Full review

Rating: 9/10 (22 July 2008)

Life is Beautiful (Vita è Bella, La )
-Filmed by Roberto Beningi
A film bagged with 52 major awards including 3 Oscars what's so special in it! That too a Non-Hollywood film..this curiosity made me choose this film in the middle zone of a sleepless night.
As film progress I came to know that how the inferences of the jury become an unanimous one. Let me tell, the story explores the power of laughter to lift the human spirit even in the face of extreme tragedy .No such piece of art has ever before combined laughter and tears of sadness in me before, and that is the miracle of the movie. Thanks to Roberto Beningi(director, main actor and co-writer), who makes me realize that Life is truly Beautiful and that we should be thankful for all that we have through his entirely different and spectacular piece of work . Beningi initially accesses the emotions of his audience through simple comedy and a serious second half. A markable plot in front of me regarding the genocide of Jews before watching this film was the diary of Annie Frank.
The story begins in 1939 Italy, where a simple guy who bothers about nothing Jew Guido (Beningi) and his poet friend Ferrucio (Sergio Bini Bustic) have dreams of owning their own bookstore,; . he is continuing the life as a waiter in his Uncle's hotel .Benigni's character is introduced with Dora(Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni's real-life wife) whom he calls "Princess" following some fast pure comedy tricks, including a school inspecting incident in Dora's school and speaks about racial superiority in front of students and teachers.
Guido falls hardly in love with Dora; daughter of a wealthy family Though Dora is engaged to a fascist official, the approach and attitude of Guido wins Dora's heart Guido's approach retrieves her from being the wife of that Fascist official. Through a sequence of dramatic incidents Guido marries Dora.
All of the action is so neatly contrived that the film essentially ends when it's over, and then begins again after a few years In 1945, which is the second half of the movie
A lovely and charming household atmosphere, Yes Guido's house Now Guido and Dora have a young son; 5 year old Joshua (Giorgio Cantarini) who is bright, loved, and doesn't like to take baths. Guido is now running a book shop everything doing well and fine but things are shattered soon. Nazis take Guido, with little Giosue and his old uncle (Giustino Durano) to an unidentified concentration camp... Though Dora was not picked up for deportation, she chooses to be with her family. When the train unloads at a camp, Guido and Joshua are separated from Dora. Even here, Guido tries to hide the truth from his son. But the truth is plain to the audience - you cry, because you know what is really happening and yet smile through your tears at the stressful effort Guido is making to hide his own fears and tears to make his son charm
It is at this camp that Guido wants protect his son from the nightmare of the place, for that he convinces Joshua by telling that they are here to play a game. The game consists of 1,000 points and the winner gets a real military tank. The rules are made up as time goes on. At one point of time Joshua tells that he is feeling hungry and wants to take food, Guido convinces Joshua telling that taking food in this time may cut short our points and fades our aim of winning the military tank. Hunger was nothing in front of Joshua's urge to win the tank. Guido manages to transform Joshua or deal into what seems like a vacation the only one that is fooled is Joshua, not the audience or Guido. The jokes still come, but the laughs are hard
Dora is in a separate building and spending the days by reminiscing the sweet past things. Guido used to play a song for his wife while doing the servant life in the camp It was like that; music was their ONLY language then.
Guido is a man just trying to cope--to survive, and to protect the life of his son. He has a huge heart, and one not easily crushed by the cruelty around him. The ending part will surly wet your eyes the smile he offered to his son that is quite haunting for some days after watching this film while he got captured by the Nazi officer and Guido knew that he is going to be killed.. Second world war got ended and the prisoners got free from the camps the very next day to the death of Guido. At last Joshua finds his mother Dora and the film is concluded with the narration of Joshua that "this is the sacrifice my father made and this is my gift(mother) to home" Roberto Beningi has taken pure horror and turned it into a love story between a man and a woman, between a father and his son. As an actor, Beningi manages with his wise and simple performance to make us laugh in tragic situations, If you saw this movie then you came to know why he holds the best actor award of 1998 It's a demonstration of the power of cinema, it's art just like, dreams without limitations... It's a motion picture about love, not a documentary about the Nazis... It delivers a powerful message that despite everythinglife is truly beautiful
Only nice and beautiful cinema...