Life is Beautiful
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Movie Reviews of Life is Beautiful
Movie Review: A Beautiful Life
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this movie, because the story is funny and educational. It's one of my favorite movies. It made me think about educating the children who are growing up and that future is very important. The director is Roberto Benign. He played a father name is Guido in this movie. A woman played his wife. In fact, the woman is his real wife.
The story happened in Italy during the war. I thought Guido was very brave. He did many things for his son. He gave his son a good childhood. They all lived in a small city in Italy. One time, Guido was arrested by soldiers. The government didn't like Italians. So many Italians were killed. Guido didn't want his son to be in the shadow of war. He told his son "It is a game." His son thought it really was a game, so he didn't feel fear when many children were arrested. Many people lived with the shadow of war. The father let his son have a good childhood without the shadow of war. Many parents just care about material life for their children. Some of them don't care about their minds.
This movie made me think and let me learn about love without pressure. Even though Guido had trouble, he would solve it with a smile and humor. It's really important to have a healthy childhood for children. I think every family should watch this movie, especially parents should watch it.
Movie Review: DVD Details
Summary: 5 Stars
First, my impression of the film-I don't think I laughed and cried so much in a long time. Buy it, own it and share it with others!Now my input on the DVD experience. The disc contains a dubbed version of the film in English. We tried watching this version first, but found the dialogue and story were actually harder to follow than the subtitles! When we started the film over again with the English subtitles "on" we discoved we were missing Roberto's energy and punctuation. Even if you don't understand a word of Italian you need to hear the impact in the actor's voices to appreciate what is being said. Still, if you can't deal with the subtitles you have a choice. Incidently, the sections of the film which feature German dialogue are not dubbed so we still have the same experience as our characters do.
The bonus materials area on the disc features several TV spots (commercials) for the film. No real bonanza here, but there is a brief documentary, "Making Life Beautiful". It features footage from various programs where the film has won awards, etc. It also contains a mini-filmography of other Benigni films and interviews with his various costars. The documentary tone is very promotion oriented spending most of its time patting Benigni and company on the back-deservedly so.
Picture clarity is excellent (what you would expect from a new film) and sound very good as well.
Movie Review: Great Italian Import
Summary: 5 Stars
"Life Is Beautiful" is one of the best movies released in 1998. It received seven Oscar nominations and three rightful wins: Best Foreign Film, Best Original Score, and Best Actor(Roberto Benigni). Its plot is brilliant. Such chain of events rarely fit as one credible movie. Benigni's writing brilliance makes everything fit. Amazingly, the plot takes a severe historic tragedy and offers more hope of survival, namely Guido telling his son that this is a game of trying to win the tank. Though nothing about The Holocaust was good, this accurately desplicts the trials of its victims. The movie combines tragedy, magic, and love. The acting is wonderful. Everyone pours their heart and soul through their characters. Their previous research about the real-life victims shines through every scene. Such rough emotions are never held back for a second. The set and the costume designs were manufactured wonderfully. They accurately desplict the styles of 1939-1945. The elaborate settings give the added magical or tragic vibe, depending on the individual scene. "Life Is Beautiful" is a great movie for those looking for a unique, powerful drama. The italian version is much better than the english version. The english version takes away much of the intended emotion. This movie will rightfully become a classic in the near following years.Movie Review: La Vita è Bella
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is by far the best movie I've ever seen! It's the only movie that has made me both laugh and cry. Anyone who says it is insensitve obviously wasn't paying attention. The movie has two distinct halves: the first is comical and is about how the main character Guido falls in love with a woman named Dora. The second half is dramatic. This is when they get married and have a son and get taken to a concentration camp. It is sad to see the devotion Guido has to his son and how much trouble he goes to to make sure his son doesn't get horrified by the truth of what is going on.The DVD also deserves 5 Stars. The picture is very clear and presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio (if you don't know what I'm talking about, go to www.widescreen.org). The Italian audio quality is also very good. But whatever you do, do not watch this movie dubbed! The English does not fit at all with the Italian, and some lines have been re-written (horribly) to better coincide with the Italian. Also, the actors who did the dubbing seem to switch back and forth between really fake Italian accents and American accents. Trust me, after about 15 minutes you'll forget you're reading subtitles, you just read them automatically without thinking.
All in all, it is probably wise to first rent this movie. It seems most people either love it or hate hit.
Movie Review: Beauty, Joy and Love Persist...
Summary: 5 Stars
I believe it has been observed, more than once and in a variety of ways, that all of life is like a gigantic mirror. We see ourselves, everywhere. And, if we are beautiful (on the inside, where true beauty lives), then we will see beauty everywhere we look.
Life Is Beautiful puts this idea to the test. It posits a carefree, happy-go-lucky book salesman who romances a well-to-do lady in Mussolini's Italy (the film starts just on the onset of WWII). As he weds her, and they rear a child, they are soon put into jeopardy due to his Jewish heritage. Ultimately, they are sent to a Concentration Camp where his carefree, imaginitive and unceasingly joyful attitude are the only things that keep him, and his son, from utter despair.
Humor? Romance? Carefree? In a Nazi Death Camp?
To some, this is blasphemous. But to the makers of this film, and our lead character, life is beautiful, and this vision is taken from their perspective. That the film manages to show that there is joy, love and beauty--even in the worst imaginable conditions--is a testament to the way in which the film succeeds, and also to the basic truth of the message. Yes, things may be awful (and more often then not, they are)... but yes, also: life is beautiful.
This film gets my highest recommendation. Five stars.