Dramatic Turnaround Makes It Unforgettable

Rating: 8/10 (27 February 2006)

I first saw this in a movie theater when it came out, and I discovered later it didn't remotely compare to watching it on DVD. The latter is a far better experience.
It's spectacularly filmed, one of the better looking movies you will see on DVD: sharp as a tack and gorgeous, something a big screen kind of makes fuzzy. I found that more attractive than the story, even if it is a good one and one that you never forget.
Few films have changed gears as dramatically as this one. The first half is a slapstick comedy-romance featuring the goofy Roberto Benigni, a hyperactive Italian who successfully woos a woman he accidentally meets one day. About 35 percent of this part in the film is clever and funny and the rest, kind of stupid....but not annoying. The only aspect that grows tiresome is Benigni's motormouth, which is always going and is just too much to bear after awhile. The guy wears you out, listening to him!
The second half of the story jumps ahead to about 5-7 years later when Benigni and his girlfriend are now wed and have a little boy. Being Jewish, the man and his boy are then taken away from his little town to a concentration camp by the Nazis. The wife voluntarily goes, just to be with the other two. The rest of the movie shows how the father protects his son by pretending it's all a game. The second half, of course, is what most of us remember best and is very inspiring, a haunting tale with a few scenes that stay in your memory.
On DVD you have the option of Italian with English subtitles or a dubbed version. Since the visuals are so good and the dubbing is expertly done, I would recommend that. It's a cliché but, this is an "unforgettable story."