The classic Hollywood narrative follows a very basic chronological plot line centered on the main character: "an undisturbed stage, the disturbance, the struggle, and the elimination of the disturbance" (Bordwell 19). Rachael pointed out that Cinema Paradiso seems to stray from this basic outline due to its "retrospective narrative form", which is achieved by connecting different points in time with various objects (lemons), characters (the crazy man in the square) and Salvatore's own physicality (posture, etc). I would argue that this retrospection is only meant to explain Salvatore's struggle with the disturbance at the heart of the story.
My summary of the plot is as follows:
-Undisturbed stage: Salvatore is a wealthy man who is disconnected from his family and his past (as evidenced by his mother's inability to contact him)
-Disturbed stage: Salvatore learns of his mentor Alfredo's passing
-Struggle: Salvatore is forced to choose between heeding Aflredo's words on never returning home or honoring Alfredo by attending his funeral
-Elimination of the disturbance: Salvatore returns home to a familiar yet strange world
To me what's unusual about this plot is that its course is a rather minimal (with regard to screen time) portion of the movie. The undisturbed stage is done quickly but effectively and the disturbance happens in a manner that deepens the protagonist's isolation from his past: in his new world Salvatore is casually told by his lover of Alfredo's passing. The fact that this lover, who is presumably Salvatore's most intimate companion, is unaware of the weight behind the information she has shared implies complete separation between Salvatore's past and present. It is therefore necessary to revert back to his childhood to intimately share the complexity of Salvatore's struggle.
In addition to narrative structure, Bordwell also pointed out the necessity of a second plotline centered on romance. The most obvious romance in the movie is Salvatore's love-at-first-sight infatuation with Elena. We first see her through Salvatore's camera, after which Salvatore woos Elena in an overly dramatic (dare I say, cinematic) manner and later passionately embraces her in the rain. But after all the over-the-top drama and passion, Elena is just gone without a climactic send-off or disagreement. There is no closure. Upon further examination of this relationship, as Anne describes, his love for Elena is no more than "an infatuation with the love depicted on screen." Salvatore's interactions with Elena are simply recreations of the romantic scenes he grew up watching.
Charles further points out that in the flashbacks to Salvatore's childhood we come to understand this "film-obsessed child and how the romance of the cinema, the community togetherness of the theater, shaped and created his identity." The true romance in this story seems to be between a young boy and the movies. This pairing has all the makings of the typical romance plot line: a goal, obstacles and a climax. Salvatore is initially shunned from the movies he so desires to see, he then finds a way in, falls in love, and finally ends this "romance" when he leaves town after hearing Alfredo's declaration that his infatuation with movies is unhealthy. This romance is given closure in the end of the movie when Salvatore watches the Cinema Paradiso fall and with Alfredo's last act as a mentor. Alfredo leaves Salvatore a montage of previously edited out movie clips, clips Salvatore had longed to see as a child. By viewing this montage, Salvatore is finally allowed to experience the embraces that he had been denied for so long.
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