Jacques Perrin, Alfredo Passes Away After Practicing Love

Passed away in Paris, France on the 21st at age 80
Actor and director advocating humanism and naturalism

In the film Cinema Paradiso (1988), Salvatore (Jacques Perrin) returns to Rome carrying a film canister left as a memento by Alfredo (Philippe Noiret). He asks the projectionist to screen it. Soon, the silver screen reveals numerous kissing scenes from old movies that had been cut by the priest's censorship. These are the secret grains Salvatore longed to see as a child. As the shell is peeled away belatedly, Alfredo's love seeps through. Salvatore engraves these precious memories in his heart, holding back tears with a bright smile.

Jacques Perrin, the actor who stirred nostalgic emotions with his profound performance, passed away on the 21st (local time) in Paris, France, at the age of 80. Perrin was a veteran actor representing France, having appeared in over 100 films. He first gained prominence with Valerio Zurlini's The Girl with a Suitcase (1961), then starred in Jacques Demy's The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), Costa-Gavras's Z (1969), Giuseppe Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso, among others. He also produced challenging films such as State of Siege (1973), Microcosmos (1996), and Himalaya, l'enfance d'un chef (1999), building his reputation.

Movie 'Cinema Paradiso' still cut

Perrin was also known for practicing humanism and naturalism. He frequently emphasized the importance of the ocean and environment at official events such as film festivals. He directed related documentary films himself. A representative work is The Great Migration (2001). Fascinated by migratory birds, he gathered experts from various fields and captured the "flight for life." He succeeded in portraying the courage and challenges of migratory birds overcoming harsh environments and hardships. Not content with just releasing the work, he led conservation efforts and established resting places for migratory birds. Just as Alfredo gave Salvatore a precious gift.