The Star Maker (1995)

REVIEW
Director Tornatore returns to the theme of the magic of the cinema which was brilliantly examined in his Cinema Paradiso with this often wry fable. Castellitto stars as Morelli, a con man making his way through 1950s Sicily offering dreams of fame and fortune or, at the very least, escape to the poor villagers of the small towns he visits. For a nominal fee, he films any and all with the promise of sending these screen tests to the cinematic giants of Italian filmmaking. Of course, the tests go no further than the back of his dilapidated truck which trumpets his arrival in each town. Unmoved by the various, funny and sometimes touching stories he is told, it is too late when he realizes the special power he and the camera holds. Tornatore captures the flavor of the times with the same accuracy he demonstrated in Paradiso, though this morality tale is not the sophisticated romp the box art suggests. (Italian with English subtitles)