This film had actually been out over a year and a half before people started noticing it. Its a foreign film (italian) and it's often harder to make a conversion to popularity in a foreign land. American films are well recieved in foreign countries yet American still has trouble recieving foreign films. This is starting to change lately, with "Life Is Beautiful" and last year's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." We are all very lucky that this film was brought and put into wide distribution this country because it is truely a gift of filmmaking. Unlike most films today basing their ideas on special effects, this one is pure storylines and it is a very good one.

This is a plot that is difficult to describe, because if I go into detail, I would be giving away too much of the film. Yet if I say too little, it sounds like a weird idea. Basically it is about a father and his wife and son, who are forced to go to a concentration camp. The father knows of the horrifying things that happen in the camps so instead of having his young innocent son find out, he comes up with ideas in order to protect him from the realities of the concentration camps. Some may say that this film goes too easy on how severe the holocaust was but I think that the idea of the holocaust was still explained enough and handled with care. In some way it is good because this is a film you can show to a younger audience that you would not want seeing "Schindler's List" yet. It can give them an idea of what the holocaust is without getting in too gruesome detail.

I want to mention that it is important to not get frustrated because there are subtitles. I once convinced about 10 of my friends to go with me to see this film and they all complained it was gonna be bad with subtitles. Nevertheless, in the end each and every one of them said it was one of the best films they ever saw. They also mentioned they were so much into the movie that they didnt even notice the subtitles. I would suggest seeing the film with subtitles instead of the english version because it doesn't lose as much.

Roberto Benigni won the best actor for his role in the film, but I should also note that he directed and wrote it himself. Ive never seen a film in which I can go from laughing out loud to crying so easily. This film is a great piece of filmmaking that will move you, unlike many films today stuck with bad writing and concentrating on special effects. It is refreshing to enjoy a film that is so well written and interesting to watch.This film will make you laugh and cry. That really is what life is about. You get the good and the bad. At the end of the film, you will understand what the title is all about. In life you will laugh and you will cry, but in the end you realize that life is beautiful.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older