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La Vita E Bella – Life Is Beautiful (1997)
It was a very sunny day back in 1998 or 1999. Don’t know exactly. Was chatting with my father in his room about all kinds of stuff when we saw the first seconds of this movie. My father is the one who always recommended me good movies and he made sure to let me know this is something I’ve gotta see.
Have to admit an Italian movie wasn’t too interesting for me (don’t know why, they do have some amazing creations), but the hype it got at the Oscars and the raving reviews made me reconsider.
Was ready to see yet another shockingly dramatic movie about the Holocaust, the way Schindler’s List was, another movie on this topic I have truly loved back then.
Instead of this, it was almost a comedy. I see many put La Vitta E Bella in the comedy genre, although for me it doesn’t quite go there. Anyway, we follow a Jewish Italian waiter, Guido (Roberto Benigni – also the director), and his family: wife (Nicoletta Braschi) and kid (Giorgio Cantarini) in a Nazi concentration camp, during the World War II.
How can you hide the horrors from your kid? How can you make sure he, if won’t get killed there, won’t be scarred for life?
Simple. You pretend it’s all a game. Those nasty soldiers are part of it, lack of food, misery and suffering just trials so that the best person wins. The prize: a tank. A real one.
Believe it or not, the trick does work and this drama almost turns into a comedy thanks to Benigni amazing performance and directing. It’s a movie about heroism. Not the “I carry a huge machine gun and will kill thousands” type, not the “oh, my muscles are huge, will destroy every living creature”. You don’t see Rambo saving the world. Not even Superman. Instead, a puny man saves his kid’s life and innocence. With witty stories and a lot of “lies”, he makes sure the boy will remember all the atrocities as a long and hard game he can win.
It’s been one of my favourite movies of all times and it’s a testament of the fact you can make a point even if it all seems a big joke. The movie does have some funny aspects, but it’s one of those that really make you think about human values and true bravery.
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