LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

REVIEWED BY MAGGIE STARR

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

Guido Orefice is driving through the Italian countryside with his friend, in the summer of 1939, without a care in the world -- when suddenly, their brakes give out, and the auto car begins a headlong descent into a nearby grove of trees. With a bit of fast maneuvering, they manage to swerve around the trees, landing on a dirt road that leads to a village. Unknown to the two hapless passengers, though, the villagers are awaiting the imminent arrival of the King’s motorcade. 

When they see Guido waving his arms in warning, they enthusiastically "salute" him back, cheering loudly for "His Majesty!" Not long after, Guido stops by a farmhouse to wash his hands, when a beautiful young woman drops out of a hayloft and into his arms. "Good morning, Princess!" he greets her cheerfully. It’s love at first sight for Guido. He soon learns that the woman’s name is Dora; that she is a teacher in the city, and most importantly, that she is unhappily engaged to a wealthy fascist official. The political foundations of Europe are growing shaky, with the roots of anti-Semitism giving fuel to the fire. Guido, who is Jewish, enters into the employment of his uncle’s restaurant, only to find out one day that his uncle’s horse has been painted green and decorated with insults. 

At supper, one diner makes a comment about the money the government could save if all "cripples" and other such people were "eliminated." Throughout all this, however, Guido has remained determined in his pursuit of Dora, ingeniously contriving to bump into her several more times (always with a "Good morning, Princess!"). They finally meet again during her engagement party, at which he is working as a waiter. He sends a cake out of the kitchen inscribed with the words "Buongiorno Principessa!" When Dora perceives that Guido is in attendance, she catches his eye, and begs to be taken away from it all. 

Ever the resourceful one, he fetches his uncle’s horse -- green paint, insults and all -- and rides into the banquet room. In one life-altering moment, Dora hops over the table and joins him astride the animal. The scene shifts forward in time five years. Guido and Dora are now the happy parents of a sweet little boy names Giosue. The Nazis’ grip on Italy is tightening every day, but Guido, partly as an act to shield his family, and partly because of his inherently optimistic nature, appears to be blissfully unaware of the danger. Today is Giosue’ s birthday: he will be five years old, and his grandma has even promised to bring him a surprise! The house is filled with laughter and merriment when Dora leaves to pick up her mother. Upon returning, however, it is clear that something is very, very wrong. The furniture is in shambles, and Guido and Giosue have vanished. Dora rushes down to a train station, just in time to see her husband, son, and Guido’s Uncle, being herded into a cattle car. Although a non-Jew herself, Dora can ’t bear the idea of being separated from her little family, and decides to join them on the train. 

To comfort his son, Guido tells Giosue that he ’s been planning this train ride all along. It’s all part of the birthday surprise, though he won’t reveal where they’re headed. None of the passengers actually know to what destination the train is bound, but they will find out soon enough. On arriving at the Nazi Concentration Camp, Guido catches sight of Dora as the Guards order the men and women to different barracks. Giosue, tired, hungry, and frightened, begs to be allowed to see his mother … but Guido knows that this is impossible … and he also knows that somehow, someway, he must shield his son from the brutality and hopelessness of their world, the world of barbed-wire fences, SS officers and Gas Chambers. 

And so, The Game is invented. It starts out simple at first: it’s all a game, Guido insists – the mean men in uniform are just playing roles, and whoever gets 1,000 points first, wins a real tank. But that means no crying, no asking for mother, and no snacks. Giosue’s a little skeptical at first, but when his father "translates" the harsh German commands of a Nazi guard into a list of "Rules" about lollipops and jam, Giosue is smiling once more. Life grows increasingly worse for the prisoners, but Guido won’t allow himself to give into despair, like so many around him – he throws all his energy into playing The Game, for his little boy’s sake. The Nazis’ have stripped him of everything he possessed, but they can’t crush Guido’s inner joy and creativity. When Giosue comes to him in tears, repeating what he overheard about the Nazis’ plan to "cook them in an oven" and turn the corpses into "buttons and soap," Guido quickly realizes that those reports are factual, but at the same time, cannot allow his child to accept the horrific statement. 

He laughs off the remark, boldly asking if the buttons on his shirt look like people? He even manages to give Dora "signals" occasionally, to let her know that they’re still alive. Once, he sneaks into the control room, and announces over the loudspeakers: "Good morning, Princess!" They are surrounded by terror, hatred, and ugliness – but despite it all, life is beautiful, for those who keep hopefulness and faith alive. I heard a great deal about this film before I finally saw it. Some denounced it as irreverent; others heralded it as a masterpiece. I, personally, was dismayed by the fact that it was filmed in Italian. "Will I be able to concentrate on the story, if I’m constantly looking at the subtitles?!" I wondered. The answer is a rousing yes – I quickly became used to reading the captions as I was drawn further into the story... and what a wonderful story it was! It weaves together comedy and tragedy in a perfect balance, with Guido’s desperate attempts to uphold the charade seeming extremely poignant rather than irreverent. 

It is also amazingly clean for a PG13 movie, with only one use of "Good Lord," two comments Guido makes about wanting to "make love" to Dora, and minimal violence. The cruelty of the Nazis is implied, rather than shown, but, because the theme is centered on the Holocaust, I wouldn’t recommend this film for younger viewers. The ending, while sorrowful, is also triumphant. It is a tale of finding hope and joy amid heartache and despair. A tale of a father’s love and sacrifice. "We won!" Giosue joyfully exclaims in the last scene... and they did; they certainly did.