Toto is portrayed like this as well, as he talks back to adults,
steals censored film pieces, and finds loopholes in promises that he makes to
get what he wants.
I think it was great
that Toto sees Alfredo as a father figure, as he is able to put his underlying
negative emotions at ease. It can be seen that Alfredo also really cares for
Toto as he gives him a ride downhill,
protected him from his mother, and teaches him how to operate the movie projector.
Toto riding downhill with Alfredo on a bicycle.
Observational learning
Toto showed
observational learning when he was at the projection booth when Alfredo doesn't
agree to teach him how to operate the movie projector. He had never been taught
how to operate the projector but he managed to make it work on his first try,
and Alfredo was so surprised that he had a hard time believing that Toto
operated the movie projector.
Toto was seen to undergo
the 4 stages of observational learning, attention, retention, imitation, and motivation (Bandura & Jeffrey, 1973).
Bandura's Social Learning Model.
He has always paid close attention to
Alfredo when he operated the projector, he then must have memorized and retained the steps
to operating the projector, and as he knows how to operate it and he is
physically able to imitate it, all he needed was the motivation to do it.
The
motivation came when he asked Alfredo to teach him about operating the
projector, and when Alfredo didn't take him seriously, he showed him that he
could learn how to do it.
Alfredo taught him
everything he knew about films and how to operate the projector from then
onward.
Alfredo teaching Toto how to operate movie projector.
Nostalgia & Emphaty
As Toto finally returns to Cinema Paradiso, he is now older and more successful than he ever was. It was after the funeral of Alfredo when he went to have a look at the old abandoned movie place before it was demolished. As he ventured through the remains of where everything started, I could sense the feeling of nostalgia, as though it was I who went away for 30 years and came back, where I barely recognize the place where I spent my younger days growing up.
Toto as he walks through the remains of Cinema Paradiso.
The remains of Cinema Paradiso after being abandoned for many years.
After the last tour of the once popular Cinema Paradiso, Toto stood outside with many of the townsfolk as they prepare themselves to see the demolition of the place where many great moments they made together.
As the explosion goes off, the movie house falls, and the townsfolk could not hold in their emotions. I too felt the emotions of the townsfolk, there was an overwhelming feeling that hit me strongly, it was as though part of me was being demolished along with the my favorite movie house.
Cinema Paradiso when it was still new.
The demolition of Cinema Paradiso.
A wonderfully produced film by an amazing film maker to kick start this blog.
I got a glimpse of how psychology concepts are everywhere, even in films, all I have to do is keep my eyes open.
References
Alexander, J.M., Johnson, K.E., Leibham, M.E., & Kelley, K. (2008).
The development of conceptual interests in young children. Cognitive
Development, 23, 324–334. doi:10.1016/j.cogdev.2007.11.004
Bandura A, & Jeffrey R.W. (1973). Role of symbolic coding and
rehearsal processes in observational learning. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 26, 122–130. Retrieved from https://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Bandura/Bandura1973JPSP.pdf
Pougnet, E., Serbin, L.A., Stack, D.M., & Schwartzman,
A.E. (2011). Fathers’ influence on children’s cognitive and behavioural
functioning: A longitudinal study of Canadian families. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science. 43(3), 173-182. doi: 10.1037/a0023948
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