Marvelous tale about a likable Jewish protecting his son and wife from horrifying concentration camp

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2012)

Wonderful fable plenty of amazing fantasy, lively comedy and sad tragedy . This is a poignant and moving fable about a sacrifice to save a son and a wife . It's an unforgettable story formed by two halves that proves imagination, family and love conquer all ; as Benigni's focus is on the love between daddy , mummy and son . The first part results to be an Italian comedy style , the second is horror along with humor . It concerns upon Guido (Roberto Benigni, a magnificent rubber-faced funny man), a Jewish man who has a wonderful romance with the help of his humour, but must use that same quality to protect his son in a Nazi death camp . He's a madcap romantic man and women wish him . But he falls in love with Dora (Benigni's real-life sweetie Nicoletta Braschi). Every day Guido dreams of marrying her , under Nicola Piovani score . When the Second World War spontaneously breaks out , he and his family is imprisoned at concentration camp . Guido is determined to save his lover and son (Cantarini) from dangers around them . His effort sometimes is pure fantasy , though with ruse he pull off more impetus to keep his son and accomplishes feats no man could realistically execute . Guido fabricates an elaborated game to convince his child that the whole ordeal is an endurance proof to be won with prizes forthcoming , as it turns out to be a special contest to win a tank.
This is a story about love , war and sacrifice , well starred and directed by Roberto Benigni who develops a fire-line between comedy and tragedy . Inventive gags and wacky humor are splendidly proceeded . At first consideration , the theme of a feel-good holocaust comedy war was a non-sense . However , Benigni doesn't describe a holocaust film but rather a tale of endurance of family love . Benigni tirelessly maintains the humorous ingenuity, even as the horror war escalates. Actor and director Benigni shapes simultaneously haunting and hilarious comedy out of the tragedy of Nazi concentration camp . In a especially humorous scene , Guido translates a guard's barking at the inmates as furthers clarification of the rules of game . The picture is divided into two parts , the first half deals with an entertaining boy-meets-girl tale , a light-weight comedy in which Guido relentlessly pursues Dora ; the second half shifts and depicts the horrors of the concentration camps . Good support cast formed by notorious secondaries as the Spanish Marisa Paredes , Lidia Alfonsi and Horst Buchhold as a Nazi doctor . The film displays an emotive musical score by Nicola Piovani, who deservedly had Oscar winner . Furthermore , it won Academy Award to Foreign film and of course to Benigni ; Roberto Benigni's Oscar for best actor marked only the second time that an actor had directed himself in an Academy Award winning performance , the other was Laurence Olivier for Hamlet . Colorful and glamorous cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli . Effective and appropriate production design by the veteran Danilo Donati . The motion picture was marvelously directed by Benigni. He's a good comedy director (Monster, Johnny Toothpick, Little devil) with some flop (Pinoccio) and usual actor for Jim Jarmusch (Coffee and cigarettes, Night of Earth, Down by law). Rating : Better than average . Well worth seeing .