Awakenings - To Be Still Living

  Before I begin, I have to say that it's been a journey full of nostalgia with Robin Williams in the film. The world lost a great man when he had finally succumb to his depression and took his own life. Through his life stories and the movies that he portray, it has always been funny but mostly hopeful. This post is dedicated to Robin Williams, who showed that he's not just an amazing actor but also a man full of generosity and a love for those living.

Introduction
"In the winter of 1916-1917, an epidemic of a rare disease occurred, springing up, as virus diseases sometimes do, seemingly out of nowhere. It spread over Europe and then to other parts of the world and affected some five million people. The onset of the disease was sudden and took different forms. Some people developed acute restlessness or insomnia or dementia. Others fell into a trance-like sleep or coma. These different forms were recognised and identified by the physician Constantin von Economo as one disease, which he called encephalitis lethargica, or sleepy sickness. Many people died of the disease. Of those who survived, some recovered completely. The majority remained partly disabled, prone to symptoms reminiscent of Parkinson’s disease. The worst affected sank into a kind of ‘sleep’, unable to move or speak, without any will of their own, or hope, but conscious and with their memories intact. They were placed in hospitals or asylums. Ten years after the epidemic had begun, it just as remarkably disappeared. Fifty years later, the epidemic had been forgotten. In 1966, when Dr. Oliver Sacks, a neurologist trained in London, took up his post at Mount Carmel, a hospital in New York, he found there a group of eighty people who were the forgotten survivors of the forgotten epidemic. It was clear that hundreds of thousands had died in institutions. Dr. Sacks called them ‘the lepers of the present century’. In his book, ‘Awakenings’, he tells of his attempts to understand the nature of their affliction, but also of his growing appreciation of them as individuals, with their own unique histories and experience. In 1969, Dr. Sacks tried out a remarkable new drug, L-DOPA. For some of his patients, there then followed a rapid and brief return to something like normality. They were suddenly restored to the world of the late nineteen sixties. His book documents this remarkable awakening, as experienced by twenty of his patients. L-DOPA was not, however, the magic cure that it first seemed. The normality that it promoted soon broke down, with patients subject to all kinds of bizarre behaviours" - taken from http://www.filmeducation.org/

Characters
Dr. Malcolm Sayer - A doctor who was recently hired into a local hospital in the New York City borough of The Bronx. Shown earlier on, he is portrayed as a timid  and  an awkward man who prefers to keep to himself. He sees very little interest in the world outside of his work and research. It's ironic that despite being in a profession of helping people, he prefers to be by himself outside of work. If there's any consolation, he is extremely passionate in his work and looks beyond the issues and limitations that others tend to accept. Eventually, he did break out of his shyness and takes the first step towards living outside of his work.

Leonard Lowe - A patient of Dr Sayer and the first receiver of L-DOPA. He was first shown as a bright child who was doing extremely well for class until the onset of his symptoms which renders him slowing down and eventually catatonic. After he awakens, he showed a huge zeal for life (as with others after him) and a hunger to to experience the four walls that of the hospital. His anger in not being allowed to be free, eventually and possibly triggered his onset of tics that would become worse. Leonard, showed more than just the first patient that received L-DOPA. He was also the first to go through the challenges that would eventually overtake him and the other. He was also the first to show the ward, staff and patients that there's more than life than the four walls of the hospital.

Eleanor Costello - The nurse that assisted Dr Sayer throughout the film. She was also the first to believe in Dr Sayer and also to ask him if he would life to have coffee after work. Eleanor was integral to Dr Sayer, in the sense that she truly believe in him and helped him throughout the entire film. Even to the point getting other nurses together to help with Dr Sayer's quest to gather the post-encephalitis patients. In a sense, it could be said that she is the one that kept Dr Sayer rooted in his humanity.

Paula - She caught the eye of Leonard when she was reading to her comatose father due to stroke. An integral character to Leonard despite being minimally shown throughout the film, she was the cause that prompted Leonard to be interested in her or being interested to romantically explore.

Themes
The main themes that was discussed in the film, such as life, belief, and hope.

The idea of life is the most visible due to the fact of the patients coming to life after being given L-DOPA. Many of the patient whom being rendered catatonic, once woken begin to pursue life again in their passion and pursuits. After all, being trapped in their own body for 20 years, they have no time to waste in doing nothing.

Belief in a sense, that it's often that not everyone can ever believe in what we believe in. It is not always that people who don't believe are against us but simple that they do not necessary want to or to need to share our beliefs. After all, it is only up to us to fully work on what we believe in than to constantly fight to make people share in our beliefs.

Hope was ever present throughout the film. With Dr Sayer who sees a glimpse of what could be with the encephalitis  patients.It was hope that drove Dr Sayer to attend a drug conference and eventually try out on his patients. Even as his patients went back to their previous conditions, there was hope that they could possibly wake up again. Even then, perhaps there was even hope for those around them. Namely the nurses, the doctors, the sponsors and even those who briefly come into contact with them.

Thoughts
The main thing that stayed with me was this one line. "..only because the other possibility is unthinkable."

It is often that when you've been living the same secured life that you think that the other possibly is unthinkable. That you should be in a secured job that pursuing your passions  that does not guarantee an income is impossible.

Opportunities should never be wasted. It could be only once in your lifetime. You may never get it again. After all, you only live once. So go and live your life.

Cinema Paradiso : a Review

Setting

  The setting of Cinema Paradiso is mostly based on a small town in Italy. The town consist of a poor majority and leading simple lives. Which can be seen in the various scenes of the townsfolk going about their daily lives. It is also have been a few years since world war 2. Which can be observe in the various commentaries, cinema ads, and sometimes even posters. The town is also service by a single priest who runs the parish and also, serving as a one man censorship board before a film is shown to the townsfolk. Cinema Paradiso is the town's only form of entertainment and the only cinema in town.

Story

  The movie follows the life of boy nicknamed Toto by the locals. Whom befriends the only projectionist working in Cinema Paradiso, Alfredo. Although Toto is more of a pest to Alfredo in the beginning, They slowly form a close relationship as mentor and student. The story focuses a lot Toto growing up and his love for films. Starting out as an adolescence, then as a teenager and finally as an adult. 

Characters

  Toto is a mischievous but intelligent boy (whom reminds me of my cat, Mao) who often sneaks into the local cinema to either watch films when the local priest censors the films, to watch Alfredo work or just to watch films with rest of the townsfolk. As a teenager, he started to use a home movie camera in which he films scenes around town. One of which he spots Elena and films. He eventually woos her but loses her after he leaves town for military service. As an adult, now more commonly known as Salvatore Di Vita, a famous Italian director who's been described that he tends to change partners often. Never settling for one.

  Alfredo works a projectionist at Cinema Paradiso. Which he started since he was 10. He is also the one that manually censors scenes from the show reel which the local priest disapproves. He knows that Toto often steals the cut scenes cut from the  film reel but chooses to not know about it. He considers Toto a pest early on but eventually mentors Toto in becoming a projectionist after he helps Alfredo to cheat in a test. Alfredo moves on to not just teach Toto projecting skills but to also mentor him after Toto takes over his role after an accident at the projection room which renders Alfredo blind. He is fond of giving Toto advice in life with quotes taken from movies. Eventually, Alfredo asked Toto to leave his town and to never look back or to come back. For he believes that Toto has a much better future outside than to stay in the small town.

Other Characters

  There are other characters that play a small but important role in Toto's life. One of which some may tend to overlook is Toto's mother. She does not seem to care for Toto much, Hence allowing Toto run rampant in his free time.The only scenes that she directly dealt with Toto on two to three occasions, when his stolen cut films caught fire, when he sneak off to the cinema and when he left for military service. She was also the one that insisted to find and inform Salvatore when Alfredo had passed away. The local town priest, which Toto helps as an altar server or an altar boy. His role in Toto's life while minor, did play a role in his life. Such as when Toto sneaks in when he censors the films and when Toto sneaks into his confession booth, in which he shows aptitude in remembering the priest's chants. 

  Elena is the daughter of a wealthy banker who recently moved to Toto's town when he was a teenager. He was immediately taken by her. Setting of a course in which he tries his best to woo her. In which he succeeds. Albeit a short one. In the extended cut, Toto(now Salvatore) chance upon Elena again when he returned to his hometown. He found out the reason why Elena never returned or tried to contact him after he left for military service. Alfredo told her not to. For the same reason, he told Toto to leave and never to return.

Crucial Events

  There are events that happened in the film that sets the course for Toto's life.

1) Toto sneaking into the cinema to watch the uncensored films and watching Alfredo work.

2) Toto helping Alfredo cheat during the exams.

3) Alfredo showing Toto how to show the movie outside of the cinema to the cinema goers who were kicked out.

4) The film reel catching fire, burning the cinema and blinding Alfredo in the process.

5) Toto saving Alfredo's life from the fire despite his small size.

6) Ciccio using his lottery winnings to rebuild the cinema.

7) Toto hired as the new projectionist with Alfredo mentoring him.

8) Toto's chanced encounter with Elena and filming her.

9) Toto describing what he filmed in town to Alfredo and Alfredo correctly guessing one of the parts that Toto refuses to describe to him.

10) Alfredo telling Toto of the story of the knight that waited for the princess for 100 days.

11) Toto confessing to Elena at the confession booth, telling her that he'll wait for her outside her house until new year.

12) Toto leaving for military service and Elena moving away with her family.

13) Toto returns from military service to find how much his hometown has changed.

14) Toto having a heart to heart talk with Alfredo and being told to leave his hometown and to never come back.

15) Fast forward 30 years later, his mother tries to call Toto(now Salvatore) to let him know that Alfredo had passed away. Salvatore knows about this from his girlfriend at the time.

16) Salvatore goes back to his hometown, at his mother's house; his mother brought him to his room which comprises of his belongings in the past. Including his mini projector which is used to screen his home video camera's footages. Which he runs and come across Elena's captured footage.

17) Salvatore goes around town and realizes how much it has changed again. One of which was Cinema Paradiso and he finds out that it is due to be demolish to make way for a parking lot. [Note : In the deleted scenes, he meets a now older Elena and finds out that she left him a note telling him how to find her.] He goes into the the now defunct cinema and explores. He finds the lion head where projector used to project from.[Note : In the deleted scenes, he also finds Elena's note]

18) Salvatore joins Alfredo's funeral possession and as they stop in front of the cinema, he realizes and recognizes most of them are cinema goers that he used to project for.

19) Salvatore visits Alfredo's widow and finds that Alfredo had followed Salvatore's success closely and that he was proud of him. Also, he left him a film reel. In which he does not know the contents of.

20) Back in Rome, he plays the film reel. What was shown was a spliced together was all the cut footages from film reels that the priests orders Alfredo to remove. Most of which if not all, were romantic scenes. Salvatore watches in quiet contemplation with tears rolling down his eyes.

Themes

  There are various underlying themes in Cinema Paradiso. One which highlights the condition of the people after world war two four years later. As was highlighted extensively throughout Toto's childhood and the loss of a father figure early on in his life. Which could explain why Toto gets close to Alfredo naturally. Alfredo did somehow come understand that Toto needs a father figure in Toto's life at one point when Toto voice his belief that his father has died in the war to his mother in front of Alfredo after an fire which was caused by Toto's collection of cut films. Alfredo did finally embraced his role as he began to mentor Toto to be a projectionist.

  Another theme that was shown prominently in the film, was the contrast between the movie goers. For one is the upper class and lower class people. Where the upper class are usually seated above while the lower class are usually seated at the bottom. The lower class tends to be a rowdy bunch and are usually people with low income. While the upper class tends to enjoy the movies quietly and one of which looks down on the lower class. Which was by him regularly spitting at the them at almost every scene. Until towards the end, he was thrown at with baby diaper filled with shit after he spits.

  As Alfredo shows Toto how to screen the film outside of the cinema, it invokes a sense of community. In the small town, the cinema was their only entertainment. In a sense, It was the only time where everyone come together. It was the cinema that brought everyone together

  

  Alfredo often dispenses advice to Toto with quotes from famous films at that time. In a way, it pays homage to the famous films but it also shows the beauty of how films could also teach the viewers the various lessons in life and that films isn't necessarily for just entertainment's sake. 

  Perhaps one of the themes that one could possibly miss is the idea of change. As the film goes on throughout Toto's life. We see some characters moving along with the story, growing but not necessarily growing changing. Most of the characters do grow old with time but are they the same person? The most important scene that shows this was the funeral scene when they stopped at the cinema. Salvatore(Toto) sees everyone that he grew up with. Even the townsquare hobo. All of them never really changed except for growing old. This creates a contrast with Salvatore(Toto) who is now a famous film director. Which brings back to the scene where Alfredo tells Toto to leave because if he don't, he'll remind the same person that he is. Never changing. He'll be the same person yesterday and today.

  Another possible theme, is the life of Toto/Salvatore himself. As a adolescent, he is in constant awe and wonder throughout his childhood. Even in his teens, he is constantly looking at his world a little differently. Alfredo recognizes that and he didn't want Toto to lose that constant sense of wonder in his life. In the last part of the film where Salvatore looks at the film reel that Alfredo left him, it is perhaps that Alfredo wanted to remind Salvatore again of his childhood's ever searching sense of wonder. Through the cut films that Alfredo promised Toto.

Reflections

  At the beginning of the film, it's easy to think that Salvatore is someone ungrateful, who'd leave his mother and hometown for over 30 years. One would think that Salvatore had done something so awful that he could not return home. The opposite turned out to be true. He left his town and family fully to achieve his dreams and passion. However it was probably the scariest thing that Toto could have done.To leave one's family and the hometown that he had almost spent his entire life in. We'll never know his challenges when he left but we can only assume that it wasn't easy.

  The story that Alfredo told Toto about the knight and the princess created a question on what does it really mean.It wasn't until the end of the Cinema Paradiso that I truly understood what it means, the princess wasn't Elena but rather Salvatore's hometown. Time is better well spent achieving your dreams rather than waiting for the princess to open her doors. Time is better spent not dwelling in the past, as was shown by Salvatore's constant change of partners. In the end, Alfredo had to remind him again that it's time to move on. Move on he did, as Salvatore finally realizes what Alfredo truly meant.