Monday 28 September 2009

Life is Beautiful

Life is Beautiful is one of the most heartwarming films I have ever watched. Written, directed and staring Roberto Benigni as Guido a Jew living in Italy in the 1930's. The first half of the film sees Guido, meet, court and marry a local woman and start a family. I found this half of the film slow moving and boring, full of slap stick comedy and completely at odds with the rest of the film. The real joy of the film is in the second half which sees Guido and family moved to a concentration camp. Him and his wife are separated but he is kept with his young son, who he lies to and convinces him that it is all a game and that they are competing to win a tank. It is strange to have a comedy set in the holocaust but in a way the sweetness of the comedy makes the true horrors of the war more poignant. Guido must be creative and quick-thinking to protect his son from the truth as well as from the germans who will kill him as he is too weak to work. Many criticise the absurdity and implausibility of the premise but I find that if u suspend disbelief you can really get into it, and begin to feel for the characters. My favoriite scene is when Guido is hard at work moving rocks, and his son runs in saying the other kids are having a shower but he doesn't want one, tryiing to hide his son from the Germans Guido tries to persuade his son to go and have a shower, little realising his son has just escaped the gas chamber by refusing to go.

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