Life is Beautiful

I have to admit that I cheated a little when I watched this movie. I watched the dubbed version instead of reading the subtitles so at first I had that strange Saturday afternoon Godzilla move feeling because their mouths never matched the words. Once I got into the movie, that déjà vu feeling subsided.

Life Is Beautiful takes place during the years leading up to World War II through the end of the war. The movie takes place in Italy and chronicles the love affair between Guido (Roberto Benigni) and Dora (Nicoletta Braschi). Guido is a happy-go-lucky man who falls hard for a woman of wealth and privilege. He pursues her with vigor and determination and eventually she leaves her comfortable life to marry her humble prince.

The two establish a quiet and loving life with their son Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini) until one day the Nazis come to take Guido and Giosue away. When Dora finds them missing she tracks them to the rail yard where they are about to leave for the concentration camps. Dora is not Jewish so she is in no danger of being taken away, but she insists on joining her family and boards the train to the camps.

At the camps, Guido tried to keep Giosue calm by telling him they are playing a game and the person with the highest number of points will win a tank. The rules of the game require hiding from the guards, no complaining about hunger and staying calm. Guido engages in grueling work every day and sees horrors beyond compare, but stays upbeat when he comes back to his son.

In the end, the camp is liberated, but all of the family doesn’t make it out alive. I actually like that someone in the family dies at the end (I know it sounds bad), because it gives the film a sense of gravity that I felt it lacked. I understand Bignini’s attempt to show the Holocaust in a different light, but I just don’t feel all of the light hearted hijinks works in this movie.

I give Life Is Beautiful four stars. Even though I was bothered by some of the antics in the concentration camp, the movie is beautifully shot, acted and directed. I would definitely recommend Life Is Beautiful; grab a bowl of popcorn and enjoy.

Michelle D. Kieffaber