An uplifting tale of the human spirit

Rating: 10/10 (26 May 2000)

After watching Roberto Benigni at the Oscars before viewing the film, I expected it to be simply a hilarious comedy with lovable characters. As it turns out, it is that, but it is also so much more. The story is told through the perspective of someone who has so much zest of life and love for life. And through his perspective, the audience is given a glimpse that we too, may live our lives through our own filtered lenses and only pick out those things that would make life worthwhile.
As some wise person said (I forget which) "you can either live your life as if nothing is special, or you can live your life as if everything is a miracle. Roberto's character is the best testament of that. He makes his own reality. The holocaust background serves to emphasis the strength of optimism and love and hope, that they can conquer even horrors of humanity. I personally think that the "unrealistic" depiction of the Holocaust is an asset to the film, since the holocaust is seeing through Roberto's eyes, his romantic view of the world is what the audience experiences. And through that, we understand how high the human spirit can soar above all things, how hope and laughter survives against even death, and how beautiful life truly is. I will never forget the way Roberto calls Dora "Principesa" (sp?), that one little word contains soooo much of what is good in life - compassion, optimism, hope, humor, and of course, love. If you need a movie that can uplift you or even help you see through the craziness of the world around, see this one. It's a beauty!!!