Slapstick humor in a holocaust film?

Rating: 10/10 (28 November 2009)

You betcha. But it's not as offensive as you think. In fact, it's not offensive at all. It's a powerful and moving film about the power of family and what one man will do when that family is threatened. The plot is as follows: after Germans attack Italy, Guido and his family are forced into a concentration camp. Guido spends most of the rest of the film desperately trying to convince his young son that the holocaust is nothing but a game- and that the child has to keep out of sight in order to win. He promises him that the winner will earn a full size tank- and the boy does get a tank at the end of the film, just not in the way he thinks he will. The first hour or so is pure slapstick/romantic comedy, and the second hour or so is moving and heartbreaking- with touches of humor to(I assume) keep the audience from becoming too depressed or disturbed. I was amazed at how it could dramatically shift from comedy to drama so quickly.
Try to watch this film without crying. If you don't, even just a bit, there's something seriously wrong with you.