? Life is beautiful, probably the most recognized and internationally acclaimed Italian film, the script, the soundtrack and the performances of the actors make it an unforgettable film, capable of going from laughter to crying and transmitting a multitude of emotions. masterpiece of directed cinema and Roberto Benigni in 1997.
This film is based on the play Alla fine ho sconfitto Hitler by Rubino Romeo Salmoni, an Auschwitz survivor who recounts his experience in this book. The film tells the story of Guido Orefice, an Italian Jew who moves to Arezzo to work at his uncle’s hotel. Soon you will meet Dora, a wealthy family teacher who sympathizes with the fascist regime. Guido will do his best to convince Dora. Il always appears unexpectedly and will try to surprise you in every way possible.
? Hello princess? -Guido, is life beautiful?
Finally, the love between the two triumphs and they will have a son, Giosus; Looks like life’s smiling at Guido. However, World War II caused his life to collapse and ended up in a concentration camp.
Is life beautiful, entering an Italy immersed in the fascism and horrors of concentration camps. He does it differently, presents this story to us as a kind of tale with a sweet ending.
“It’s a simple story, but it’s not easy to tell. As in a fable, is there pain, and as in a fable, is it full of wonders and happiness?
The film begins in a cheerful, fun and entertaining tone; in fact, in the early scenes, we can hardly guess that we are facing a drama, despite the rise of fascism in Italy from the beginning.
Comedy in? Life is beautiful, we find it in small details, in small moments that lead to a comic nod, however the really interesting thing is how, from an unpleasant and terrifying situation, you manage to make us smile.
The fascist ideology that prevailed at the time made, in 1938, the “Manifesto of the Race”. has been published; signed by Italian scientists who approved the existence of human races. These breeds were divided into small and large breeds, where the Aryan was, of course, the large breed. A pure Italian race. These ideas, along with fascist racial laws, were explained in schools, so that children would avoid joining Jews from altering their “purity. “
Is it possible that a Jew can circumvent these racial laws?Is it possible for a Jew to dismantle a whole fascist theory in an instant in front of a group of children?Yes, at least in “A Vida é Bela”.
Guido becomes a ministry inspector who will have a conversation with the children about the Career Manifesto. Guido really wants to get Dora’s attention, but what the scene shows is that we’re all the same.
Guido refers to his navel as a true Italian navel, his ears, etc. Children, when they see him, imitate him and laugh. In this way, Guido manages to demystify the differences to which the manifesto appeals, because he is Jewish and has no physical characteristic that differentiates him from these “purely Aryan” Italian children.
This scene certainly brings a smile, but it is a bittersweet smile when you consider the true meaning of this conversation, which means that these children have heard a ministry gentleman talk to them about human races.
Guido ignores all these beliefs, dismantles any racist ideology with witty and funny comments. He’s a character who conquers us from the beginning. Carefree, very creative and his struggle to conquer Dora fascinates us. Nothing stops him, not even fascism.
“Last night I dreamed of you, we went to the movies, did you wear this pink dress that I love so much?” – Guido, is life beautiful?
Guido’s life and his family were interrupted by the Holocaust, Guido accompanies his son and uncle to a concentration camp, Dora, being Italian and not Jewish, is not obliged to go, but decides to go voluntarily to try to be with his family.
From that moment on, the film has a radical change: the cheerful and carefree tone comes closer to tragedy, but Guido does not lose a moment’s smile, always tries to fight for his survival and that of his family and begins to invent a story that avoids the suffering of little Giosus.
A phrase, belief, or idea can completely change a person’s world, change the way they see life, and make sense of everything. Ferruccio, a friend of Guido’s, told him at the beginning of the film that, according to Schopenhauer, “you can do everything with ease. “This phrase will mark Guido forever. At first he will use it comically, but over time we realize that it will be his way of life.
Guido has a purpose, he wants to survive, but above all he wants to do it for his son, he will fight to the end, trying to prevent his son from losing his smile, that he stops being happy in this hell. Sacrifice your own safety so your child doesn’t see the horrors of the concentration camp, will do everything he can to find Dora and send him signals to let him know they’re still alive.
Guido is an example of fighting and overcoming adversity, your great imagination and will create a false reality so your child doesn’t know what he’s going through, this will make him believe that everything is a game, that he is imaginary and that he can leave whenever he wants, but if he can take it and get a thousand points, he will get his reward. On the other hand, Giosus has always dreamed of having a real tank, so Guido will make him believe that the price will be this and, in this way, will create in Giosus the desire to live.
Guido doesn’t know if they’ll survive, he doesn’t know how long they’ll stay on the ground, but his will to survive is stronger than any uncertainty, he didn’t let his son see him devastated, sad or unwilling to live. Life is beautiful, it shows us that happiness is often in the way we see life, accept and face adversity.
Despite the great extermination that took place in the concentration camps, there were also survivors, people who managed to cope with torture, hunger and injustice. An example is psychiatrist Viktor Frankl who, after his survival in a concentration camp, published the book “In Search of Sens”, a book that exposes his experience and cites a famous phrase by Nietzsche, which sums up the plot of “Is Life Beautiful ?:?Who has a reason to live that can deal with all things?
? Life is beautiful, it is an example of overcoming oneself, it makes us see beauty in horror and freedom, even though it does not exist, it makes us laugh and cry, Guido had a reason, a will and managed to create that feeling in his son in this way, despite the cruelty of the film, you could say that his struggle and his efforts were worth it.
“It’s my story, it’s the sacrifice my father made, it was his gift. ” – Giosus, Is life beautiful?