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Life Is Beautiful [DVD]

Roberto Benigni , Nicoletta Braschi , Roberto Benigni    Parental Guidance   DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (166 customer reviews)
Price: £4.75 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Life Is Beautiful [DVD] + Cinema Paradiso [1989] [DVD] + The Bicycle Thieves [DVD] [1948]
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Product details

  • Actors: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini
  • Directors: Roberto Benigni
  • Format: PAL
  • Language: Italian
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 27 Jun 2011
  • Run Time: 111 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (166 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B004XBOGAW
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 640 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)

Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk

Italy's rubber-faced funnyman Roberto Benigni accomplishes the impossible in his World War II comedy Life Is Beautiful: he shapes a simultaneously hilarious and haunting comedy out of the tragedy of the Holocaust. An international sensation and the most successful foreign language film in US history, the picture also earned director-cowriter-star Benigni Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor. He plays the Jewish country boy Guido, a madcap romantic in Mussolini's Italy who wins the heart of his sweetheart (Benigni's real-life sweetie, Nicoletta Braschi) and raises a darling son (the adorable Giorgio Cantarini) in the shadow of fascism. When the Nazis ship the men off to a concentration camp in the waning days of the war, Guido is determined to shelter his son from the evils around them and convinces him they're in an elaborate contest to win (of all things) a tank. Guido tirelessly maintains the ruse with comic ingenuity, even as the horrors escalate and the camp's population continues to dwindle--all the more impetus to keep his son safe, secure and, most of all, hidden. Benigni walks a fine line mining comedy from tragedy and his efforts are pure fantasy--he accomplishes feats no man could realistically pull off--both of which have drawn fire from a few critics. Yet for all its wacky humour and inventive gags, Life Is Beautiful is a moving and poignant tale of one father's sacrifice to save not just his young son's life but his innocence in the face of one of the most evil acts ever perpetrated by the human race. --Sean Axmaker

Product Description

United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), Italian ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), Danish ( Subtitles ), English ( Subtitles ), Finnish ( Subtitles ), Norwegian ( Subtitles ), Swedish ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.85:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: In 1939, Jewish-Italian Guido Orefice comes into Arezzo, Italy, ultimately to open a book store. In the meantime, he will work as a waiter at the hotel restaurant where his Uncle Eliseo is the maître d'. In town, he meets a school teacher named Dora, who he calls Princess and who comes from a wealthy Italian family. For him, it's love at first sight. Despite she already being in a relationship with another man, Guido ultimately sweeps her off her feet. They get married and have a son they name Giosué. On Giosué's fifth birthday, World War II is in full force. Since they are Jewish, the Germans take away Guido, Eliseo and Giosué to a labor camp. Wanting to be with her family, Dora insists she be taken too, but she is housed in the women's side of the camp. To protect Giosué from the horror of what is happening to them, Guido tells him that they are playing a game, certain actions which garner points, other actions which take points away or disqualify one from the game. The first to reach 1,000 points wins the prize of a real tank. Guido's primary goal is to keep Giosué safe at all cost, while he tries to figure out a way to get his family out of the camp and keep the Germans at bay from learning what he is doing with Giosué. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Australian Film Institute, BAFTA Awards, British Independent Film Awards, Cannes Film Festival, Ceasar Awards, Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain, David Donatello Awards, European Film Awards, Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, Goya Awards, Montreal World Film Festival, Osca...Life Is Beautiful (1997) ( La Vita è bella )

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
137 of 145 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A magical masterpiece 27 Nov 2001
Format:VHS Tape
What a great shame that foreign films do not get the acclaim that they truly deserve. The problem with us Brits is that we are brainwashed into thinking that should a film not come out of Hollywood, then it surely can't be worth watching....can it? Roberto Benigni's masterpiece (which I truly believe in years to come will go down in film history as one of the all-time greats) is set in Italy against the back-drop of WWII, the Holocaust and a fathers determination to shield his naive and simplistic young son from the horrors of it all. The film is a roller coaster of emotions and in the space of 5 minutes it can make you laugh out loud, cry in despair and then cry for joy. Any film that can do that is a film worth watching. The dialogue is stunning as is the acting and forget the fact that it is in Italian with subtitles, it was the way the film was meant to be. If you love good films and belive in life outside the Hollywood glitz, go on....treat yourself to a true classic.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Blu-ray review 3 April 2012
By Magneto
Format:Blu-ray
The film itself is great, but this review is more for the actual Blu-ray (BD). Firstly, the transfer/Picture quality (PQ); as long as you don't expect it to look like Avatar or other recent movies then I think most people will be happy with the HD presentation here. I put in my old dvd copy shortly before watching the BD, and can say that the BD is heaps better in terms of PQ. Sure, there are a few white specks here and there (most noticable on the opening titles) and some soft shots, but on the whole I was pleased with it. I would give it 4/5. Secondly, the extras; This "Collector's edition" includes a handful of docs and interviews made around the time of the movie's release, but more interesting is the NEW 55 minute doc "Revisiting Life is Beautiful - 15 years later". This includes interviews with various producers of the film, film critics, and the actor who played the son/boy. Unfortunately there's no input from Roberto Benigni. This new doc is very interesting and covers ground such as how the film came about; the delicate issue of balancing the comedy with drama in a holocaust movie; and - ** MAJOR SPOILER ALERT ** - how they decided which of the 3 main characters they should kill off and why Benigni stood his ground on this. For me the improved PQ over the dvd and the inclusion of the brand new doc made this a worthwhile purchase.
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45 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Magical.

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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Not brilliant
It was more like a comedy film than something traumatic from the holocaust. Didn't really meet my expectations at all.
Published 2 days ago by MRS ELAINE YUILL
1.0 out of 5 stars Life is beautiful but the film is not!!
This film was recommended to me by a friend who speaks Italian, as I do not I ordered it with English sub titles. This is the ONLY film I have ever given up on after 30 minutes. Read more
Published 22 days ago by Nickey Ross
5.0 out of 5 stars ryauyb
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Published 1 month ago by Vid
5.0 out of 5 stars beutiful and sad at the same time
love love love it
human nature and parents love at its best
i love the italian language and it makes it beautiful
Published 1 month ago by V. wakeford
5.0 out of 5 stars Life Is Beautiful
Life is Beautiful

Life Is Beautiful is an old favourite of mine. The story is set in Italy just before and during World War Two. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Marta
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
This was a good film which I need to watch for a history seminar, it arrived promptly and was a good price and good condition.
Published 2 months ago by Chynna-Marie
5.0 out of 5 stars an amazing film
I love this film and the recording came upto expectations. I also have this on video and the dvd is almost as good
Published 3 months ago by M. Rahmani
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Hits all areas - farce, fun, intellect, humourous. how it manages the emotional balance is remakable. equally dark and uplifting. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Josie Leotard
5.0 out of 5 stars Very moving
Having watched the big Steven Spielberg Hollywood blockbuster about the holocaust, Schindler's List, I was much more moved by Benigni's attempt to show the courage and pain of the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by chubbagrubb
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Buy
You get what you pay for !!

Bought this for my Nan for her Birthday and she loved it, we watched together it and really enjoyed it!
Published 4 months ago by Luke
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