Posted: 04/27/2000

Life Is Beautiful

(1998)

by Ashley Cook

1998’s Best Foreign Film is a rare gem.

“Buon giorno, Principessa!” translated into, “Good morning, Princess!” rings in my heart as if falling from the top window of a barn in the enchanting countryside of Italy. This movie is real; it may be inevitable to cry the second time around, but not because it is completely hopeless, actually the opposite. Guido, played by Roberto Benigni, seeks adventure, love, and fulfillment.

An engaging school teacher named Dora, played by his real-life wife, Nicoletta Braschi, catches the eye of this skinny bumbling waiter. Dora sparks something inside Guido that lets him know this love will burn forever. After following her around “coincidentally,” Dora permits him to take her away from her current situation. They start a life together and everything seems beautiful, until this romantic-comedy takes a complete u-turn into 1939 and World War II Europe.

The history of concentration camp horror is depicted in a way that justifies the saying, “Life without illusion is impossible.” Guido and Dora have a little boy, Giosue, played by Giorgio Cantarini. The boy’s father hides the terror by pretending there is a contest and first prize: a real army tank. Giosue is saved by his father’s genuine concern and made-up anecdotes about why they are in this merciless place.

Life is Beautiful (La Vita E Bella) was nominated for 7 Academy Awards and won 3 Oscars* including Best Actor for Benigni in 1998. Benigni not only starred, he directed, and co-wrote the screenplay to this “Modern Masterpiece!” as the Chicago Tribune put it. This is one of those films you never want to end. Throughout the entire movie, we hear the magnificent score from the orchestra directed by Nicola Piovani, and a song that melts your heart, “Barcarolle,” by Offenbach.

I suggest holding a screening in your living room for all the friends and family members who have not indulged in this prototype of the perfect foreign film.

*1998 Best Actor, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Dramatic Score

Ashley Cook is a writer and student.

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