A Cinematic Masterpiece in any Language!

Rating: 10/10 (11 May 2000)

Life is Beautiful is really two movies in one. The first half, which takes place in pre-WWII Italy, involves the comical wooing and winning by Guido (Roberto Benigni) of his wife Dora (Nicoletta Braschi). The second half takes place during WWII (about 5 years later) during the persecution of the Jews by the Germans.
In pre-war Italy life is beautiful as Guido becomes a waiter in his uncle's hotel and keeps running into (literally) a charming school teacher named Dora. He finally wins their heart and they marry. Benigni could have made a charming movie ending it here. But cut to a few years later, it is now WWII and they have a 5 year old son. Guido and his family, being Jewish, are soon rounded up by the Germans and sent to a concentration camp. There, the picture takes on a more serious tone as Guido tries to protect his son, with humour and imagination, from the horrors of the camp.
Writer, director, actor Benigni has created a cinematic masterpiece - in any language. He is able to perfectly blend humour, pathos and tragedy in telling his story. His characters are believable and synpathetic. It was also nice to see Horst Buchholtz (as a German doctor) again after so many years.
This movie, in my humble opinion, should have been given the Best Picture Oscar over the inferior Shakespeare in Love. It's so good that if you watch it in Italian with sub-titles, you won't even notice the sub-titles, you'll become so engrossed with the story. A bona fide tear jerker.