Wannabe writer/critic currently selling PCs - and my soul - at PC World. Spent a lot of time crashi...
Wannabe writer/critic currently selling PCs - and my soul - at PC World. Spent a lot of time crashing intellectual parties in Prague. Now being nice on Ciao! UK.
Member since:13.12.2000
Reviews:116
Members who trust:39
Remember how Roberto Benigni livened things up at an otherwise dull Oscar ceremony? Chances are you'll fall into one of two categories; those who applauded the little Italian's disruption of the Academy's glitzy pomposity, or those who wanted to wring his neck as his milked his loveable sub-Chaplin shtick for all it was worth. If you are one of the latter, you probably won't be reading this review; if you are one of the former, there are plenty of Benigni moments for you to relish in this warm-hearted tragi-comedy.
Life is Beautiful got a surprise nomination for Best Picture, but didn't win. Looking back, it is clear why. Benigni tackles a touchy area - a concentration camp comedy - but doesn't give any real idea of the threat his protagonists are under. Compared to Schindler's List, Benigni's camp looks as threatening as Butlins.
The weird-looking Italian plays Guido, an exuberant Jewish-Italian waiter who falls - literally - for the woman of his dreams, Dora. After many slapstick antics, the two finally get it together, and have an adorable son. By now, the Nazi influence has crept through Italy, and father and son are rounded up and sent to a concentration camp. Dora, unable to live without them, volunteers to go with them.
Guido guards his son from the horrors of the camp by pretending it is all part of a game, with the prize being a tank. He goes to ridiculous lengths to keep the pretense up. As the war ends and the camps are gradually liberated, Guido must protect his family as the Nazis begin to tidy everything up before fleeing...
Foreign humour is often a little difficult for us Brits to take, and Benigni's motormouthed tomfoolery is no exception. If you can take it, however, his courting of Dora eventually becomes quite beguiling. The photography is sumptuous and the score paints emotions in broad strokes.
The film is actually weaker during the second half, in the concentration camp. Benigni has a great idea here, but doesn't push it to its full potential. They seem in very little danger - a favourite uncle is taken to the gas chambers, but isn't mentioned again, and the security in the camp makes Hogan's Heroes seem maximum security.
If you can overlook Life Is Beautiful's shortcomings, you could be in for a charming and ultimately touching two hours.
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Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1981 - Drama - Director: Franco Zeffirelli - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don Murray, Richard Kiley, Penelope Milford, Beatrice Straight
Jan 2nd, 2001
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