"Once upon a time, a king gave a feast, and there were the most beautiful princesses in the kingdom. But a soldier who was on guard saw the king's daughter pass by. She was the most beautiful of all and he fell in love with her at once. But what could a poor soldier do compared to the daughter of the king? Finally, one day he managed to meet her and told her he could not live without her. The princess was so impressed by his strong feelings that she said to the soldier: 'If you can wait one hundred days and one hundred nights under my balcony, then at the end, I will be yours!'"

"Damn! Immediately the soldier went there and waited one day, two days, and ten, and then twenty. Every evening the princess checked from the window but he never moved. In the rain, in the wind, in the snow, he was always there. The birds shit on his head, the bees ate him alive, but he didn't move. After ninety nights, he had become all dry, white, and tears streamed from his eyes, and he couldn't hold them back because he no longer had the strength even to sleep... while the princess continued to watch him. And when the ninety-ninth night arrived, the soldier stood up, took his chair, and left."

"Now I understand why the soldier left right at the end. Yes, just one more night and the princess would have been his. But she might not have kept her promise. That would have been terrible. He would have died. So instead, at least for ninety-nine nights, he had lived in the illusion that she was there waiting for him."

"Don't come back. Don't think about us anymore. Don't turn around. Don't write. Don't give in to nostalgia. Forget us all. If you give in and come back, don't come see me. I won't let you in my house. Understand? No matter what you do, love it. Like you loved the projection booth when you were a little boy."

"Now that I've lost my sight, I see more."

"When I call you, different women always answer. I pretend I know them, to spare them the embarrassment of introductions. I'm sure they take me for a crazy old woman! But so far I've never heard a voice that truly loves you. I would have known it, you know?"

"Leave! This is cursed ground. Living here day by day, you think it's the center of the world. You believe nothing will ever change. Then you leave: a year, two years. When you come back, everything's changed. The thread's broken. What you came to find isn't there. What was yours is gone. You have to go away for a long time... many years... before you can come back and find your people. The land where you were born. But now, no. It's not possible. Right now you're blinder than I am."

"Life isn't like in the movies. Life... is much harder."

"Who said that? Gary Cooper? James Stewart? Henry Fonda? Eh?"

"No, Toto. Nobody said it. This time it's all me."

"Go away! Go back to Rome! You're young. The world is yours. And I'm old. I don't want to hear you talk anymore. I want to hear them talk about you."

"I choose my friends for their looks, my enemies for their intelligence."

"You're too sly to be my friend. I always tell my children, 'Be careful how you choose your friends.'"

"You haven't got any children."

"When I do, I'll tell them."

"Progress! Always arrives late."

"The heavier the man, the deeper his footprints."

"Sooner or later, a time comes when speaking or staying silent is the same thing; it's better to stay quiet."

"Fidelity is an ugly thing. If you're faithful, you're always alone."

"Fire always turns to ash, even the greatest love ends."

"Even as time passed, in all the women I met, I sought only you."

"Don't you like anything about it?"

"Oh, you get used to it. Sometimes you can hear that the house is full of people laughing and having fun. Then you're happy too. It makes you feel good to hear them. Like you're the one who made them laugh - who made them forget their troubles. That part I like."

"Now listen. I got into this business at age ten. Back then, we didn't have fancy machines. Movies were silent. You turned the projector by hand with a crank. All the livelong day! And that damn crank was so hard. If you got tired and slowed down a bit, like a shot - voom - everything went up in flames."

"So why not teach me? Now that there's no crank and it's easier."

"Because I don't want to. This is no job for you. You're like a slave - and always by yourself. You see a film 100 times. You've nothing else to do. You talk to Greta Garbo and Tyrone Power like an idiot. You work like a dog. Even holidays - Easter, Christmas. You only get Good Friday off. And if they hadn't stuck Christ on a cross we'd even work then."

"So why don't you change jobs?"

"Because I'm a nitwit. Who else around here could run a projector? Nobody. It takes an imbecile like me. I never had any luck."

"Yes, Salvatore. Di Vita Salvatore. Oh... what, you don't know him, miss? There, good. And I am his mother. I'm calling from Sicily. I've been trying all the blessed day... Oh. I see, he's not there. Then kindly can you give me...? 65622056. Thank you, good day."

"Ma, it's a useless phone call... he has too many commitments, who knows where he is. And besides, he probably won't even remember anymore. Listen to me, forget it. It's been thirty years since he's been here. You know how he is, right?"

"He'll remember, he'll remember, I'm sure of it! I know him better than you do. If he finds out we didn't tell him, he'll be sorry."

"Hello, I would like to speak with Mr. Salvatore Di Vita. I am his mother."

"Salvatore, forgive me. I'll explain later what happened. Not finding you here was terrible. Unfortunately, this evening, my mother and I are leaving for Tuscany. We're moving there. But you're the only one I love, I'll never be with anybody else, I promise. Here's the address of a girlfriend of mine where you can write to me. Don't abandon me. Love and kisses, Elena."

"How long have you been closed?"

"Six years ago in May. Nobody came anymore. You know that better than I do. The crisis, television, cassettes... By now the cinema is only a dream. Now the town has bought it to make a new public parking lot. They're demolishing it Saturday. What a shame."

"But why do you address me formally? It wasn't always like this."

"Eh... to an important person, speaking informally is very difficult."

"Check the reels. As soon as it's ready you can start."

"Alright, sir. And congratulations on the film, it's terrific."

"Thank you."

"No, Salvatore, there is no future. There is only the past. Even last night's encounter was just a dream. A wonderful dream. When we were young, we never did it. Do you remember? Now that it has happened, I can't imagine a better ending."

"I'll never agree with you. Never."

"And the next time be careful how you talk. Not to take credit away from the Lord, but if I had created the world, in all modesty, certain things would have come out better. But unfortunately such was not the case."

"Elena, perhaps in the future we could."

"I'll make mince meat out of you."

"Vattinni! Chista è terra maligna..."

"A vita non è come l'hai vista al cinematografo, a vita è cchiu difficili."

"O' capisti?"

"Qualunque cosa farai, amala, come amavi la cabina del paradiso quando eri picciriddu."

"Tonnatinni a Roma! Tu si giovane, il mondo è tuo e io sugnu vecchiu."

"I was a child and like all children I too wanted to feel important. Between one break and another there were games, snacks, in short I was super pampered by a fabulous and unforgettable cast. Everyone left me something and taught me so much."

"The secret of Cinema Paradiso's success is due to the fact that generations of people all over the world consider the movie theater a place of education."

"Minchia, subito il soldato se ne andò là e aspettò un giorno, due giorni e dieci e poi venti."

"Gli uccelli ci cacavano in testa e le api se lo mangiavano vivo ma lui non si muoveva."

"Dopo novanta notti era diventato tutto secco, bianco e ci scendevano le lacrime dagli occhi."

"E arrivati alla novantanovesima notte il soldato si alzò, si prese la sedia e se ne andò via."

"Sì, bastava un'altra notte e la principessa sarebbe stata sua."

"Ma lei poteva anche non mantenere la sua promessa. Sarebbe stato terribile. Sarebbe morto."

"Così invece, almeno per novantanove notti, era vissuto nell'illusione che lei fosse lì ad aspettarlo."

"Non tornare più, non ci pensare mai a noi, non ti voltare, non scrivere."

"Non ti fare fottere dalla nostalgia, dimenticaci tutti."

"Se non resisti e torni indietro, non venirmi a trovare, non ti faccio entrare a casa mia."

"Ora che ho perso la vista ci vedo di più."

"Quando ti telefono rispondono sempre donne diverse... io faccio finta che le conosco, per toglierle dall'imbarazzo delle presentazioni."

"Sono sicura che mi prenderanno per una vecchia pazza! Ma finora non ho mai sentito una voce che ti ama veramente... l'avrei capito sai?"

"Fino a quando ci sei ti senti al centro del mondo, ti sembra che non cambia mai niente."

"Poi parti. Un anno due, e quanno torni è cambiato tutto: si rompe il filo."

"Non trovi chi volevi trovare. Le tue cose non ci sono più."

"Bisogna andare via per molto tempo, per moltissimi anni, per trovare, al ritorno, la tua gente, la terra unni si nato."

"Ma ora no, non è possibile. Ora tu sei più cieco di me."

"Io scelgo i miei amici in base al loro aspetto e i miei nemici per la loro intelligenza."

"Il progresso! Sempre tardi arriva."

"Più è pesante l'uomo, più profonde sono le sue impronte."

"Prima o poi arriva un tempo che parlare o stare muti è la stessa cosa; è meglio starsi zitti."

"Fedeltà è una brutta cosa: se sei fedele sei sempre solo."

"Il fuoco diventa sempre cenere, anche l'amore più grande finisce."

"Anche se il tempo passava, in tutte le donne che incontravo ho cercato solo te."

"A maggio fanno sei anni. Non veniva più nessuno. Lei lo sa meglio di me."

"La crisi, la televisione, le cassette... Oramai il cinematografo è solo un sogno."

"Adesso l'ha acquistato il comune per farci il nuovo parcheggio pubblico. Sabato lo demoliscono. Che peccato."

"Eh... a una persona importante, dare del tu è molto difficile."

"Controlli le giunte. Appena è pronto può partire."

"Va bene, dotto'. E complimenti pe' er film, è gajardissimo."

"Grazie."

"Sì, Salvatore. Di Vita Salvatore. Ah... ma come, non lo conosce, signorina?"

"Ecco, brava. E io sono la madre. Sto chiamando dalla Sicilia. È tutto il santo giorno..."

"Ah. Ho capito, non c'è. Allora cortesemente mi può dare...? 65622056. Grazie, buongiorno."

"Mà, è una telefonata inutile... ha troppi impegni, chissà dov'è. E poi nemmeno si ricorderà più."

"Senti a me, lascia perdere. Oramai sono trent'anni che non viene qua. Lo sai com'è fatto, no?"

"Si ricorderà, si ricorderà, sono sicura! eheh, lo conosco meglio di te, se poi scopre che non ce l'abbiamo detto, ci dispiacerà."

"Per piacere, vorrei parlare col signore Di Vita Salvatore. Sono la madre."

"Salvatore, perdonami. Ti spiegherò dopo cos'è successo. Non averti trovato qui è stato tremendo."

"Purtroppo, stasera io e mia madre partiamo per la Toscana. Ci trasferiamo lì."

"Ma tu sei il solo che amo, non starò mai con nessun altro, te lo prometto."

"Ecco l'indirizzo di una mia amica dove puoi scrivermi. Non mi abbandonare."

"Baci, Elena."

"Da quanto tempo avete chiuso?"

"Ma perché mi dà del lei? una volta non era così."

"Non c'è futuro. C'è solo il passato. Anche l'incontro di ieri notte è stato solo un sogno. Un sogno meraviglioso."

"Da giovani non l'abbiamo mai fatto. Ti ricordi? Ora che è successo, non posso immaginare un finale migliore."

"Non sarò mai d'accordo con te. Mai."