Life Is Beautiful [DVD] [1999]

I spent a long time trying to think of an adequate word to describe this film after I had watched it and that was the only one that came close to doing it justice. Put quite simply this film is a masterpiece. The menagerie of emotions it evokes is unlike anything I have ever witnessed. You'll laugh until tears stream down your cheeks, you will try your hardest to bite back tears and when the film is over you will sit in abject silence, merely thinking about what you have just witnessed. Whether you adore it or not it cannot be denied that Life Is Beautiful is a film you simply cannot forget as quickly as you turn it off.

Roberto Benigni slides into the role of Guido easily, a role that he puts his stamp on and makes unforgettable almost immediately. I will refrain from writing a synopsis as this is already provided although the story itself is fantastically written, dividing the film into two halves. One light and humorous the other dark and poignant yet still retaining a few laughs ('...because I just had to have a jam sandwich!').

The only recommendation I can make to those watching it for the first time is to forget about the dubbing. Watch it through in the original Italian with english subtitles and it makes for a much more enjoyable watch. The emotion given to Guido by Benigni is portrayed through his words as well as actions and the effect is all but lost in the dubbing.

I was surprised to hear from a friend recently that a lot of people considered this film controversial. Apparently it is insensitive to the topic and approaches it in a manner that lacks the proper respect. Never have I heard such contrived nonsense.

The film deals with its subject matter in an extremely unique way, choosing to consentrate on Guido's love for his son and the way in which it is this love that makes him persevere (see the scene in which he gets back from working in the camp and instantly changes his expression upon seeing his son) rather than merely opting for the usual shock values of the camps. If you want a film without anything uplifting, if you're looking for a doom and gloom picture about the visual images of life in the concentration camps them opt for Schindlers list. Life is Beautiful goes further than this. It shows the development of a man, a man whose life revolves around his interactions with other people, a man whose love for his son is so much that his resolve cannot be broken even by the harshest of treatment of conditions. But most of all Life is Beautiful is about emotions in their simplest forms. Whether its love, laughter, fear or sorrow, you will find and feel them all with this film. One thing I can guarantee you is this, by the end of the film you will certainly be debating its title.