'La Vita è bella' is indeed a truly beautiful film - but perhaps I didn't think it was quite as glorious as some have deemed it since. It's a charming story of a Jewish family ( the director playing the head of household ) and their suffering during the holocaust. Starting off as a quaint look at period life in rural Italy, it progresses to the harsh world of a concentration camp, through to the final surrender. Never is there a moment when you get bored. A lot of it is quite moving, partly due to the two-tone nature of the film - blending the real-life of the loving family with their horrific persecution - the story largely revolves around the fathers determination in hiding the reality from his young boy. Unfortunately I found the blend of fairy-tale and grim reality a little distracting. Just when you're feeling emotional and moved by the authenticity and realism of some element of the concentration camp, something totally obscure, unrealistic and UNauthentic leaps onto the screen as some unwelcome comic relief - or indeed vice versa - start feeling cheery and in march the Nazi's with incredible naturalism. So is it trying to be a comedy, or a realistic portrayal of WW2? However, credit must go to the director and main actor - a great performance, and inspirational direction. You may think he'd be better suited to being a clown, which perhaps is true, and I think that eminates through his performance, but he has succeeded in creating a truly charming film that is always a joy to watch.
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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
I think Benigni is trying to emphasize the horrors of war by blending comedy and tragedy - much in the same way as the absurdity of Heller's 'Catch-22' made the the ridiculousness of the flyer's situation far more terrifying. The difference is, Heller pulled it off perfectly, while Benigni seems to have lost his nerve a bit...the perils faced by his Jews never seem that dangerous.
Nov 17th, 2000
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