English-dubbed version does not let this movie down

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2000)

The English version of La Vita è Bella is perfectly true to the spirit of this film. While I normally prefer subtitles to capture the actors interpretation of the script (despite often not understanding a word they are saying), Life is Beautiful chose to use mostly native Italian and German speakers for the voice-overs which preserved the character of the original version.
While somewhat cursory in its treatment of the major events of the war and glossing over the horror of the concentration camp, it is a sad, but uplifting film.
Roberto Benigni deserves his Academy Awards simply by powering his creation almost exclusively with his own ebullient personality.