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Life is Beautiful
reviewed by marla freeman
After I saw Life Is Beautiful, I felt a sense of emotional vigor,
like I had been led on a cinematic 
journey through the
highest mountaintops and darkest valleys of human experience. I felt privileged
to have shared in the profundity of this undiscovered, artfully-crafted
foreign masterpiece. Then, to my great disappointment, I found out it wasn't
a hidden gem--in fact, popular culture had embraced it, making it the highest
grossing foreign language film of all time (over $25 million) and nominating
it for seven Oscars.
When Hollywood and the masses are mesmerized, I'm usually underwhelmed, if not disgusted (e.g. The English Patient and Titanic). But there have been a few box-office hits that swept me off my feet, like Saving Private Ryan and Forrest Gump. Usually, though, I fall for quiet films like Enchanted April and The Shawshank Redemption. So I was surprised to have stumbled upon a sleeper with such universal appeal.
The Italian film (you forget that you're reading subtitles after the first five minutes) stars Roberto Benigni (who directed it and co-wrote it with Vincenzo Cermai) as Guido and his real-life wife Nicoletta Braschi as Dora. The light, carefree story of their love is set against the menacing backdrop of the World War II fascist Italy.
Benigni is irresistibly funny in all his interactions -- his comical antics to win over Dora are especially endearing. Throughout the film, he uses humor not only to entertain but to get his point across. In one hilarious scene he pretends he is a racist inspector to get into the school where Dora is teaching. As he strips down to his boxers, he raves to the children about how superior his "Italian racist" body is, from his ears to his belly button.
Humor is not the only device used to tell the story. The film is constructed like a puzzle, so when one piece connects with another, it elicits a sense of amusement and satisfaction. The key, the hat, the car, the eggs, and later the riddles and the tank--every seeming triviality has its place.
I got so caught up in the joyful exuberance of the first half of the film that I ignored the sinister signs of what lie ahead. Despite foreshadowings, such as racist acts of vandalism, I wanted to believe that they would live happily ever after, husband, wife and child riding their bicycle through the quaint streets of life, forever in the sunshine.
So when they got on that train bound for a concentration camp, I was actually in a state of denial (you know a movie is powerful when it does that). Fortunately, Benigni was as well. But that is exactly what makes the film work. He plays the father who refuses to let his son be engulfed in the tragedy that overtakes them. Naturally, he accomplishes this with humor and creative genius.
At first I was very skeptical of Guido's elaborate charade to convince his son that the camp is all one big game leading up to a victorious finish. When they first arrive, he goes so far as to pretend he understands German and volunteers to interpret the Nazi commander's instructions, so that his son will believe that it's a contest. He talks about losing points for wanting a jam sandwich, "especially apricot," as the soldier barks out gruff orders. It was an extremely funny scene, but I wasn't sure whether to laugh. It was as if the entire audience felt this way--we were suspicious of anything that would seem to "lighten up" the Holocaust, but as the film played out, it became clear that Guido's humor and optimism were the salvation of his family.
While the second half of the film is in a way agonizing to watch because of the terrible irony of the humor, it carries out the theme of "Life is Beautiful" in poignant moments that are heartbreaking and exhilarating at once. There are several scenes in which Guido manages to communicate his love to Dora even though she has been taken to another part of the camp. These incidents call to mind the scene in The Shawshank Redemption when Tim Robbins plays an Italian opera over the loudspeaker in the prison. A hush falls over the yard and broken men are overwhelmed by the music that seems to draw out a hope and beauty they didn't know still existed in their hearts.
The movie is full of themes--the name alone having a thousand possible interpretations. It says that life is beautiful not because of circumstances but because of our perspective, who we choose to be in the midst of pain and how we help others get through it. It doesn't underestimate the horrors of concentration camp life--to the contrary--it depicts them quite vividly, yet it shows the importance of perseverance, of not letting the spirit be crushed and never giving up hope.
Life is Beautiful made me think a lot. But that's because it made me feel so much. And apparently I wasn't the only one. Interesting that a movie without sex, nudity, obscenity or graphic violence would speak to so many in such a powerful way--maybe life is beautiful after all.
"Marla Freeman could not have captured the true essence of this masterpiece any better! Every feeling she had expressed and interpretation she declared, could not have been more accurate.
Many movies can make you feel a variety of emotions, but few can move one in such a way that completely captivates your heart and soul.
Bravo to Robert Benigni for making a film that has caught the attention of the world through LOVE instead of VIOLENCE.
Also, bravo to Marla for making us recognize the fact that with hope and perserverance our lives can be truly beautiful, too!"
Arriederci,
Susan Bricarelli