Never Before Has A Film's Title Summed Up Its Message So Well...

Rating: 9/10 (12 April 1999)

Life really is beautiful and so is this magnificent film from Italy's version of Charlie Chaplin, Roberto Benigni. Writer, producer, director, and star (along with Best Actor honors) Roberto has finally crossed over to mainstream America after so many years of making foreign filmgoers laugh. The first half of LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL is an exercise in lightening-quick humor set during the onset of WWII. There is barely an indication of the horror that is to come. Some subtle hints are dropped here and there. "Guido", played by Benigni, is half-Italian, half-Jewish and is a waiter. A bunch of wonderfully chance meetings between Guido and "Dora" (played by Nicoletta Braschi) are incredibly romantic and well-done. Dora is Guido's PRINCESS and is the light of his suddenly new life.
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL does not step wrong, but if you are looking for complete accuracy regarding the Holocaust, this is not where to look. The sheer elegance and comic magic with which the movie is told leaves the brutal elements of the Holocaust to our imagination. This is not to say there are NO direct references to it. We do see a pile of corpses and tons of screaming Nazis, but we really do not need to see them. Benigni reveals the horrors of the time through his relationship with his son, "Giosue" (played perfectly by young Giorgio Cantarini). Not only does Benigni hide the atrocities from us, but also his son, who thinks it is all a game. What else can you tell a young boy to keep his spirits up?
Even during the camp sequences, Benigni is able to present funny things right in the middle of the biggest tragedy of the 20th Century. He mimicks Germans, he relays messages his own way (great scene), and tries to win that tank for his son. It is poignant and hilarious at the same time. Anyone who questions Benigni's performance without first seeing it should watch for the brilliant way he plays his character while NOT in the presence of his son. He just wants to hide it all from him, but when with the other prisoners, he is just as clueless, overworked, and distraught as the rest of them. This is important in pulling this miracle of a picture off. Who would have expected the Holocaust and biting, sometimes satirical humor to blend into a perfect film?
The first half alone would've been good enough for me. It is gorgeous-looking and warm. The subtitles will not bother non-foreign film fans (Just have a quick eye). In fact, you could see it without the translation and take away the same feeling in my opinion. Benigni is telling us not to take life for granted and that the ultimate sacrifice may be necessary to keep life beautiful. See this film no matter what.
RATING: 10 of 10