A masterpiece. One of the top films of all time.

Rating: 10/10 (24 July 1999)

The effectiveness of this tale is how the emotion hits you out of nowhere, instead of having it tug at your pantsleg throughout the entire film as some do. Whereas Schindler's List is a masterpiece and a gorgeous film in its raw power and gritty realism, Life is Beautiful works in how it deals with emotions on a much more personal level. The story of a father trying to shelter his son from all of the misery around him is brilliant and touching, and does NOT give the feeling that Benigni is "making light" of the Holocaust. It is what any parent would want, and at the same time it also works a double function brilliantly: it shelters the audience from the horror that we know is going on outside of what we see. We don't see the effects of that horror until the films sense of building tension climaxes in the final moments, and the protagonist is taken away from his son and shot. The "aftermath" scene is beautifully understated, and truly heart-wrenching, and all I could think was "please let him get his tank." And when the tank rolls around the corner, I began to weep. The final line "This is the story of how my father saved my life," was so simple, understated, and beautiful. Not only is life beautiful, but so is this film. It is irritating how so many these days try and compare films when they happen to share subject matter. When "1941" came out, no one complained and said that it was 'making light' of WWII, and tried to compare it to "The Longest Day." Come on people. (not that I am saying "1941" and "Life is Beautiful" share a similar tone at all!) Anyways...a brilliant brilliant film. The scene where he puts on the record player is just lovely. True love is something to behold.