This movie is about the cinema and the excitement it makes between people. Like many other Juiseppe Tornatore's movie, this deeply delighting movie is comprised of simplicity, drama, and comedy. Cinema looks like life and keeps people away from their loneliness; people search their hopes and wishes in the screen. It is the secret of cinema and its eternity which allures people to lay themselves bare in front of the Joe Morelli's camera. They don't want to be star, they just want to be themselves and the camera makes them to be seen. In front of the camera, they are more honest than any other time in their lives; the Young speak about their wishes and dreams and the older people tell story about their past and memories. But if really Joe Morelli deceives them or not; the behavior of people toward him, after he's released from prison, shows they are not really mad at him as if People know that he gave them what they enthusiastically wanted. The growing emotional relation between Morelli and Beata are not as strong as it is supposed to be and it is the weak of the movie. It might be due to Tornatore tries to bold the funny part of the movie rather than the drama.

Tornatore weaves a beautiful script following the path of Joe Morelli, who travels through Sicily claiming he is a talent scout for the famous film companies of Rome. The scenery is exquisite and the stories the people divulge in his film are heart-wrenching and sincere, making the tale all the more easy to believe. In retrospect the movie closely mirrors the filmography of Fellini (think "La Strada") and becomes slightly predictable as a result, but given that Tornatore himself is Sicilian this film might be more autobiographical than one might suppose.A great film nonetheless, and strongly recommended. Pity the producers botched the movie cover/jacket. It betrays nothing about the sincerity and seriousness in the film, though you might well say it's more like a tragecomedy in some places.

"Cinema Paradiso" director Tornatore cranked out this Oscar nominated film, "The Star Maker", which tells of a traveling talent scout who buoys the hopes and dreams of the simple people of rural post-WWII Sicily with screen tests and promises of making it in the movies. Although there's little arc to the story of the vicissitudes of wandering con man Sergio (Morelli), there's is much beauty in the picturesque Sicilian countryside and the olive visages of the many would-be stars who tell their stories to Sergio's empty camera. Diffuse in plot and unhappily ended, the film will captivate those into earthy Italian style films while evoking little more than yawns for less refined audiences. (B+)Note - There are strong parallels between this film's protagonist Sergio and Prof. Harold Hill from "The Music Man" though they are probably coincidental.

Master director Tornatore returns to the same subject of his wonderful Cinema Paradiso: a movie about movies. This time, at the end of the forties, a bad guy goes on the road of a very poor Italia pretending to be a scout for movie studios of Rome. But, in fact, his camera was stolen and had no tape in it. He steals money from these poor people full of dreams to become movie stars. Sometimes, they talk with their hearts with very deep emotions, but the man don't care. One day, a teenager takes very seriously her faith to be a movie star and goes with the bad man. Her love tortures the man. This is a strong statement about celebrity, dreams and poverty. Sergio Castellito, one of the best actors of Italy, gives a very strong performance, so is the charming young Lodato (Gee! Isn't she beautiful?) This movie is one of the best of the risky genre of movies about movies. For me, it's the third best of the kind, after Woody Allen Purple Rose of Cairo, and, of course, Cinema Paradiso. See this movie! It's a very moving intelligent piece of European savoir faire.