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Splendor (1988)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
Following a similar vein to Cinema Paradiso, this film charts the rise and fall of cinema through the life of one man, Jordan (Marcello Mastroianni). He is the long-time owner of the Cinema Splendor, which has been bought and is destined to become a furniture store. As he sits, despondent and miserable, his mind wanders back to the glory days of film and his own childhood. While a young boy his father ran a travelling cinema, showing Metropolis on an outdoor screen in a succession of towns. Eventually his parents settled though and bought the Splendor; this was the time when each new film played to a full house, week after week. Reflecting the fact that all of the films of this era were in black & white, these scenes of the past are similarly shot in monochrome while the present is shown in colour. In time, Jordan graduates to running the cinema (just after WWII).

Although these excerpts from Jordan's life are not shown in chronological order we soon find that there has been love in his life. On the spur of the moment he whisked Chantal (Marina Vlady), a chorus girl, away from her show and into the Splendor, as an extremely attractive usherette. Theirs is a strange relationship where they love each other dearly but never achieve consummation, perhaps because Jordan still lives with his sister and elderly housekeeper. Chantal is never short of admirers, both young and old, although there is one particularly determined man, Luigi (Massimo Troisi), who visits every day for months. Inevitably, with his deep love of cinema, he ends up with Chantal and the projectionist's job. Using a backdrop of movies to illustrate the period, the story jumps restlessly between decades.

A sad aspect, that becomes increasingly clear, is the terminal decline of film when compared to television. While Jordan works hard and builds up sizeable debts (partially due to some badly received seasons of films by foreign directors) the audiences diminish, preferring to spend time vegetating in the town square. This doesn't preclude moments of great comedy though, such as when a manic Luigi tries to arouse some enthusiasm in potential customers or Jordan gambles, literally, with a creditors funds as he tries to re-schedule the cinema's loans. We know that the closure of the Splendor is inevitable (having been shown this initially) but this doesn't detract from the life's work of Jordan.

The crux of a movie which portrays the life of a single figure is the quality of the performances and whether they are convincing. In this case, the three lead characters are utterly charming, interesting and realistic - there is no doubt that they would devote their lives to the Splendor. A key addition to this excellent acting is the inclusion of a large number of film clips, from movies spanning the entire century. These provide a sense of history together with being entertaining in their own right, especially when you've seen the film in question. However, skilled evasion of sentimentality ensures that Splendor doesn't become bogged down, which isn't to say that there aren't slow moments -- there are. The story does tend to drag a little in the middle and to lose some story elements (although they are mainly peripheral) but, on the whole, this is a captivating and affectionate experience.

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