Roberto Benigni gives a wondrous, touching, tragicomic performance that netted him the first Academy Award for Best Actor ever awarded to a foreign-language performance.
While the movie delivers several uproariously funny burlesque moments early on, as Guido (Benigni) meets and falls in love with Nicoletta Braschi, it's real strength is in the second half, which is set in a concentration camp. Benigni creates an inventive and elaborate game of make-believe designed to shield his son from the camp's horrors; in doing so, he also shields the audience from the worst of it.
I take the point to be that while governments do evil things to people, those people are generally pretty resourceful and resilient, and generally find ways to make pretty good lives for themselves regardless. Most WWII movies relentlessly show the nightmarish side to the Holocaust while neglecting the resourcefulness of the victims in carrying on with their lives, a la DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.
Benigni's imperviousness toward real human suffering is a questionable tactic; I would have thought that a lot of people would have found his gags tasteless. But if you realize that the humour is simply a device to lift the tension, then you will see it's real genius - it's statement that life can be beautiful no matter what the situation or the backdrop, that government can never take away from the human spirit.
The movie is genuinely touching, and will you make cry and laugh with equal vigor. I felt it should have won for Best Picture, and I'm certain that it will be remembered for much longer than SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE or SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.
While the movie delivers several uproariously funny burlesque moments early on, as Guido (Benigni) meets and falls in love with Nicoletta Braschi, it's real strength is in the second half, which is set in a concentration camp. Benigni creates an inventive and elaborate game of make-believe designed to shield his son from the camp's horrors; in doing so, he also shields the audience from the worst of it.
I take the point to be that while governments do evil things to people, those people are generally pretty resourceful and resilient, and generally find ways to make pretty good lives for themselves regardless. Most WWII movies relentlessly show the nightmarish side to the Holocaust while neglecting the resourcefulness of the victims in carrying on with their lives, a la DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.
Benigni's imperviousness toward real human suffering is a questionable tactic; I would have thought that a lot of people would have found his gags tasteless. But if you realize that the humour is simply a device to lift the tension, then you will see it's real genius - it's statement that life can be beautiful no matter what the situation or the backdrop, that government can never take away from the human spirit.
The movie is genuinely touching, and will you make cry and laugh with equal vigor. I felt it should have won for Best Picture, and I'm certain that it will be remembered for much longer than SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE or SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.