Silence...

Rating: Null/10 (14 April 1999)

After seeing this film I was struck with silence. A rarity for me. It was, as some of the other reviewers said not an accurate depiction of the holocaust. But then it was never intended to be that, it was, as we were informed in the opening scenes a fable, a yarn. A conjuring of the imagination, and my what a wondrous conjuring. You cannot mistake this for reality. Benigni has ensured that we are not in any way decieved by the intent of the film. The sets are exactly that. Stage sets for one of the most touching tragi-comedies, I have ever had the pleasure to witness. Benigni was superb as the passionate and imaginative Guido who despite all odds captured the heart of his love Dora and shielded his young son from unimaginable atrocities. The humour was fantastic in its innocence. But what made this film truly shocking was the way Guido seems strained to make light of the horrors of his situation at times and yet he does it anyway so as to protect an innocent from horror. So why does Benigni use such a thing as the holocaust as a backdrop to a comedy? Because it works, if any of you have ever read Joseph Heller's 'Catch 22' then you will know what I mean. The way comedy and tragedy are juxtaposed to give a sense of bewilderment. Whereby the viewer or reader genuinely doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. A prime example of this is when he speaks to Dr Lessing and is under the impression that the Doctor is intent on helping him and his family out of the concentration camp. Instead he is given a quiz! I could deconstruct this film and analyse its merits and its failings, but that's not what the film is for. It is a transcendental experience. Something which can never truly be quantified or catalogued. You must allow this film to consume you and walk away feeling that there is some hope in this cacophony of madness.