About LS.n


 
 

Review: Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful
by David Halloran

published 11/30/98

REVIEWS HOME



David Halloran is a freelance critic based in Greenwich Village.



MOST RECENT YAK ABOUT THIS ARTICLE:

Subj: life is beautiful
This movie was truly amazing, regardless of the contoversy surrounding the style. I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone.

-- dork12091
May 27, 2008 at 11:19PM

Read more or post your own





Be cool like us!
Are you getting our weekly update?





It's GOOD to share!
E-mail this article to a buddy

A Scene from Life is Beautiful
Life is Beautiful (La Vita e bella) is most disturbing in the context of actor/director Roberto Benigni's filmography. And it's plenty disturbing on its own, as it will forever go down in film history as "that comedy set in the concentration camp." But what leaves me a little unsettled is that Benigni's last film was Il Mostro, a.k.a.: "that comedy about the serial killer." I wonder if Benigni's project might just be to see what taboo topics he can make comedies about. Which is probably a very bad reason to make a film about the Holocaust.

I only think that way when I'm feeling cynical, however. When I'm feeling generous, I get swept up in the beauty of the film, which has stayed with me for weeks already, and I think that it's a masterpiece.

The first half of the film takes place not in any concentration camp but in a small town in Italy, where Benigni's character Guido moves into his Jewish uncle's house and works as a waiter while trying to open a book store and romancing the local school teacher Dora. Their romance is a wonder of magical comedy, featuring what may just be the greatest first date in film history, and troubled only periodically by hints of the violence to come.

As their romance is consummated, the story jumps ahead 5 or 6 years to when they have a son, and the Holocaust is now in full swing. The family is hauled off to a concentration camp, and suddenly something amazing happens to the story: The film never drops its fantastical demeanor, but the world it is thrust into is one of such horrors that the comedy becomes more chilling than funny, a wisecrack in the face of a firing squad.

The jokes still come, but the laughs are hard, and by keeping such a brave face in the shadow of extinction the film gives us a much deeper insight into the evil heart of Nazi Germany that the overwrought solemnity of say, a Schindler's List ever could. Guido is a man just trying to cope--to survive, and to protect the life of his son. He has a huge heart, and one not easily crushed by the cruelty around him.

Unforgettable, a masterpiece, a wonder . . . these are not the sorts of words I throw around easily, but they come very close to applying here. Granted the film isn't perfect--some scenes are clearly arranged out of order, and the concentration camp sometimes seems a little more like the camp in Meatballs than Auschwitz. Nonetheless, Life is Beautiful is a movie I will not soon forget . . . and when you have a mind like mine, that's saying a lot.


Your name:

Subject:


Comments:

Forward a copy of this yak to the LS.n Editors

Forward a copy of this yak to this article's author

If you want to get an e-mail if someone responds to your yak, give us your address below. It won't be made public.

THE YAK SHACK


Name: dork12091
Subject: life is beautiful
-- May 27, 2008 at 11:19PM
This movie was truly amazing, regardless of the contoversy surrounding the style. I recommend this movie to anyone and everyone.

Name: Anton - NSW
Subject: Review: Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful
-- Oct 14, 2007 at 6:46AM
A truly great movie!

Name: melissa
Subject: this movie
-- Jun 18, 2007 at 1:36PM
this movie is a comedy about a horrifiic event how do u think the survivors f the holocaust feel about their life tragity being made fun ofi am a jr high school student and this is my feelings i also feel this movie is beautiful how these eople survive by keping thir child not scared and thisnkin the holocaust is a game

Name: jfdlsk
Subject: review
-- May 1, 2007 at 11:19AM
why arent your reviews in italian!! che cosa fai!?!


Great movie though! : )

Name: bibi
Subject: life is beautiful
-- Dec 10, 2006 at 10:02PM
My mother was an Italian in Italy during the war and commented that the film was true to life

Name: Archana
Subject: Review : Life is Beautiful
-- Apr 19, 2006 at 10:34AM
I got to see this movie only now, and, I truly regret the delay. But the beauty of the picture is going to last with me for years to come. I wonder if I'll be able to bring myself to the movie hall again to see this masterpiece. Roberto is terrific and I just fell in love with the little boy. I think the optimism which the father instilled in the little boy was more painful to accept in the end. What hurts more is the fact that after so much of optimism the end is so tragic. I could not console myself for a long time and cried bitterly...Thanks Mr. Benigni for this great movie...

Name: robskie
Subject: Review: Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful
-- Jan 25, 2006 at 9:05AM
jan,25,2006 at 7 pm...
life is beautiful..yes it is really true...
this story in the 1st part it was very funny and full of gags...
the film is not exactly tragedy but it made me cry in the last part...but still life is beautiful...

Name: sachin kulkarni
Subject: no words.
-- Jun 20, 2004 at 11:05AM
its "THE BEST" ..
I just cried for an hour after watching the movie..
the voice of benigni and Joshua still echo in my ears ..
the way he pronounces Joshua and his way of looking at life has completely changed my life..
I now feel my "LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL"

Name: elenie
Subject: commendable
-- Aug 22, 2003 at 11:48PM
personally the movie was truly full of inspirations. it made my tear drops fall. all i can say is the movie created a significant impact to me particularly LOVING AND APPRECIATING MY BELOVED FAMILY.

Name: John !
Subject: you?
-- Sep 7, 2001 at 11:02AM
Brilliant review but, why do you keep on talking about yourself? Who are you anyway?

Name: DIANA
Subject: GREAT MOVIE
-- May 17, 2000 at 10:26PM
THIS MOVIE WAS HE BEST EVER.MY TEACHER MRS.BECKER TOUGH MY CLASS ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST,SHE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THIS MOVIE,TILL ONE DAY IT CAME OUT ON PAPERVIEW, I CRIED I REALLY FOUND OUT HOW MUCH LIFE WAS WORTH, THIS MOVIE MADE ME REALIZE HOW WORTH IT IS TO HAVE PARENTS AND HOW MUCH LIFE AND LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL, THIS HAS BEEN MY FAVORITE MOVIE EVERYTIME I WATCH IT I CRY I LOVE THIS MOVIE THIS MOVIE IS BETTER THAN "SHINDLER'S LIST".

Name: Robin
Subject: Life is Beautiful
-- Feb 17, 2000 at 9:50PM
Just saw the video. Missed it when it played at the theaters, very sorry I did. I'm overwhelmed by the magnitude of the love this man had for his son and the ways in which he came up with to hide the horrors and cruelties of war. Also, the ways in which he took chances with his own life to give his wife hope and to keep her spirit alive and to allow her to keep dreaming and know that he loved her. On a lesser note I was somewhat bored during the first half of the movie, but, the monotony and cuff humor was neccessary to feel the emotions the second half pulled out of you. Robert Benigni, BRAVO!!!


This page is best viewed with the latest version of the Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer browser.

© Copyright 1998-2001 LeisureSuit Media, LLC, All Rights Reserved.
Some content is copyrighted by the author and is used with permission. No portion of this page or its content may be reproduced, in part or in whole, electronically, in print, or in any other form or by any other means, without the written consent of the LeisureSuit.net editors. Contact us at webmaster@leisuresuit.net.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]