Cinema Paradiso: Original Soundtrack Recording (1989 Film)

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Music reviews of Cinema Paradiso: Original Soundtrack Recording (1989 Film)

Music Review: Beautiful. Similar to Hisaishi's compsitions.
Rating: 5 Stars

At first, I had to force myself to listen all the way through. Yes, it was very melodic and orchestrated very well, but I just kept thinking how it seemed like stuff I'd heard a thousand times before. Then as I payed more attention to it, it hit me. Joe Hisaishi! It sounded almost exactly like the hyptonic melodies (the utterly simple and attractive melodies only great composers can write) of Joe Hisaishi (Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa). Who would have thought? An Italian and a Japanese composer having very similar styles. Though Ennio Morricone is known for a lot more stuff than this film--most famous is his scores for the Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns--for this particular score, he eerily matches Joe Hisaishi in thought and form, especially in comparison to the score for My Neighbor Totoro. The two films have similar attitudes as well. Cinema Paradiso is about a little boy who grows up loving movies and My Neighbor Totoro is about two little girls who grow up knowing about magical monsters in a forest. They both have very happy as well as achingly sad moments, and the musical demands are very similar as a result.

I think the reason Morricone's score didn't catch my ears at first listen was the fact that it doesn't use any synthetic instruments. Joe Hisaishi uses a lot of it for My Neighbor Totoro--the melodies come through a lot more memorabley as a result. I also have the symphonic version of the Totoro score, but I find it loses a lot of personality in this form. Maybe it's something about these simple melodies that takes a bit to listen for it. It really will glide over your senses if you're not receptive to it on the first listen, and the synthetic instruments was this ear-catcher for Totoro, however, the recording for Cinema Paradiso is more subtle.

I seem to have this problem a lot. I've had this experience more than once--listening to a piece of music that I didn't really care for on first listen, then over time, if I keep hearing it, I keep hearing more and more that I like. Most of the music that are my favorites are this type of music. Stuff I didn't like on first listen yet eventually realized is better than all those other readily-liked tunes. There's a certain amount of thought and receptiveness you have to bring to a great piece of music. Most pop tunes are composed so that you'll like it even with your brain turned off.

A great piece of music to have in your collection. You won't regret it. (oh, and check out some of Joe Hisaishi's works as well)

Description of Cinema Paradiso: Original Soundtrack Recording (1989 Film)

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