Life Is Beautiful

I never saw Life is Beautiful when it first came out but always meant to when I found time. However, in the years since its release, I had quite forgotten about it until something I read recently rekindled my desire to view it. So I looked it up here, bought it, and enjoyed it several times. The idea of a Holocaust comedy is intriguing and I sure wanted to see how something like that could be done tastefully. This film shows how that can be done. Roberto Benigni is magnificent as Guido, a man who has such a cheerful outlook on life that very little can faze him for long. The film begins with Guido and a friend barreling down a twisting highway seemingly out of control in a car with failed brakes. They come into a town where a crowd lines the road awaiting the motorcade of the king and queen, not fascist officials as one reviewer said. As Guido frantically waves them aside, they think he is the king saluting and they salute him in return, and are still doing so when the real motorcade arrives with the impatient-looking royal couple inside. And the comedy continues... I won't rehash the entire movie, others have done so, but suffice to say that Guido is such an irrepressible guy that he finds it within himself to have an outwardly positive attitude about everything even when all seems hopeless. To me, the key parts of the film are: 1) The way in which he courts the beautiful Dora (Nicoletta Braschi) and persists even when it looks as though she seems almost sure to be wed to a wealthy and debonair childhood friend. How he snatches her from under that stuffed shirt's nose is hilarious. 2) The way he reacts to the anti-Semitism lite of fascist society. He keeps his head up, a smile on his face and tries to brush it off. When his young son Joshua, played by Giorgio Cantarini, asks about a sign on a shop that forbids entry to dogs and Jews, Guido deflects the emotional blow by joking that everyone has his own dislikes and that down the street there are other shops forbidding entry to other groups. So, since he (Guido) doesn't like Visigoths and his son doesn't like spiders, they will post a sign in their bookstore forbidding entry to Visigoths and spiders! 3)When Germans occupy part of Italy toward the end of the war, the soft anti-Semitism of Mussolini's regime gives way to the hard-core anti-Semitism of the Nazis. The town's Jews, Guido and Joshua among them, are rounded up and shipped out to a labor camp. When Dora informs the German commander that there must be a mistake, he looks at his list, sees that Guido and Joshua are Jews, and assures her there is no mistake at all and suggests she go home. She demands to be shipped out as well and is granted her wish. In the camp, Guido has to use all his powers of persuasion and imagination to keep the truth of their predicament from his son. He tells the doubting boy that they are in an elaborate contest to win a tank, and if he remains undiscovered, he will accrue the thousand points needed to win. How he manages to keep his son from being detected and how he keeps his spirits up, even when worry and apprehension lie just beneath his upbeat facade, is a wonder to see. His seeming optimism in the face of looming disaster even helps his fellow captives grimly endure. I don't want to give it all away, so it will suffice to say that Guido is ever the jokester to the end. We've all heard the expression "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.". Well, Life Is Beautiful is a prime example of someone doing just that. And while we all can't be happy-go-lucky types, that is the trait that let Guido carry on in what would be an untenable situation for most people. And that is the trait that helped him help his son live to see a new dawn. All the lead characters give excellent performances, especially Benigni. The German characters are largely stereotypically sneering and bossy hate-filled Nazis, about the only sympathetic one being the camp doctor. There are a few scenes that are literally not credible, but even with these the movie is well worth seeing for the lessons it imparts and for the warm feelings you have at the end.

A classic, was enjoyable to watch surprisingly. A couple things are stuck from that time so be warned.

Wonderful film.

Few people believed it would be possible to make a comedy set in the Nazi concentration camps of WWII. But in Life is Beautiful (aka: La Vita è bella), Roberto Benigni had a vision of one possible way to tell this tale of horror without dehumanising the lead characters. In fact, the whole film is full of contradictions and surprises. There are two clear stages in the film. The first half concentrates on Guido Orefice's efforts to woo his chosen lady. He is funny, courageous and irrepressible in his attempts to win the heart and hand of the lovely Dora. Cunning strategies are used, that take advantage of all the quirks of Florence and its people to impress the woman he constantly greets with, "Buono giorno Principessa", (Good day Princess). From early on, there is an undercurrent of anti-Semitism that casts a cloud over our anticipation of things to come. But for Guido, racism is simply another of life's obstacles; all he does is dodge around them in his pursuit of life. Pre-war Italy still manages to seem magical through his eyes and his attitude becomes infectious. We soon come to believe, along with Guido, that anything is possible and if you assume the best will happen, it probably will. Dora's situation does not start out quite as rosy. She is betrothed to a boorish man who takes her for granted and seems more interested in his political status than in her happiness. Luckily, Guido has set his sights on making her life as interesting as possible. And that allows the audience the pleasure of rooting for the underdog; a semi-employed Jewish waiter with one sadly misshapen hat. Although she doesn't see a way out at first, we all know that Guido's optimism will eventually triumph over his straight-laced and narcissistic competitor. Soon, the two star crossed lovers are married and joined by a precocious son by the name of Giosué, played superbly by the young actor, Giorgio Cantarini. He clearly takes after his father and is the apple of his parents' eyes. It would take a hard-hearted person to avoid loving this little angle; an angel who will go to any extreme to avoid his bath time. His other main concern seems to be getting enough time to play with his toy tank. But love and optimism are unable to hold back the tide of history. Italy soon falls in with Germany and begins persecuting their Jewish population. On Giosué's forth birthday, while his mother is out, soldiers take he and his father. They are bundled into a truck and then a train, headed for the concentration camps. As soon as Dora realises what has happened, she follows them into the depths of hell. Guido has other problems to occupy him. Although he doesn't know exactly what is going to happen, he knows enough to want to shield his son in the only way he can. While they are in the truck he concocts a story to convince Giosué that they are taking a surprise trip to celebrate his birthday. As their situation worsens, the fiction becomes more convoluted. Guido controls every aspect of his son's perception to convince him they are participating in a most challenging competition, with a full sized tank as the prize. Despite the horror of the situation, death all around, brutal labour, starvation and dehumanising barracks, Guido focuses all his efforts on the happiness of his son. Not only does he succeed in protecting the young boy's fragile soul but it is clear he manages to distract himself as well. Guido epitomises selflessness. In the brief moments when he is not labouring for the Nazis or entertaining his son, he finds small ways to remind Dora that he loves her. I can't think of any more poignant moments in cinema. In the end, Guido manages to accomplish what he had set out to do; protect his son. He manages it so well, that Giosuè is convinced he has won the tank that rolls into camp as the allied army arrives. His happiness contrasts strongly with the backdrop of death and brutality and we are drawn to celebrate Guido's achievement; impossible hope met unthinkable hatred and triumphed. What father could do more for his son?

This is one of the best shows I've ever seen in my life. Based on a true story. You will laugh and cry. It's SOOO good. Unfortunately it only comes with English subtitles.

One of the best movies of all time. Most likely the best Italian movie ever made. My son is learning cinema and loved this movie, which says a lot from a teenager. Good production and story. Unfortunately the Prime version is closed captioned so you'll have to read the entire movie. I prefer English dubbed.

Maravillosa

Film extraordinaire, livré vite comme prévu rien à dire

Buscas una buena película y en Blu-ray... eso te dan.

Si vede alla perfezione

Parfait, ce film est à voir et à revoir tellement il est formidable, tant par l'histoire très difficile à jouer par des acteurs qui sont extraordinaire, ce sont vraiment des personnes qui jouent un rôle inoubliable dans l'histoire La musique est également magnifique et qu'on apprécie car elle s'est vous imprégniez de tous les moments de ce film Je recommande à tout ceux qui ne l'on pas vu, de le voir car c'est vraiment un film à voir dans sa vie

Great movie. Just get it.