Holocaust and comedy. Two words never spoken in the same breath before "Life is Beautiful." To smiply label this movie as such, would do it injustice. Every emotion comes into play during the viewing. You soon begin to empathize with Roberto Benigni as he portrays a father trying to keep the harsh realities of a German concentration camp from his young son. Benigni protects his son with two weapons that the German's could not seize: Humor and Imagination.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and yes I cried. But I also laughed and smiled.

I recommend the Sub-title version of the movie. After five minutes the reading becomes natural and the depth to which you become involved with the movie is well worth it.

I so enjoyed the music in this movie, that I purchased "Tales of Hoffman" by Offenbach. The second playing of this piece in the movie will not allow you to maintain dry eyes.


Both hilarious and deeply moving   August 31, 2003
 59 out of 67 found this review helpful

When Roberto Benigni burst onto the Hollywood scene with this acclaimed film and his over-the-top enthusiasm, I couldn't bring myself to watch this film. Instead, I waited for the DVD. However, what I perceived as hype was truly deserved. "Life is Beautiful" is a wonderfully inventive tale that seems fresh even today, years after its first release. Part slapstick, part drama, part romantic comedy, part tragedy - this story of an Italian family during the Holocaust defies categorization.

The films opens with Guido (Benigni) and his friend arriving in town on a car with no brakes and being mistaken for facist officials expected for a parade. This slapstick scene ends with Guido catching the future love of his life, Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), as she jumps from a barn window. The clownish Guido sets out to win her heart despite the odds against him. These early scenes set the stage for the rest of the movie: Guido will rely on invention, humor, and persistence to protect his loved ones despite the obstacles he faces. What begins as slapstick becomes heartbreaking later. Like all stories of the Holocaust, this film has its grim side, but Benigni relies heavily on exaggerated humor, running gags, and an early circus-like atmosphere to set up the emotional power of the time's reality. Most of the atrocities are implied, not witnessed, and the viewer's own knowledge of the time period creates an additional layer of tension.

Roberto Benigni is superb as Guido; his antics are hilarious, but during more dire moments, emotions flash across his face, revealing both the depth of his character and the reality of his position. Nicoletta Braschi is also good, and little Giorgio Cantinini as Guido?s son Joshua is adorably spunky, especially as he questions his father's stories.

I always advocate watching foreign films in the original language, with subtitles, but I understand that some viewers may not like "reading" a movie. In this case, however, the dubbed version was distracting, as Benigni provides the English track for his own character while American voices dub the rest of the cast. His Italian accent amid the American accents completely broke the illusion for me. Still, if a dubbed version is the only way you'll watch this movie, please do it.

I highly recommend "Life is Beautiful." Its offbeat approach remains unparalleled in the canon of Holocaust movies. Because of the absence of explicit violence and sex, viewers as young as thirteen should admire this extraordinary film.


By far, the best movie of all time   November 20, 1999
 38 out of 43 found this review helpful

I first saw Life is Beautiful last winter, and went to see it three times after that initial viewing. I have never been so moved in my enire life. I would, however, like to comment briefly on the one star reviews posted here. First off, Roberto Benigni did not set out to make this movie a true-to-life documentation of German death camps. Instead, he wanted to show us the incredible power of parental and marital love. Second, this movie was anything but boring. The light, playful music combined with the witty script and Bengini's funny anitcs made it more than entertaining (far better than the contant sex, violence, and poor humor in some American films). And third, if you did not appeciate this movie then you went in seeing it with the wrong attitude. A Jewish friend of mine said it was the best film she ever had seen. My life has chnaged drastically since viewing this film. I hug my parents daily now (I'm 16) and thank them for all their sacrifices. I smile more. I appricate life, because life truly is beautful. I will never, ever forget the last scene, when the little boy falls into his mother's arms and shouts ecsatatically, "We won, we won!".


5 Stars Aren't Enough   June 15, 2000
 33 out of 44 found this review helpful

The Holocaust has been a point of interest for me since my brief residency in Germany as a child in the late 50's, and I've read many books on the topic, basically trying to understand the meaning of life, and deal with the knowledge that people can be so cruel to each other.

Still, for months, I'd avoided watching this movie. No doubt that reveals a bit too much about me - I've always been one to cover my eyes at scary scenes in movies (there's a scene in Dancing with Wolves that I never have seen and don't intend to). I've never made it through the movie version of Shindler's List, though I'd read the book - perhaps I don't need to watch that one. This movie is quite different than Shindler's List, although it teaches the same history.

Watching the trailers for this movie made me think it could not possibly be for me. The idea of a child in a concentration camp seemed the ultimate horror. How could such a movie be as wonderful as reviewers were saying? Eventually, through recommendations from friends, I rented it, comforted by the knowledge that I could always fast-forward it if it got too awful to watch.

I didn't fast-forward over this movie, but fell in love with the lead character and stuck with him to the end. Roberto Benigni makes you love Guido, and that love for him (and his own love for his young son) draws you into this story that is based on so many incredible stories of that time and place.

On the surface, Guido is a buffoon, a slapstick goofball, who falls in love with a beautiful woman. His goofiness his really an expression of his love of life, his humor, his willingness to take incredibly wild changes. These are the very traits that win him the love of this woman, in an incredible scene as she almost marries the wrong guy. These skills are what allows him to save his son's life, and his son's sanity, during their stay together in a concentration camp.

This is a treasure, not to be viewed just once, but to be owned and watched again and again. Give a gift to yourself and friends, too.(In my opinion, it needs to be sub-titled, because the photography and the facial expressions of Benigni should not be missed for a second.)

While writing a review of Elie Wiesel's book, "Night", I decided to cross-reference this move - evidently it is on the reading list for some high schools in their diversity programs. Book reviews posted on here by high school seniors made me realize that Wiesel's book needed to be accompanied by a movie that will make the connection that the written word can't do for those who are blissfully unaware, if only by their fortunate lack of experience yet with life.


the best film ever   September 9, 2005
 32 out of 32 found this review helpful

This is by far the best movie I have ever seen. I have watched it countless times and every time it brings tears in my eyes. It combines humour and drama in a unique, masterful way. If you are a parent you HAVE to watch this movie, it is inspiring. I watched it after i had my son and it was a whole new experience. Movies like this prove that the power of will and love can conquer all, even the most evil things. The only thing I wonder is whether Benigni will ever be able to bring out a better movie than this one.