Conjuring keys and hats out of thin air, Guido (Roberto Benigni), a clever Jewish-Italian waiter, successfully courts Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), a beautiful local woman, in Fascist pre-WWII Italy. His life, however, is turned upside down a few years later when he, Dora, and their young son, Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini), are sent to a Nazi concentration camp. Refusing to give up hope, Guido tries to protect his son's innocence by pretending that their imprisonment is just an elaborate game, with the grand prize being a tank. For years the box-office champ in Italy and the country's most beloved slapstick comic, the Chaplinesque Benigni took a huge risk with LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. Many people worried that the film would be as offensive as plopping a cartoon character in Auschwitz. (A similar work--THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED, a Jerry Lewis film about a comedian in a concentration camp--turned out to be a disaster two decades earlier.) Although LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL did provoke some controversy, many people found the film to be a poignant, tragicomic story that profoundly reaffirmed the humanity of concentration camp victims. The film became the highest grossing foreign language film in the U.S. and established Benigni as an international star.
Product Identifiers
Producer
Gianluigi Braschi, Elda Ferri
EAN
5017188882248
eBay Product ID (ePID)
3942711
Product Key Features
Film/TV Title
Life Is Beautiful
Actor
Nicoletta Braschi, Marisa Paredes, Roberto Benigni, Guistino Durano, Lydia Alfonsi, Sergio Bini Bustric, Giorgio Cantarini, Horst Buchholz
Director
Roberto Benigni
Format
DVD
Language
Italian
Release Year
2001
Genre
Drama, General
Run Time
122 Mins
Additional Product Features
Certificate
PG
Number of Discs
1
Country/Region of Manufacture
Italy
Director of Photography
Tonino Delli Colli
Art Director
Danilo Donati
Costume Designer
Danilo Donati
Production Designer
Danilo Donati
Reviews
Premiere - ...[Benigni] puts a serious spin on his comic genius..., Entertainment Weekly - ...[Benigni] succeeds, to an extraordinary degree, in reviving the neo-Technicolor lushness and affectionate screwball rhythms of postwar Hollywood....A delicate romance spiked with antifascist farce..., New York Times - ...Mr. Benigni effectively creates a situation in which comedy is courage. And he draws from this an unpretentious, enormously likable film that plays with history both seriously and mischievously..., Sight and Sound - ...[A] magnificent film....Real emotional strength...
Movie/TV Title
Life Is Beautiful
Composer
Nicola Piovani
Sound source
Dolby Digital 5.1
Awards
Best Actor In A Leading Role 1998 - Roberto Benigni, Best Foreign Film 1999 -
Entertaining, uplifting, intelligent & thought provoking
This is an odd little film, almost a film in 2 halves. The first half could so easily fall into a category I normally wouldn't be at all keen on - slapstick .... But somehow it works. There is an intelligence and a lightness of touch which allows you to be gently carried along and drawn in by the sheer energy of it. To describe the second half in terms of grimness or horror would miss the point. This film is ultimately uplifting. It depicts one man's unending optimism and his unswerving determination to do everything for those he loves with passion and bravado. It is about a joy for life and those you love and the strength unconditional love can provide in the worst of times Look out for the scene where he 'translates' camp rules. I loved it and it stays with you.
This is an film in Italian with sub titles. At first it’s difficult to follow, somewhat manic even, as the Italian language is very quick making the sub titles fast too.
It took a while to get into but once I did I loved it and became emotionally involved in the characters. A heart breaking story, based on facts, where a father does everything he can to help and protect his child and try to make things fun for him in extremely difficult circumstances.
The music is wonderful, slowly changing from happy to disturbing. It’s a film that haunted me days after I watched it, it made me laugh and cry. In my book any film that can do that is a great film.
I was recommended to watch this film by a work colleague and I'm so glad I did! The main actor is entertaining and serious at the same time. It has funny and sad parts but is a lovely story of how a fathers love for his son makes his time in a concentration camp seem like a game. It is beautifully written, don't let the spoken language of Italian put you off watching it. The film has subtitles and I was dubious about this but it made no difference as the film spoke for itself. I highly recommend this film.
Charming story of a father shielding his child from the horrors of life in a concentration camp.
Main character is entertaining to watch. With a positive yet realistic view on life as it is. This is one of those films you can watch over and over again.