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Life Is Beautiful [1999] | ![Life Is Beautiful [1999]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EJX7H9BFL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Roberto Benigni
Actors: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano, Sergio Bini Bustric
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
Category: DVD
List Price: £15.99
Buy New: £3.98
You Save: £12.01 (75%)
New (16) Used (10) from £2.99
Rating:  103 reviews
Format: Pal
Languages: English (Original Language), Italian (Original Language), English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), Finnish (Subtitled), Danish (Subtitled)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Region: 2
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 122 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5017188882248
ASIN: B00004D0DU
Theatrical Release Date: October 23, 1998
Release Date: January 22, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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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 Life Is Beautiful: 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, Life Is Beautiful 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. --Sean Axmaker
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| Customer Reviews:
 A magical masterpiece November 27, 2001
gary.saunderson@btinternet.com (Grantham)
37 out of 38 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.
moving to breakingpoint July 27, 2000
32 out of 34 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
23 out of 24 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.
Life is Beautiful - Here's your proof January 13, 2001
jamie_windsor@hotmail.com (Leeds, England)
20 out of 28 found this review helpful
Begnigni is a genius. His direction as well as his acting is supurb. in fact all the acting is great - especially the kid. everything about this film is perfect. It is perfectly paced - half the film is comedy where begnigni builds up the characters to perfection and the other half is the most moving piece of cinema I have EVER seen. This film will make you cry - if it doesn't you have major emotional problems - seriously, that is not a joke - go see a doctor. I cry when I just think about it. lets get something straight though... I don't normally cry at films - I'm normally deeply cynical. But this is not at all cheesy or hollywoody - it is beautiful. it really makes me angry when critics condemned this film as "making light of the holocaust" (I wonder if they actually watched it? - maybe they have a problem with subtitles?). Begnigni dares to juxtapose almost slapstick (but wonderfully done - just watch his marvellous facial expressions) comedy with the tragedy of the holocaust and the beauty of absolute true love for a child - and pulls it off so perfectly it is difficult to comprehend. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch this film and ignore any bad press it got, you won't regret it. This film proves that life is indeed beautiful - it has to be for someone to come up with a film this good. I mean... American Beauty was very good so was Gladiator blah blah blah but this film is light years above them. The BEST film of the DECADE if not ever. PPPPLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSEEEEEEE see it. It is FANTASTIC (honest).
The Beauty of Life February 15, 2003
20 out of 22 found this review helpful
In "Life is Beautiful" Roberto Benigni has made a warm and romantic film filled with the joy of living. There are happy and magical moments scattered throughout this Italian masterpiece, but it is Benigni's handling of the holocaust that gives this film substance.You often hear this foreign film described as powerful and moving but upon viewing it for the first time you may wonder what all the fuss is about until you reach the end and finally feel the impact of what Benigni has been trying to say.The film opens in Arezzo, Italy in 1939, Benigni and his pal just a couple of fun loving Italian guys looking to make a place for themselves. Benigni wants to open a book store but will end up waiting tables instead while he charms his 'Princess' in spite of her imminent engagement. Benigni's lovely wife Nicoletta Braschi plays the girl of his dreams and falls for him because he makes her laugh. Their romance is sweet, tender, and funny. A few years down the road, now with a book store and a young son, their lives begin to be intruded upon as anti-Semitism reaches a zenith. When his 'Princess' arrives home one day to find them taken by soldiers she hunts them down and forces a soldier to allow her to share in their fate, whatever that may be, and boards the train as well. Benigni makes the concious decision to shield his son from the evil around him and save his innocence, convincing him it is all a game, the grand prize a real tank, something his son can not resist. Separated from his wife in the camp he finds clever ways to let her know he loves her, resulting in some truly touching scenes. The question is can Benigni keep up this high wire balancing act long enough to save his son's life and his innocence? The fact that Benigni keeps off screen the horror of the Holocaust makes the ending more powerful, as we have seen everything through the eyes of his son, yet we know the truth his son does not. The final shot is joyous yet poignant, leaving us suddenly angry, moved by what we have seen in unexpected ways. The power of this film is derived from the joy of living Benigni instills in it. This is a magnificent film probably not appreciated as much as it should be but a film that stands as a moving testament to all those who did not get to continue the joy of living. No film library is complete without this foreign film masterpiece.
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