The Tiger and the Snow (2005) User Reviews

Wonderful fable plenty of amazing fantasy, lively comedy and sad tragedy

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 26 June 2008]

This is a poignant and moving fable about a sacrifice to save the sweetheart's life. It's an unforgettable story that proves imagination, family and love conquer all. It concerns upon Attilio(Roberto Benigni, a magnificent rubber-faced funnyman), a professor of poetry in Italia, he raises a darling pair daughters. He's a madcap romantic man and women(Emilia Fox) wish him. But he falls in love with Vittoria (Benigni's real-life sweetie Nicoletta Braschi, also producer). Every day Attilio dreams of marrying her, under Tom Waits songs , dressed in underpants and T-shirt. Vittoria trips to Irak along with Faud(Jean Reno),when the second War Gulf spontaneously breaks out . She's injured and Attilio is determined to save his lover from dangers around them and encounter medical care. His effort sometimes is pure fantasy , though with ruse he pull off more impetus to keep his wounded lover and accomplishes feats no man could realistically execute.

This is a story about love, war and sacrifice, well starred and directed by Roberto Benigni who develops a fire-line between comedy and tragedy. Inventive gags and wacky humor are splendidly proceeded. Benigni tirelessly maintains the humorous ingenuity, even as the horror war escalate. Actor and director Benigni shapes simultaneously haunting and hilarious comedy out of the tragedy of Irak. The film displays an emotive musical score by Nicola Piovani, Oscar winner by 'Life is beautiful'. Colorful and glamorous cinematography by Fabio Cianchetti. The motion picture is marvellously directed by Benigni. He's a good comedies director (Monster, Johnny Toothpick, Little devil) with some flop(Pinoccio) and usual actor for Jim Jarmusch(Coffee and cigarettes, Night of Earth, Down by law). Rating¨: Better than average. Well worth seeing.

(The) Beautiful, (the) Gripping and (the) Hilarious

[MaxBorg89 · 8/10 · 16 October 2005]

After the Holocaust, Roberto Benigni tackles a more recent but still tricky subject: the second Gulf War.And just like he did with his masterpiece, La Vita è Bella, he perfectly mixes comedy and tragedy, telling a story about love, life and death.

The first half-hour is 100% comedy, as we see Attilio de Giovanni(Benigni) take care of his teenage daughters, teach poetry at university, befriend a camel and desperately woo a woman, Vittoria (Nicoletta Braschi).There's even time for a really funny Sergio Leone homage. The trouble begins when Vittoria is dying in a hospital in Baghdad during the war (she went to Iraq to write a book), and Attilio tries to save her life with the help of his friend and fellow poet Fuad (Jean Reno, whose Italian is remarkably good).Expect a race against the clock stuffed with some incredibly funny material: more camels, Attilio praying Allah (one of the highlights) and even getting caught by American troops because suspected of being a suicide-bomber ("I am Italian" is what he keeps screaming during said scene).

There are a few plot holes (mostly concerning Fuad and his final scene,which has no explanation), but luckily the movie works anyway. Benigni has lost none of his vitality, and he uses all of it in this great picture reminiscent of Chaplin's best films (there's an explicit reference to City Lights).

Poetic and unbelievably beautiful, not to mention really funny, it's a must-see for lovers of European cinema throughout the world.

8,5/10

Very enjoyable romantic drama

[gomapluma · 8/10 · 22 October 2006]

This film seems to be made for Roberto Benigni's fans. If you didn't like his previous films, don't bother with this one. The other comment that must be made is: this is not "Life is Beautiful". That film was simply wonderful, and I don't think it will ever find a match. Regardless this issue, "La tigre e la neve" is a very good movie. Benigni continues to show his amazing ability in order to mix comedy with drama, making the story very interesting and enjoyable. As a negative issue, we can point out that Benigni is a bit repetitive (it's his way of communicating), and might be a bit annoying for some people. The plot is quite simple: a man discovers that the woman he loves is seriously injured in a hospital in Baghdad, during American invasion in '03. He decides to travel to Iraq in order to help his loved one. The film has a good script, and is adequately seasoned with very good photography, music, and an unavoidable message of hope. Highly recommended for people looking for a story plenty of romanticism with a conceptually brilliant ending.

Another Benigni classic

[orangeheadedwarrior · 10/10 · 23 December 2005]

Anyone who calls this film superficial, banal or trivial has spectacularly missed the point and is exactly the same type of person who was levelling precisely the same kind of criticism at La Vita è Bella. Now, though I do like Benigni (in my opinion La Vita è Bella is a masterpiece and films like Il Piccolo Diavolo, Johnny Stecchino and Il Mostro are exceedingly worthy comedies - that said I thought Pinocchio was an expensive disaster), I will try to be as objective as possible. In La Tigre e la Neve, Benigni repeats the masterfully delicate feat he accomplished in La Vita è Bella: he touches on complex, spikey issues (in La Vita è Bella it was the holocaust, here we have the war in Iraq) in a fable-like, simple manner - he doesn't politicise the film, and he doesn't delight in the gruesome (and very real) aspects of war. Yet this is NOT trivialisation of the subject matter. To believe that is to believe that the true horrors of war (or the holocaust) can only be conveyed on the screen by a documentary-style approach, and that cannot be the case. Benigni is far more effective - he does not shock the audience with visual representations of war, but his comedy in the face of war creates a subtle paradox that makes the whole film even more touching. La Tigre e La Neve is a fable about love, love in the face of adversity, stubborn optimism, hope and desperation and relationships between people of different races and creeds. Don't expect to see a Michael Moore rant at the injustice of war - Benigni is far more subtle. Perhaps the only criticism I have is that Nicoletta Braschi's performance is not always one hundred percent convincing, but Benigni and Reno more than make up for it. I truly hope it makes it on an international level - definitely a film to watch.

No Politics, Just Another Nice Benigni Movie

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 14 August 2007]

Roberto Benigni is such a likable guy. He's also one of the most talkative, if you've seen any of his films. Man, this guy rattles off sentences so fast it almost gives me a headache. It's doubly tough when you have to read a lot of subtitles in a hurry to keep up with him! It's also not easy when you're not quite sure what's going on, at least in the first third of the movie as scenes switch with a number of flashbacks. By the 25-minute mark of this movie, I was worn out to sort everything out and follow Benigni's rapid-fire speech. He also has a strange way - at least to us Americans - of expressing himself and his humor. He's definitely different.

No sense going into the rest of the story as other reviewers have capably done that. Overall, it was a nice story and it had some very touching moments. You have to root for Benigni's good-hearted character, "Attilio, "who certainly deserved a better wife than he got. His kids were super, nice girls. Also fun to watch and hear was Tom Waits, who plays the piano and sings throughout the film on-screen. One more thing: there was no preaching about the war in Iraq. The filmmakers were smart enough to let the viewer think for themselves.

Lessons about love

[Patricia756 · 9/10 · 25 April 2006]

To understand fully Roberto Benigni you have to know him also as a person, in his interviews talking about life, love, happiness, religion, poetry, he can improvise a rimed limerick because that is what the people of his village where doing an everyday pastime; the knowledge he has of "The Divine Comedy" (that he can recite by heart), of literature, philosophy is truly impressive. Or you should see him when in his he stand ups challenges bad politicians, they hate him but they cannot silence him, because he his so much loved and he is such an undeniable great mind. He his an intellectual, a poet, a philosopher, a splendid human being, one of the kind, he a precious intellectual treasure for humanity. So watching his films and mistake him just for a clown, a comedy film writer, actor, director, is extremely diminishing and very misjudging of his intellect. In "La vita è bella" he got the world recognition he deserved, but most of all as Italian I was so happy and proud to finally share him with people from all over the world. Few people misunderstood his way of talking about something very serious in such a light way, they didn't understood that his respect for the Holocaust victims is so great, that wouldn't never portrait the reality of the horror in a film for as to watch as voyeurs. In the following film "Pinocchio", people went the see a Walt Disney Pinocchio and got the real Pinocchio, the Toscany not the Hollywood one, the best and most faithful to the original Collodi story (as you would aspect from Benigni), I've seen so far, which is not so much a fable for children as it is an unforgiving portrait of power a challenging definition of what is good or bad, much to intellectual to be understood and appreciate by great audiences. This one is all about love, the love for a woman, in the speech he does about what life would be without the woman he loves, he is unbeatable, men should take notes; love and great respect of others culture showing how intellectually enriching and vital is to understand and embrace others culture and diversity rather than force ours upon; love for life over war. Everything he does is worth watching and listening, he is special and I am so glad he is around with is infectious joy for life, boy if we all need him.

Benigni seeks to win the heart of the woman of his dreams despite many adversities... war in Iraq, pig-headed camels and lack of interest on the part of his beloved.

[belucy · 6/10 · 16 October 2005]

A pleasant, perhaps very pleasant, two hours spent watching Benigni do his stuff in Italy and Iraq, though I have yet to decide if I really wanted to see another film about him chasing the woman of his dreams, especially as I can never decide if said actress is limited in her acting ability, or if she finds herself constricted by the rather reductive roles she finds herself interpreting. That said, Reno is excellent as the Iraqi poet in exile in France, firstly as a thought-provoking contrast to Benigni's over-the-top enthusiasm, and secondly because he is the politics that are touted when they describe the film as political. The poet's reaction to his return to his native land after many years in exile is an understated, but strongly felt, message. Of course there is also a message, and many jibes, in the humor of Benigni... about young American soldiers in Iraq, the chaos that still reigns in the country after the fall of the old guard and the naivety with which westerners view both culture and war. Great to see Tom Waits on screen again, though with an uncharacteristically romantic song, and for those who are interested, Waits does play 'the musician' and not a speaking role. The jury's out on how convincing the parent-child relationship was, Benigni seemed to be speaking to two small children, not teenagers. And Fox, though a good actress, played a rather mono-dimensional love interest here. I had the pleasant surprise of coming across them making this film while I was passing through Fiumicino airport earlier in the year- the humor that draws people into the cinema halls is even more vibrant live.

Benigni is back!

[michelerealini · 8/10 · 15 October 2005]

Roberto Benigni comes back with a film which allows him to be the comical character we love the most.

Attilio is a poetry teacher, deeply in love with Vittoria -who doesn't share instead the same feelings. She goes to Iraq to work with Fuad, the major Arab poet. In Baghdad, war has just begun and Vittoria is wounded during an attack. When Attilio knows that, he goes there to assist her and to look for the medicines she needs to recover. Many times he risks his own life...

"Pinocchio", Benigni's previous movie, was an "incident". It was an attempt to adapt the Carlo Collodi fairy tale, very artificial and bombastic.

Here the actor chooses a contemporary fact (the Iraq war) to tell a story of love and poetry. Benigni comes back working on self-written material -in such cases he always gets the best results.

Like "La vita è bella" (his most famous and still unbeatable film) this is a story of human relationships in a sad context (the war, as I said). At the same time Benigni doesn't do the same film, he doesn't want to repeat the same concept of laughs and crying. He manages to treat again the theme of surviving but in a different way, he doesn't recreate the same situations of his Oscar-winner picture.

In Italy many people criticized "La tigre e la neve" because it doesn't express a strong opinion against the war. To me it's not true at all: the film IS against the war. There are many examples in the movie which illustrate that (the difficulty of living in Baghdad now, the hospital scenes and the suicide of Fuad). Of course, Benigni's aim was not to show blood and tragedies all the time, because the context itself is tragic. The movie shows how you can fight for the person and the things you love the most, even in a such difficult situation as war.

We laugh often also in this film, but behind Benigni's humor there's more seriousness and maturity. Until 10 years ago we were used to start laughing from the beginning to the end of a Benigni picture; from "La vita è bella" on we saw a change in him -laughs with a more serious approach. Benigni is not a simple clown any more.

All the actors are excellent -Roberto Benigni, his wife Nicoletta Braschi (more beautiful than ever) and Jean Reno (he is the deep Fuad).

Cinematography is very good and the music of Nicola Piovani as well -as always...! We see also in a small participation long time Benigni's friend Tom Waits -he sings in the marriage scene a beautiful song written especially for this movie.

Benigni made it... again

[silverwolf-2 · 7/10 · 4 September 2006]

I think the difference between the great and the normal artist lies in how they can re-produce the magic moments of art. The film "The life is beautiful" (TLIB) from Benigni was a nice surprise for me several years ago and now I thought let's see, what else he can do. To be absolutely honest this film is not as good, as the (TLIB), but I felt the magic once again. This film was not so deep, maybe, but it has something that I've never found in (american) comedies. There the source of the humor is often disgusting and it completely misses the real, intelligent humor, which can be found here. I definitely liked this film with all of errors and weaknesses in it. It's worth of watching.

Unsophisticated buffoon with simple gags fails to involve

[arzewski · 4/10 · 29 January 2008]

This was a major disappointment, especially after the profound "La Vita e' Bella". Have been a great fan of Benigni for years since "Down By Law". Interestingly, the "usual suspects" are rounded up again as the same Tom Waits from that flick of twenty years ago is recruited to appear in this one in the part of a musician in a marriage. The sets are simplistic and theatrical. The characters overloaded with mannerisms that better work in theater than on the silver screen. The plot is overly centered on Benigni, as if the entire movie is only about him. There are many mini-plots that are basically recycled comedy-circuit gags (something Benigni has done plenty in Pinocchio). I am somewhat surprised that seasoned producers decided to finance this motion picture. It seems that analysts did not do a good job in measuring what audience it would address, which ends up only being Benigni fans residing in Italy. The end result is hardly an export cash cow, as La Vita E' Bella turned out to be. To gain some traction in the export market, a motion picture should have some depth in character development, which this motion picture completely lacks. A point of interest, however, is the portrayal of American soldiers and Iraqi prisoners in post-war Iraq. This could be the first fictional motion picture with such a portrait. The very young Marines are seen in a sympathetic light.

A Nutshell Review: The Tiger and the Snow

[DICK STEEL · 8/10 · 4 November 2006]

The Tiger and the Snow is a beautiful romantic movie, and it opened quite perfectly with an awesome ballad "You Can Never Hold Back Spring", performed by Tom Waits himself. Written and directed by Italian Roberto Benigni (famed for the wonderful LIfe is Beautiful), he also stars as the lead Attilio de Giovanni, a lovestruck poet who falls for a woman in his recurring dreams.

Only of course, to wake up each time he dreams of them at the alter, and when she is about to declare her undying love for him, punctuated with promises of hot sex. Yes, you read that right. But I digress. In reality, he's an absent minded poetry professor who always forgets where he parks his car. But despite his quirky looks and demeanor (are Benigni's characters always like that I wonder), imagine the pandemonium within him when he finally meets the woman in his dreams, Vittoria (the object of his obsession played by wife in real life Nicoletta Braschi), an acquaintance of fellow writer Fuad (Jean Reno).

Meeting in the dreams, and meeting for real can hardly be any different, and his infatuation with and love for Vittoria goes unrequited. Until of course we examine through to the rest of the movie, how unconditional and large this love for her is, when he takes it upon himself to journey to and through war-strife Iraq to save her from injury, through hell and high water, in dogged pursuit of elements that can save the love of his life.

Although infused with bits of comedy now and then, the movie takes a long hard look at how much one will do for someone else whom you love deeply. It might be a case of "nothing is impossible", given the will and the affection. But what if you know that what you're doing will likely to be unnoticed, or unappreciated, or unrequited. Then what? Hence the power of unconditional love. Truly very rare indeed. Should you feel, as the movie progresses, that certain bits seemed a little out of place, my advice is to persevere until the end, where a sleight of hand twist is introduced, and given the 20/20 hindsight, you'll begin to ponder, and understand this love a little more.

It's bittersweet, and with moments that might touch you. But alas, this is no Life is Beautiful, and although it has its moments with the beautiful make belief cinematographic elements in the end, it somehow lacked that extra bit of emotional depth to truly move an audience.

Oh, and that fellow blonde teacher, now she's hot!

Signs of hope amidst a senseless war;a love trying to spread through the tragedies of this war.

[HiddenVoice · 7/10 · 28 June 2006]

The Tiger and the Snow is the best film Benigni has released since Life is Beautiful.Although no where as good as that film,this film still manages to provide humor in the midst of tragedy and horrors of war.I really like the way he blends comedy and tragedy and he's really good at that.But there are times when he overreaches and doesn't focus on the actual plot and goes beyond.But this is one film that you shouldn't miss and will definitely allow the audiences to swallow Benigni's last effort that didn't turn out that good.

A poet who talks only about life and love is struggling to woo a women that we know very little about ,except that she keeps appearing in his dreams as his bride.He keeps having the same dream with her in his dreams.So when he comes face to face with her,he decides to get her at all cost.But after almost coming close,she leaves him and he never hears from her again.Then all the sudden he gets a call that she is in bad condition stuck in Baghdad during the American invasion in Iraq.So begins his journey to Baghdad and once he reaches there ,he finds himself in a completely different place.He discovers that the women that he's in love with has some kind of sickness that needs to be cured within 4 hours.So the poet goes out on the streets,deserts,roads to find a medicine.And on his journey he comes across various odd,funny and touching situations.

This film is simple and straightforward ,just like Life is Beautiful,and just like that film,Benigni presents his story in a rather amusing sort of manner.He brings surprises and turns and joy whilst telling a weak story.He makes most out of himself to keep the audience unaware of the flaws and hold their attention with scenes that really have lasting effects.

One scene,in particular was towards the end,when the Poet and his friend Fuad(Jean Reno)look up the sky and talk about god and something related to existentialism ,they marvel the beautiful night sky revealing gorgeous stars and at the same time the bombings are taking place.Showing that even in the most horrific situations ,you can still find amusement,and beauty.There were many moments in the film that really make you laugh,feel,and sometimes coming close to cry for the characters.And for that Benigni has achieved something.

Benigni is 90% on screen,and that becomes repetitive.He can get on your nerves and annoy you to death and you just wish you wouldn't get to see him for at least five minutes.Benigni is covering the whole screen time and that is one of the drawbacks.He is so concerned about himself that he forgets about the development of some of the characters.But ,nevertheless he does charm you and puts a smile on your face,either a feigned smile or comfortable smile.He does leave an impact and you have to admire his talent as a Writer ,Director,and Actor.For other cast members,Jean Reno is surprisingly effective,(I didn't knew he was so good in Italian Language).He portrays his character with depth.You feel this secrecy in him.He is trying to hide something and then in the end you see it.He really is a standout other than Benigni.While Benigni's wife is not all that impressive.Most of the film,she doesn't act but just Lay on the bed.So ,she doesn't have much to do,other than admiring her husbands charm besides her.

This is a very well made film that revolves around the Iraq war.Probably first of the many films that will have the Iraq war as the concept.And this first attempt is by far very ,very satisfying.I really liked it.Don't expect it to be as wonderful or touching or even emotional as Life is Beautiful.Yes,it is sweet,it has its moments of success but all the while you're liking it, Benigni comes along and ruins your mood.Though,not fully successful,it still goes down as the first contender for the Foreign Language Category at the Oscars.But I doubt it.

The Good, the Bad, and the just plain Ugly

[charlytully · 5/10 · 8 April 2009]

The title of this comment refers to one of the longest extended movie clips included in any 21st Century film, which is arguably the "good" part of THE TIGER AND THE SNOW. The merely "bad" aspects are the "bonuses" on the DVD, which include two of the most pompous and pretentious periods of prattle from the one-hit wonder (LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL) husband-wife tag-team, director Roberto Benigni (the pitiful poet character Attilio de Giovanni) and producer Nicoletta Braschi (the mostly-comatose wishy-washy enigma character Vittoria) in two one-on-one interviews totaling 27 minutes and 44 seconds). Though the couple agree in labeling Roberto the Italian Charlie Chaplin, he's actually closer to the Boot's Robin Williams--on a REALLY bad day. And speaking of Williams, this misfire can't tie GOOD MORNING, V!ETNAM!'s shoelaces. While the latter effort constitutes a primer on how to do a modern bittersweet war movie with humorous touches, Benigni's embarrassing collage of ugly family inside jokes falls flatter than SPRINGTIME FOR H!TLER. In anything with even a 10% resemblance to reality, the American check-point soldiers would have wasted Attilio's ass three times over, and rightfully so. But go ahead, all you stuffed shirts awarding this a "10" because you don't have the guts to say the emperor has no clothes (or nothing more than white boxers here); your penance will be to sit through another five or six misshapen grotesques from the first couple of farcical fluff!

Fun movie about an innocent abroad

[cdavies-10 · 8/10 · 14 August 2006]

I enjoyed this movie. It might have been that I was stuck on a plane with no book, but I found it both funny and moving. The movie is very much a case of an innocent abroad who not only manages to survive very unlikely situations in Iraq but help people in the process.

I liked touches where the hero was in the worst situation possible and appears to notice because he was so concerned about his own situation. But in the end it turned out that he was much more observant that the impression given.

It is a very touching movie and quite sentimental but that is Roberto Benigni style so it was not unexpected.

Roberto Benigni's Comeback Movie!

[Faisal_Flamingo · 7/10 · 21 November 2006]

I missed Roberto Benigni & and I miss his good movies ..

and not since "A Beautiful Life" he has directed a successful movie.

This movie is poetic and I wish I speak Italian to understand all the nice poetic speeches and the Italian poems.

As in "A Beautiful Life" Benigni mixes the tragedy with a light comedy that is funny and touching in the same time.

His performance was good ..

Jean Reno was good .. Nicoletta Braschi wasn't bad.

It is a good movie that you will fell in love with it if you are a Benigni fan ..

and will at least like it if not.

It's Roberto Benigni: Enough said.

[Junker-2 · 9/10 · 29 December 2007]

Good news: Roberto Benigni is one of the most gifted comics in the world today. Not so good news: His results on screen have been wildly uneven. Watching "Life is Beautiful" and then "Pinochio" back to back should give one proof of this claim.

Fortunately, "The Tiger and the Snow" is one of his better efforts and perfectly demonstrates what places Benigni above most all of his contemporaries. He is not just a buffoon; he has a heart.

"Life is Beautiful" was criticized by many as being unrealistic and I'm certain "The Tiger and the Snow" is receiving similar complaints. These critics miss the point. The situations Benigni puts himself into may be absurd, but the emotions are not. "Life" was about a father's love for his son and how he would do absolutely anything to protect that son. "Tiger" is about one man's love for one woman.

This is a selfless love which expects nothing in return. Whether she reciprocates or not is irrelevant. He loves her and will do absolutely anything for her, even follow her into a hell on Earth.

After watching "The Tiger and the Snow" I immediately logged onto the IMDb website to see what other Benigni movies I have missed somewhere along the way. I have come to the conclusion that any Benigni movie, even his less successful ones, are well worth seeing.

A bit silly, a bit surreal, a few laughs and not much more

[harry_tk_yung · 20 April 2006]

I am not a fan of writer-director-actor Roberto Genigni. Writer-Genigni and director-Genigni are the best of partners in seeing actor-Genigni get plenty of room to display his exaggerated brand of humour, which is not particularly inspiring. His world-renounced "Life is beautiful" has been grossly overrated, testifying only to how easily can people be manipulated by contrivances on the screen.

"The tiger and the snow" is light-weight, trivial and expendable. It's essentially a frivolous courtship story which Genigni tries to pad with a contemporary backdrop of the Iranian War. The end result is "neither here nor there", "anything goes" or half a dozen platitudes that you care to describe it with. The surreal twist is nonsensical, shallow and contrived – something pretending to be clever, sort of an inferior version of the emperor's new clothes.

To be fair, not everything about this movie is negative. There are several scenes and sketches that are quite funny, but they just don't add up to a good movie. As well, while Genigni is a bore to watch (well, after the first 3 minutes, if you insist), his wife Nicolette Braschi is charming. The only place where a good chord is really struck is Genigni's character's arrival in Baghdad finding Braschi's character in a coma, but refusing to acknowledge that she is beyond hope. But then, one sparrow doesn't make a spring, nor does it matter whether the tiger is in the snow.

the film mark the valediction of Benigni's enduring screen avatar, loopy, puckish, importunate, and above all, incorrigibly romantic

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 8 January 2018]

After the crying fiasco of PINOCCHIO (2002), it is conceivable that Roberto Benigni's next film, THE TIGER AND THE SNOW gingerly recollects a familiar thematic tack from LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (1997), melding an amplified ode to love against a war-inflicted backdrop, and garnishing it with a plethora of poetry in the recipe.

Opening with a celestial wedding ceremony between Attilio de Giovanni (Benigni) and Vittoria (Braschi), with a humble Tom Waits humming the infectious YOU CAN NEVER HOLD BACK SPRING, this surreal dream sequence will recur many times with slight variations to indicate Attilio's undying affection for her, also with a sly cue to the film's well-kept secret. In reality, Attilio is a literature professor, a divorcé with two adolescent daughters, hounding Vittoria with amour fou, after a botched date, next thing we know, Vittoria is wounded in Baghdad during the ongoing Iraq War, and the narrative concisely spirits Attilio away to the war zone where he touches base with his old friend Fuad (Reno), a poet who returns to his fatherland after years living abroad, and is experiencing his own identity crisis in the face of deep disillusion and lament, which Attilio is too preoccupied to notice before it is irremediable, an emotional punch that comes off as an offhand reprimand on a man's preference swayed by his subliminal sexual impulse.

"Concise" is possibly a misnomer whether one has the stomach for Benigni's interminable wittering, not just about poetry and probably a symptom of compulsive hyperactivity, which has become Benigni's cinema alter ego (with varying degrees of the said symptom). However, what brings home in the story's "sleeping beauty" scenario, when Attilio tends to a comatose Vittoria inside a mangy Iraqi hospital, trying everything to keep her on this side of the world against a ticking clock, is the ultimate bona-fides of one's love, all in its purity and altruism, and Benigni confers it with a romantic spin which actually works even to some dry-eyed souls, it is saccharine, but still within the palatable boundary.

Numerous vignettes in Baghdad range from earnest (seeking help from an elderly pharmacist), farcical (a camel and its bad breath) to topically nerve-wracking (encountering a team of nervy, trigger-happy American soldiers) or somewhere between (the minefield incident for instance), anti-war message is duly purveyed but doesn't elicit the same catharsis as in LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL mostly because of the blasé structure and curt tonal shifts.

But, Benigni bequeaths us one last reveal near the finish-line when the true relationship between Attilio and Vittoria surfaces up, which encourages viewers to construe the entire movie as a radical redemption of a cheating husband, earning forgiveness from his ex-wife, with whom he is still very much in love and Vittoria's final realization is a brilliant touch, and given that a tiger and (ersatz) snow literally materialize concurrently in a prior sequence, the film reaches a satisfyingly poetic ending, if we bear in mind that Benigni has been on hiatus as a film director ever since (with only one acting job after), Attilio's exit scene could also providentially mark the valediction of Benigni's enduring screen avatar, loopy, puckish, importunate, and above all, incorrigibly romantic.

A surprising Binigni 7 years after he realized that "Life is Beautiful"

[petrakos · 9/10 · 18 December 2005]

I have to confess that I did not think that I would write a comment on "La Tigre e la neve" before watching the film. Benigni's medleys of farcical scenes and witty hints combined with his temperamentally facetious character provided a framework for stories quite amusing but more and more predictable and maybe tiring. Moreover, just before watching the film my biased views were confirmed by numerous reviews which appeared in the newspapers (in the always cinematically inclined French press) judging that the movie was a blending of old ideas and new facts. There was a war (in Iraq - some said that Benigni wanted also to touch modern social headaches to attract audience), a love (even with the same woman - Nicoletta Braschi) and a myriad or ways to burlesque war's intristic absurdity. Even though the canvas work might be the same, including a large part of the cast, the final result is astonishing. Fellini's "Otto e Mezzo" is a flourished and more mature successor of "La Dolce Vita", where the apparent analogies only scratch the surface of a smouldering artistic-philosophical continuity and maturity. In a similar way, the transition from "La vita e bella" to "La Tigre e la neve" passes through the intellectual maturation of Benigni, one of the spiritual children of "Le Maestro". Seemingly resembling, the two stories have an immediately detectable difference , namely the narrative figuration. "La Tigre e la neve" is no longer a realistic linear account of a moving war incident but a mixture of reality and fantasy. Within this realm the war is not an omnipresent and driving force, his role has diminished and become an auxiliary symbol representing the barrier to self-understanding and communicating as well as human's self destructing tendency. Indeed, the spectator may not fully realize the borderline between dreaming and reality. Within this delibarate confusion Benigni apparently discusses with Fellini on his cinematic manière while adopting the refreshing style of a neurotic intellectual, influenced by Freud and naively religious, briefly a Woody Allen à l'italienne. The end of the movie is marvellous in its simplicity, raising thousands of questions and giving thousands of different answers. In short, if you liked "La vita e bella" then Benigni invites you to go deeper...

A Decent Diversion

[billcr12 · 7/10 · 16 May 2012]

Roberto Benigni follows up his Oscar winning Life is Beautiful with another whimsical romantic comedy. He is Attilio, a college professor, divorced, with two teenage daughters. He is hopelessly in love with Vittorio(Nicoletta Braschi), a writer who travels to Iraq to write a book about Fuad, a poet in exile who is also a friend of Attilio. It is during the Iraqi war and Vittoria is seriously wounded and in a coma.

Attilio goes to Baghdad to save the love of his life by posing as a doctor to obtain medicine from the Italian Red Cross. He succeeds and checks back with Fuad with a very sad scene.

The American military pick up Attilio, mistakenly believing him to be a terrorist, a funny and comically absurd part of the story.

The ending is somewhat of a Hollywood kind of finish to The Tiger and the Snow a passable diversion; but not at the level of Life is Beautiful.

One additional plus is Tom Waits singing and playing a piano at a surreal wedding scene.

This movie is awful

[readytorumble · 1/10 · 10 April 2006]

I really liked Benigni in all Jim Jarmusch movies, and i am a great fan of Tom Waits. But this movie just sucks! Its the same story Benigni is telling in all of his movies, just in another place and time. This time it is set in Iraq, during the invasion of the US, i still wonder which sick mind thought of that kind of crap. The movie is so totally predictable, its not even fun trying to guess whats gonna happen, cause its too easy. What cannot be missed in an Italian movie is of course a lot of advertisement by Fiat, but also by IKEA and Nokia - this gets kinda annoying. Benigni keeps making his average jokes, which you just cannot bare anymore after you have seen him in a few of his movies, and in this one you will be bored of it after about 10 minutes. His wife once again shows, that she is all but a good actress, Benigni really should stop casting her for his movies. I'm not in generally hating lovestorys, this one just is so cheesy, crappily developed and weird in a very boring way. Don't WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS!

Give this one a go

[waterwalker · 8/10 · 2 January 2007]

Despite the critics' uncertainties about this one, and despite the fact that it isn't as brilliant a film as "Life is Beautiful" this one is still definitely worth watching. Benigni gives a genuinely compassionate performance; his humour heightens the effect of the pathos rather than detracting from it. I also enjoyed the fact that everything is not tied up in a neat little bow at the end, although you can guess at what will probably happen.

For some people, Benigni may be too over the top; for others this very exuberance will make them smile. If anything in this movie he has matured as a performer; the serious scenes are well done and believable throughout.

Shame if this one dies due to mixed reviews; its certainly more enjoyable than your average Hollywood pulp.

Mah...

[fulvio-1 · 5/10 · 17 October 2005]

Well, yesterday night I went to see the ultra-highly anticipated new Benigni's movie. La Tigre e La Neve is nice...just nice, not more. Shot with a very big budget and some co-stars, Tom Waits that plays the small role of a singer and a very good Jean Reno that speaks Italian all movie long, La Tigre e La Neve has got too many limits, in the screen writing and in the acting. The story is too superficial, love, poetry, trying to take people to commotion...but I found no commotion, not a huge of feelings, only good acting from the star, even if he's so far from his past masterworks, and some funny moments. Nicola Piovani's music is boring and boring, but the song written and played by Tom Waits is OK. The worst thing in the movie, as usual, is Nicoletta Braschi. Why does she keep trying to act? Something else to do in life? No? She's Benigni's wife, and that's the only reason I can find for her embarrassing presence in EVERY MOVIE he releases.Of course, this movie is going to become a blockbuster here in Italy and I think it could do very well in other territories. But please, don't call it a masterpiece!!!!! It's just a nice movie...better than the megalomaniac Pinocchio but nothing more.

Romance

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 24 April 2007]

Begnini is walking/dancing/playing (whatever you want to call it ;o) ) on a very fine/thin line here. But he knows how to handle this romance/comedy/drama. Like he did with his previous Oscar winning picture!

The performances are great, the situations are funny and dramatic or even sad. But you're always with the characters. There is one moment (Begnini is with Reno together in this scene) that doesn't feel right, but other than that, the movie flows. And while all hell breaks loose. you're tied to the story of a few characters ... waiting to see what is going to happen ... A great movie, with big feelings! :o)

really extremely good...

[mehmetemintulu · 9/10 · 27 February 2006]

First ,I want to congratulate Roberto Benigni for this brilliant production.Despite the fact that the film was very long,it never felt me bored or tired.I had the same energy with Mr.Benigni while watching the movie.The combination of romantism, comedy and emotions was the best of all times maybe..As a Turk,I celebrate our friends Italiens for this movie.The world got bored of Hollywood movies(always repeating subjects).It is too difficult to see such movies like Lord of the rings in the future.That's why It is the time of Europe. Gegen The Wand,Valley Of the Wolves:Iraq and this movie are some of the latest examples of what Europe can do against Hollywood... Ciao..Ciao...Ciao.....