Cinema Paradiso

 

Giuseppe Tornatore's classic film Cinema Paradiso (1988) is credited with reinvigorating not just Italy's moribund motion picture industry but the love of movies among the general public around the world.

Cinema Paradiso is the loving story of the friendship between an aging Sicilian projectionist, Alfredo, and a young, fatherless boy, Salvatore, in the years after the Second World War.

Salvatore learns the job of the theater projectionist from his older friend and inherits it after Alfredo is blinded in an accident. Fearing the boy's future as a filmmaker will be squandered if he stays in the small village, Alfredo urges him to leave, and Salvatore does. Returning only upon learning of his friend's death.

The film, which won a slew of industry awards in 1989, is widely available for purchase and streaming.

I was reminded of this picture when I read that the Labor Department is projecting much better than average growth between now and 2031 among motion picture projectionists (40 percent increase.) The agency is also expecting 41 percent growth in front-of-house staffing -- ushers / attendants and ticket-tearers.

I was surprised by this; it seemed counter-intuitive as streaming services continue to be a growth industry, some experts forecasting as much as $150 billion revenue increase in the next two years. That news, coupled with AMC Entertainment's struggles, did not appear to me to be a formula for a bright movie theater future.

But the folks at the Labor Department, whose yearly outlook report I consult regularly, have found some reason to say folks will be venturing from their homes in the coming years. Perhaps the cost of multiple streaming services will eventually become too much for movie-lovers to bear, even if the services offer reduced subscriptions in ad-supported streaming.

Whatever the reason, I welcomed the news that those of us who love movies won't be living The Last Picture Show quite yet.