one of the most touching movies i've ever seen. i mean the director's cut rather than the theatrical version which misses the critical part. the movie starts with a man left his hometown for forty years, then flashback to his childhood and youth, in which we saw his family background, his puppy love, and the most intersting and important one is the relationship between him and his father-figure alfredo, which was the cinema movie player operator, and inspired protagonist for the the interests of movies. the movie can be divided into three parts: childhood, youth, and adult. every part is beautifully paced, but i prefer the last part. it is the conclusion of the story. the protagonist gave up his love for his career. likewise, alfredo also gaves up the communication with the protagonist for his career. elena gave up meeting the protagonist for her own family. the government gave up the cinema paradiso for future development. sometimes you have to give up, you have to sacrifice, because it is life. the music of morricone uplifted the movie as his masterpiece did for 'once upon a time in america'.