Life Is Beautiful

Life Is Beautiful is a 1997 Italian film directed by Roberto Benigni, which tells the story about a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice, who strives to save his family in the concentration camp during World War II. In the first half of the film, the movie describes the joyful life of Guido. Before the war begins, he falls in love with Dora, a local schoolteacher. Several years later, they have a son, Giosué, and they seem to have a bright future ahead, until the German troops take over Italy. In the second half of the movie, the war begins and the German soldiers start to put Jews in concentration camps and force them to work. Guido and his son are forced onto a train to a concentration camp and his wife who is non-Jewish also gets on the same train to join her family. In the camp, Guido exhibits his courage and humanity, struggling to save his young son who is not supposed to live. In an attempt to gain his trust, he says that it is a game in which whoever gets 1,000 points first, wins a tank. He also tells him that the points will be deducted when he cries, looks for his mother, and makes noise. This shows how humanity still remains in his spirit with a strong will to save his son, despite such a harsh conditions threatening their life everyday. However, the German officers in the camp show no humanity, only brutality. They choose who will die or not, and they kill the elderly as well as children who are considered useless – they show no mercy. After the movie, I was shocked at the cruelty the Germans showed to the Jewish people, but more amazed at the protagonist’s strong courage and humanity, which enabled him to stay calm and also humorous in order to save his son even until his death.


Bibliography:
http://www.impawards.com/1998/life_is_beautiful_ver1.html
http://kr.blog.yahoo.com/keumyoo24/8041.html?p=1&pm=l&tc=140&tt=1268081158
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005263
http://www.screenit.com/movies/1998/life_is_beautiful.html