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Life Is Beautiful [1999] [DVD] | ![Life Is Beautiful [1999] [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MJ6TC77RL._SL160_.jpg) | Actors: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Marisa Paredes
Studio: Buena Vista
Category: DVD
Buy New: £18.99
as of 24/11/2009 21:12 GMT details
Seller: daaveedee-uk
Rating:  120 reviews
Sales Rank: 52077
Format: PAL, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), Italian (Original Language)
Region: 2
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 111 Minutes
EAN: 7393834136803
ASIN: B000E8RF60
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Italy's rubber-faced funnyman Roberto Benigni accomplishes the impossible in his World War II comedy ILife Is Beautiful/I: he shapes a simultaneously hilarious and haunting comedy out of the tragedy of the Holocaust. An international sensation and the most successful foreign language film in US history, the picture also earned director-cowriter-star Benigni Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor. He plays the Jewish country boy Guido, a madcap romantic in Mussolini's Italy who wins the heart of his sweetheart (Benigni's real-life sweetie, Nicoletta Braschi) and raises a darling son (the adorable Giorgio Cantarini) in the shadow of fascism. When the Nazis ship the men off to a concentration camp in the waning days of the war, Guido is determined to shelter his son from the evils around them and convinces him they're in an elaborate contest to win (of all things) a tank. Guido tirelessly maintains the ruse with comic ingenuity, even as the horrors escalate and the camp's population continues to dwindle--all the more impetus to keep his son safe, secure and, most of all, hidden. Benigni walks a fine line mining comedy from tragedy and his efforts are pure fantasy--he accomplishes feats no man could realistically pull off--both of which have drawn fire from a few critics. Yet for all its wacky humour and inventive gags, ILife Is Beautiful/I is a moving and poignant tale of one father's sacrifice to save not just his young son's life but his innocence in the face of one of the most evil acts ever perpetrated by the human race. I--Sean Axmaker/I
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 120
 A magical masterpiece November 27, 2001
gary.saunderson@btinternet.com (Grantham)
72 out of 75 found this review helpful
What a great shame that foreign films do not get the acclaim that they truly deserve. The problem with us Brits is that we are brainwashed into thinking that should a film not come out of Hollywood, then it surely can't be worth watching....can it? Roberto Benigni's masterpiece (which I truly believe in years to come will go down in film history as one of the all-time greats) is set in Italy against the back-drop of WWII, the Holocaust and a fathers determination to shield his naive and simplistic young son from the horrors of it all. The film is a roller coaster of emotions and in the space of 5 minutes it can make you laugh out loud, cry in despair and then cry for joy. Any film that can do that is a film worth watching. The dialogue is stunning as is the acting and forget the fact that it is in Italian with subtitles, it was the way the film was meant to be. If you love good films and belive in life outside the Hollywood glitz, go on....treat yourself to a true classic.
A masterpiece through and through. Charts new territory. August 27, 2004
20 out of 21 found this review helpful
Magical.pI spent a long time trying to think of an adequate word to describe this film after I had watched it and that was the only one that came close to doing it justice. Put quite simply this film is a masterpiece. The menagerie of emotions it evokes is unlike anything I have ever witnessed. You'll laugh until tears stream down your cheeks, you will try your hardest to bite back tears and when the film is over you will sit in abject silence, merely thinking about what you have just witnessed. Whether you adore it or not it cannot be denied that Life Is Beautiful is a film you simply cannot forget as quickly as you turn it off.pRoberto Benigni slides into the role of Guido easily, a role that he puts his stamp on and makes unforgettable almost immediately. I will refrain from writing a synopsis as this is already provided although the story itself is fantastically written, dividing the film into two halves. One light and humorous the other dark and poignant yet still retaining a few laughs ('...because I just had to have a jam sandwich!').pThe only recommendation I can make to those watching it for the first time is to forget about the dubbing. Watch it through in the original Italian with english subtitles and it makes for a much more enjoyable watch. The emotion given to Guido by Benigni is portrayed through his words as well as actions and the effect is all but lost in the dubbing.pI was surprised to hear from a friend recently that a lot of people considered this film controversial. Apparently it is insensitive to the topic and approaches it in a manner that lacks the proper respect. Never have I heard such contrived nonsense.pThe film deals with its subject matter in an extremely unique way, choosing to consentrate on Guido's love for his son and the way in which it is this love that makes him persevere (see the scene in which he gets back from working in the camp and instantly changes his expression upon seeing his son) rather than merely opting for the usual shock values of the camps. If you want a film without anything uplifting, if you're looking for a doom and gloom picture about the visual images of life in the concentration camps them opt for Schindlers list. Life is Beautiful goes further than this. It shows the development of a man, a man whose life revolves around his interactions with other people, a man whose love for his son is so much that his resolve cannot be broken even by the harshest of treatment of conditions. But most of all Life is Beautiful is about emotions in their simplest forms. Whether its love, laughter, fear or sorrow, you will find and feel them all with this film. One thing I can guarantee you is this, by the end of the film you will certainly be debating its title.
moving to breakingpoint July 27, 2000
34 out of 37 found this review helpful
First of all, let me clarify that whoever said that you can't make a comedy about the Holocaust was right, and that's why this film stops being a comedy the moment Guido, Giosue and Dora enter the concentration camp. the first half of the movie is a romantic comedy, basically designed to set up Guido's character and capacity for unquestioning, absolute love. The second half takes place in a concentration camp, into which Guido and his family are deported. The movie then turns from comedy to heartbreaking tragedy. Benignis achievement is absolutely unique, in that he shows all the madness of the holocaust, but no violence, which is not necessary because all happens in the viewer's mind. I was not only terrified and touched to the heart, when the movie was over, I cried like I've never cried at a movie before( with the exception of Schindler's List.) Words cannot describe the emotional density of this movie. It surely was the best film in 98 and should have got the Best Picture Oscar. If it had been an American film, it would have.
READ THE BAD REVIEWS, TOO! May 16, 2004
24 out of 26 found this review helpful
I watched the DVD two days ago, and it has haunted me since. It's wonderful, magical, but it's also fantasy. Those reviewers who have given it only one star, having taken objection to the treatment of the holocaust, are entitled to be listened to, and I should hope that everyone would read what they have to say, because, on the standpoint from which they have chosen to view it, their criticism is valid. However, this is a film about the human spirit and a father's love for his family; stark reality is not the subject here. I watched Schindlers' List and The Pianist with my hands mostly over my eyes, harrowing, necessary, but not all films have to beat you over the head with the nastiness of life. We still have enough of that in the real world, it seems.
Words cannot describe... December 20, 2005
20 out of 22 found this review helpful
This is by far the most moving film I have ever seen. Not only moving emotionally but also comically, to such an extent that at one point it is hard to know whether to laugh or cry. brLet me put it this way though - anyone who does not cry at this film lacks a core. The main character, Guido, you will fall in love with as well as his son and his beautiful wife. brPlease watch this film and do not be put off by the Italian language/subtitling... the soundtrack and the characters more than make up for any language barrier.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 120
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