Life is Beautiful
by Roberto Benigni
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DVD details
Actor: Claudio Alfonsi, Gil Baroni, Lidia Alfonsi, Massimo Bianchi, Sergio Bini BustricDirector: Roberto Benigni
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Italian (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-11-09
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Miramax
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DVD Reviews of Life is Beautiful
DVD Review: my comments on "Life Is Beautiful"
Summary: 5 Stars
When I watched Life Is Beautiful I wasn't at all impressed - at 1st I wasn't. Not until the scene where Guido is forced to pretend to be a fascist leader indoctrinating children at the school (where the woman he loves is teacher). My stomach turned in this scene. And the whole meaning of the movie came to me like an avalanche. Guido's pretending symbolized many things. That when people are put in inhumane situations they will be forced to find ways to "work around" the situation in order to survive (for instance...I'm sure that the slaves that built the pyramids laughed & joked about their inhumane situation & about the ones in power in order to make life bearable...forced to be a slave but also forced to find a way to make life more humane when a humane life simply should be a given). Though he thought he was being clever in speaking in the way he thought the leader of the fascist movement would speak he unwittingly hit the nail on the head - Guido used the same words the real fascist leader would use but from a different point-of-view. Though Guido was innocent of the far-reaching implications of fascism he knew, on some level, what the policies were (enough to be able to pretend to be the leader that was suppose to be there instead). His playful speech is in actuality the same speech the leader would make but from different angles: Guido's own angle is one of joking disbelief regarding the philosophies of facism; the fascist leader (when he arrives) would say exactly the same words but said in total & unwavering belief in the fascist's philosophy. If you can imagine the real fascist leader in that classroom making that speech instead of Guido you'll see what I see. Guido using the horse that was painted green as a symbol against Jews is something we all do - we joke & laugh off insane political philosophies but we can only do that for so long because they simply can gain power & control that will turn everyone's life upside down (as shown in this movie). I'm sure, in that time, there were people brave enough to use facist symbols as a joke & to ridicule facist beliefs. Benigni showed that brilliantly in that scene.
This movie also revealed that parents basically have no idea what their children are being taught (well back then I think that was the case). Benigni included that scene for that reason - children were being taught facism. His playful pursuit of his love to the school allowed that subtle implication to be included in the movie without hitting everyone over the head with that fact. The teachers standing meekly by while Guido made his speech symbolized how people can really be oblivious to a dangerous philosophy. I'm sure most people couldn't imagine how something like facism could nearly destroy the world. That's what the teachers symbolized to me.
The whole beginning of the movie hit me like a ton of rocks after the schoolroom scene (this explains the beginning of the movie). That life is made up with many chances & sometimes coincidences & even unbearable situations all at once. Though chance & coincidences can bring joy in our lives (Guido meeting the "princess" all by chance for the very 1st time) chance can bring a lot of misery too (facism growing & becoming extremely powerful by strokes of chances & coincidences). That with enough "chances" & "coincidences" situations (good or bad) will grow & take hold (Guido constantly running into the schoolteacher by coincidences & chance allowed their love to grow...I think he was telling us that is how facism grew which is all by chances & coincidences...enough of these 2 things & you may have something dangerous OR something wonderful depending on the situation).
On many levels Benigni showed how something like facism can grow out of control in the real world. The beginning of the movie people live their lives as they see fit (Guido going where the wind blows in trying to win the teacher's heart). Then a new philosophy seeps over the horizon but no one really pays attention (the schoolroom scene...Guido joked but was oblivious to the implications that facism had if it ever had real power & many followers). Some people will make political satire out of this new idea (Guido on the green horse). If the new philosophy gains power it will benefit a person's life or interfere with their life depending on who you are OR who they say you are (Guido's store failing because of the new policies and because the policies doomed him & his family). And eventually total control over everyone's life & sometimes to the extreme in which it's decided who lives & who dies (the concentration camps).
I was rather startled by the very simple ending with Joshua being reunited with his mother. All I can say is that Benigni understands human nature very well - people will continue to live their lives & history will repeat itself. He doesn't show an end to facism but possibly the beginning of more if people don't try to come out of their shells & try to make a difference. A simple ending yet a powerful statement. Perhaps he also wanted to say that some people remained unchanged by tragedy because most people just want to live no matter what happened in the past or what may happen in the future. It seems that he wanted to show that though there are some things that our beyond our control happiness & love are never beyond our control.
I won't touch on the heart-wrenching scenes of the concentration camp. I wanted to reveal all the other parts that have been missed (or maybe they have not been missed...I'm just guessing here) From what I've read just about everyone has criticized the beginning of the movie which was in fact a reality check - things can creep into your life without being noticed until it's too late. And that's what happened in the beginning of the movie - facism showed up here & there in different scenes but always in a subtle & an unthreatening way like in real life. I'm sure, at the time, most people didn't feel facism was a threat (political parties & philosophies live & die time all the time). The most horrific fact is that no one really knows what are the real intentions of this type of philosophy until they actually have power.
Bravo Benigni. Your movie is pure genius. And the most humane movie I've ever seen.
Description of Life is Beautiful
A jewish man has a wonderful romance with the help of his humour but must use that same quality to protect his son in a nazi death camp. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 01/15/2002 Starring: Roberto Benigni Giustino Durano Run time: 114 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: Roberto BenigniItaly's rubber-faced funnyman Roberto Benigni accomplishes the impossible in his World War II comedy Life Is Beautiful: he shapes a simultaneously hilarious and haunting comedy out of the tragedy of the Holocaust. An international sensation and the most successful foreign language film in U.S. history, the picture also earned director-cowriter-star Benigni Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor. He plays the Jewish country boy Guido, a madcap romantic in Mussolini's Italy who wins the heart of his sweetheart (Benigni's real-life sweetie, Nicoletta Braschi) and raises a darling son (the adorable Giorgio Cantarini) in the shadow of fascism. When the Nazis ship the men off to a concentration camp in the waning days of the war, Guido is determined to shelter his son from the evils around them and convinces him they're in an elaborate contest to win (of all things) a tank. Guido tirelessly maintains the ruse with comic ingenuity, even as the horrors escalate and the camp's population continues to dwindle--all the more impetus to keep his son safe, secure, and, most of all, hidden. Benigni walks a fine line mining comedy from tragedy and his efforts are pure fantasy--he accomplishes feats no man could realistically pull off--both of which have drawn fire from a few critics. Yet for all its wacky humor and inventive gags, Life Is Beautiful is a moving and poignant tale of one father's sacrifice to save not just his young son's life but his innocence in the face of one of the most evil acts ever perpetrated by the human race. --Sean Axmaker
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