Cast: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giustino Durano, Sergio Bini Bustric, Marisa Paredes, Horst Buchholz,
Giorgio Cantarini
Director: Roberto Benigni
Producers: Gianluigi Braschi, Elda Ferri
Screenplay: Roberto Benigni, Vincenzo Cerami
Cinematography: Tonino Delli Colli
Music: Nicola Piovani
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
In Italian with subtitles
Life is Beautiful, the Grand Prix winner at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, is much like two films in one. In tone, temperament, and intent, they are vastly different -- one is poignant and powerful, the other is light, airy, and a little silly. The movie is the product of Italian comic sensation Roberto Benigni, who wore three hats for Life is Beautiful: director, co-writer, and star. To date, this is Benigni's most substantive film, and it shows that, although he has forged an international reputation by making people laugh (Il Mostro, Son of the Pink Panther), he is equally capable of handling serious material.
Life is Beautiful starts out like a typical Benigni film, with an energetic comedy sequence that features a runaway car and a mistaken identity. For the next forty-five minutes, the production tricks us into believing that it's nothing more than a pleasant-but-uninspired romantic comedy set in Fascist Italy, with Guido (Benigni) seeking to woo a pretty girl, Dora (Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni's real-life spouse), away from her stuffy fiancé. Although the quotient of effective comedy during this portion of the movie is surprisingly low, with many of Benigni's trademark pratfalls failing to generate much laughter, it gives us an opportunity to get to know and like Guido and Dora. And forging a sympathetic link to them is crucial for the remainder of the picture to have the desired impact.
Fifty minutes into Life is Beautiful, there is a transition. It's a subtle moment, but it marks a shift from lightweight comedy to drama. The year is now 1945, and Guido and Dora have a five year-old son, Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini). The second World War is in its final days, and Jewish Italian families like Guido's are the recipients of nonstop persecution. One day, the police break into Guido's home and take his family into custody. Soon after, they are herded like cattle into a train bound for a nameless concentration camp. It is a place of horror and death, where healthy men and women work all day long melting down metal for weapons while those who are too old, too infirm, or too young to endure hard labor are sent to the showers.
Guido is well aware of what is happening, and is determined to shield his son from the terrifying reality of the situation. So he carefully concocts a storyteller's web of fantasy around Giosue, informing the boy that this is all part of an elaborate game. The object is to get 1000 points; the winner gets a real tank, not one of the toys Giosue is used to playing with. The rules constantly change, but they usually involve a lot of hide-and-seek, plenty of make-believe, and something called "silence." The police aren't really bad guys; they're just acting that way because that's how they win. Anyone complaining about not having enough food is disqualified and has to go home. By deflecting or laughing off his son's most serious concerns (such as a rumor that the camp prisoners are all going to be "cooked in the oven" to become "buttons and soap"), Guido manages to transform Giosue's ordeal into what seems like a vacation.
Life is Beautiful has come under attack in some circles for mocking the Holocaust. Nothing could be further from the truth. Benigni takes the subject matter very seriously, as is obvious from the subtle air of menace that hangs over the film's second half. A movie does not have to be as grim and gut-wrenching as Schindler's List to get the point across. The central theme of Life is Beautiful -- that people will do whatever is necessary to protect what is most dear to them -- is conveyed in a moving and singularly effective manner. Although there is an element of joy in observing the absurdly complex fantasies that Guido develops for Giosue's consumption, there's also a deep sense of melancholy every time we consider where the characters are and what their fate may be.
Life is Beautiful also makes a telling observation about the impermanence of shallow friendships when self-interest is involved. This is brought to the fore as we observe the changes in Guido's relationship with Dr. Lessing (Horst Buchholz), a German physician. Before Guido's arrest, the two enjoy each other's company, but their relative positions have changed radically by the time they next meet. Benigni's handling of this situation is noteworthy. What at first seems to be a trite subplot includes a twist that makes an important statement.
While I have no reservations about Life is Beautiful's second hour, I'm less enthused about the breezy material that precedes it. Even though this portion of the movie accomplishes its aim of introducing the characters and setting up the background, it consumes too much screen time for its weaknesses to be ignored. Benigni's energy level is high, and Braschi is delightful, but the narrative could charitably be called generic. We watch Life is Beautiful's romantic comedy beginnings with a certain wry amusement, but no real involvement. And, as forceful as the rest of the movie is, the awkwardness of the first fifty minutes mutes its overall impact.
Benigni, apparently aware that there may be criticism of this approach, attempts to deflect such comments by making the ridiculously obvious declaration (in a voiceover) that Life is Beautiful is a fable. While that statement explains the movie's generally uplifting tone, it doesn't excuse the monotony that accompanies Guido's courtship of Dora. Nevertheless, by the time the end credits begin rolling, this is all a dim memory. The best part of Life is Beautiful redeems the rest with its power to move and transform. In its perspective on the Holocaust, Benigni's film is unique. But it's the depiction of the love and sacrifice of a father for a son that makes Life is Beautiful worthwhile.
© 1998 James Berardinelli