Customer Reviews

Life is Beautiful Classroom Edition [Interactive DVD]

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In "Life is Beautiful" Roberto Benigni has made a warm and romantic film filled with the joy of living. There are happy and magical moments scattered throughout this Italian masterpiece, but it is Benigni's handling of the holocaust that gives this film substance.You often hear this foreign film described as powerful and moving but upon viewing it for the first time you may wonder what all the fuss is about, until you reach the end and finally feel the impact of what Benigni has been trying to say.

The film opens in Arezzo, Italy, in 1939, Benigni and his pal just a couple of happy-go-lucky Italian guys looking to make a place for themselves. Benigni wants to open a book store but will end up waiting tables instead while he charms his princess in spite of her imminent engagement. Benigni's lovely wife Nicoletta Braschi plays the girl of his dreams and falls for him because he makes her laugh. Their romance is tender and funny, with a touch of the sweet flavor of an Italian bread.

A few years down the road, now with a book store and a young son, their lives begin to be intruded upon as anti-Semitism reaches its zenith. When his princess arrives home one day, she finds them missing, taken by soldiers. Hunting them down she forces a soldier to allow her to share in their fate, whatever that may be, and boards the train for the camps as well.

Benigni makes the conscious decision to shield his son from the evil around him and save his innocence, convincing him it is all a game, the grand prize a real tank; something his son can not resist. Separated from his wife in the camp he finds clever ways to let her know he loves her, resulting in some truly touching scenes.

But the real question is whether Benigni can keep up this high wire balancing act long enough to save his son's life and his innocence. The fact that Benigni keeps off screen the horror of the Holocaust makes the ending more powerful, as we have seen everything through the eyes of his son, yet we know the truth his son does not. The final shot is joyous yet poignant, leaving us suddenly angry, moved by what we have seen in unexpected ways.

This film is shown quite often in schools, and Disney has released this special edition for that purpose, with elements which will add to the discussion about this most important part of history, at an affordable price for teachers and schools. The power of this film is derived from the joy of living Benigni instills in it. This is a magnificent film probably not appreciated as much as it should be but a film that stands as a moving testament to all those who did not get to continue the joy of living. No film library or school is complete without this foreign film masterpiece.

Outstanding movie which my 6th graders really liked. I also used the bonus features to launch lessons on propaganda and Holocaust art. One niggling "complaint." Unless I couldn't figure out how to get subtitles, my choices were dubbed English and Italian (no subtitles). I would have liked to have the option of having kids watch a movie in its original language with the subtitles (the way I saw it in the theater). We got past the mismatched mouth and words pretty quickly, but I still think it loses a little of the manic style.