L'uomo delle stelle

After the overwhelming success of the enchanting "Cinema Paradiso", it can be hard to live up to expectations, and writer-director Guiseppe Tornatore certainly does not succeed in living up to mine with his latest opus, The Star Maker. The film is set in Sicily in 1953 and follows the con man Joe Morelli, who has everyone believing he is a talent scout for the big film studios in Rome. For a small fee he gives hopeful Sicilians screen tests in his mobile studio. Morelli plays on the magic and glamour that surround the film world and the great film stars. Everyone dreams of the sweet life. The naive orphan girl Beata is one of them, but she is even keener to get away than most, so she follows Morelli on his journey round the impoverished villages.

There are several parallels between The Star Maker and "Cinema Paradiso", but The Star Maker unfortunately often comes across as recycled, and it sorely lacks dramatic nerve and momentum. It is simply too boring in certain passages.