Rating: 
Summary: Benigni is brilliant.
Review: Benigni is brilliant. Only he could pull this off. Thank you, Roberto, for your sense of life and spirit.
Rating: 
Summary: DAMN this movie is good!!!
Review: I can't believe that it took me almost three years to see this movie since it first came out. But MAN was this thing good. I cannot believe how Roberto Benigni could of come up with a wonderful piece of film. It has all the things an enjoyable movie should have. It has comedy, drama, and the saddest thing a human being can come up with...tragedy. It is definetly one of the best film ever made. BUY IT you will not regret it. It is a treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Great film, essentially featureless DVD
Review: Guido is an Italian Jew that owns a bookstore. He meets a gentile woman, they marry and have a son. Then WWII breaks out and the whole family is herded off to a concentration camp. This doesn't sound like the plot synopsis of a comedy, but this is no ordinary comedy. It is a heartwarming affirmation of life, as Guido tries to shield his son from the horrors of the camp by making a game out of it. Guido makes up the rules as he goes along: "You must hide and never let the angry people [the guards] see you - we get 50 points for every day you stay hidden!"There are many things to like about the film. The performances are charming (Benigni won an Oscar as Guido). The screenplay is well-constructed, in that it doesn't shy away from the reality of the holocaust (e.g., Guido's elderly uncle is dispatched in the gas chamber), but can still be sweet and funny. In fact, the jarring effect of arriving at the concentration camp is more pronounced in this film because it's so farcical and lighthearted in the beginning. This DVD version has clean video and audio (at least, on the Italian track - I have not listened to the dubbed version). Unfortunately, as is typical of Mirimax, the extras on the DVD are mostly promotional materials. For example, the Making Of featurette is essentially a half hour of sound bits from people praising the film. Some are convincing, such as the director of the Simon Weisenthal Centre stating how the film is important for raising awareness of the Holocaust. But where are the dissenting views? It is well-known that Steven Spielberg hated the film because he felt it belittled the Holocaust. Another feature is a complete (?) set of about 20 television ads, all of which are about the same, each with a different award that the film won. What's the point of that? There is no commentary, no deleted scenes, etc. All-in-all, there's no reason to buy the DVD over the VHS except possibly for the choice of subtitles/language tracks. Thus, this film is fantastic, and deserves better in the DVD format than this version gives.
Rating: 
Summary: Tragedy-comedy or just tragic comedy?
Review: I just don't understand why lots of people like this movie. I decided to rent this movie after being persuaded by my persistent colleague who keeps saying that this is the best movie ever made. After watching the movie, I disagree. Why would anyone love this movie, I don't understand. But what I do understand this movie is ridiculous. It tries very hard to show that a father would do anything to save his son from the horror of war. But it's nothing but stupid illusion. You may be able to lie for a day or two, but not every day. Fatherly love is fine for me, but it is so overdone that, while watching the movie, I started to think that Benigni was trying to show that his son (Bartolomeo?) is so naive (stupid?) that he would not understand what really was happening around him. And how could Guido control those around him? Simply impossible. I give one out of five.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing film!
Review: Don't let the fact that this is a foreign film turn you away. I had never seen a subtitled film & thought I'd pass this one up. I have to admit, I have no idea why, but just thought it may be too distracting. Well, this movie is incredibly made and the story is incredibly told. It is a must see!
Rating:
Summary: The Touching Story of a Fathers Love
Review: Roberto Benigni plays a Jewish bookshop owner in Mussolini's Italy. A large share of the film shows his pursuit and affection for the woman he loves, whom he calls his "princess". The life is content enough until the inevitable day arrives and the local Jews are rounded up and deported. Benigni means to protect his young son from the horrors of the Nazi nightmare and tells him they are entering into a contest, one in which if strict rules are adhered to the participant will gain points and the eventual winner will be rewarded with a tank. A scene of comic brilliance is played out when upon arriving in their barracks a Nazi solider asks for a volunteer who speaks German to translate the rules and regulations of the camp. Benigni volunteers and invents a dialogue meant to fool his son. A marvelous selection for the entire family.
Rating:
Summary: A regained love and regard for life
Review: Life is Beautiful is a film I will always love on a greater level than I have loved any film. It presents life, love, and pain together in an experience that is not just a portrait or a tale, but a treasure for the soul. It teaches and reminds us of emotions that we don't feel often enough. Torn between joy and sadness, the tears flow blissfully and give such a feeling of beauty that one becomes overwhelmed and falls instantly in love with this creation.
This may seem strong or exaggerated if you've not seen this film, or if you saw it and were blinded by the blend of comedy and the holocaust. This is a base view and if this blocked your enjoyment of the film, please hear this: the film does not make light of the holocause or suggest that it did not cause such magnitude of pain that we cannot understand it; the film is so poignant because you experience the joy of a family filled with life and see it fight the terror. I'm enamored by this strategy and I want to experience it again. Though in one moment I felt such sadness and even anger, the recollection of the joy that preceded it [in the film] and the knowledge that some of that joy will live and grow, brings a perfect blend of emotion which leads me directly to a viewpoint on life that is realistic and at once optimistic, hopeful, and seeking beauty. I recommend this film in such high regard that I believe it will change your perspective, or remind you of a perspective you've lost or left.
Rating:
Summary: A Heartwarming Experience
Review: The characters in this movie are so down to earth and so genuine. The depth of love expressed in this movie is a rarity these days. The commitment between this man and his wife exhibits a role model that is so real yet so absent from the average movie these day. Furthermore, I thoroughly enjoyed the music from the record Guido played for his wife. I enjoy classical music but am not familiar with this particular selection. I could not recognize whether it is a classical piece from the past. I would love to know so I can purchase the audio...
Rating:
Summary: Everyone should see this movie!
Review: Before I saw this movie I thought it might be another hum-dum movie. Boy, was I wrong. This movie was instantly with in my top three movies. Charming, funny, and tear jerking. A winner on all sides.
Rating:
Summary: Rose-colored but Touching.
Review: The most common criticism of this movie is that it white-washed the atrocities experienced by Jews in Nazi concentration camps during WWII. This is 100% true. However, how many Schindler's Lists do we really need to see? This movie was not intended to chronicle every injustice suffered by the Jewish people. It is more a story of family. As a Holocaust movie, it is mixed, but as a love story and a story of family persevering through trying times, it succeeds fully. Benigni is hilarious and charming in the first half as he woos his future wife while happily bumbling through life. And in the second half, he is a tragic optimist, as he shields his son from the horrors of their situation. Although featured very little in the film, the son is really the focal point, and the whole movie is basically told through the rosy memories of the child and the stories he has heard about his father.
While some may find the white-washing of Nazi atrocities offensive, again it should be understood that this is not a movie about the Holocaust. It is a movie about a family that happens to be set during WWII. While not perfect, it deserves a full 5stars for Benigni's wonderful acting.
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