FILM REVIEW: LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

Write a three-page critical essay, reviewing and critiquing the film Life is
Beautiful. Make sure that your essay follows the A-B-C formula .

Parts:
A. Summary

B. Themes

C. Critique: Use the following as guide questions.

How does the character of the protagonist evolved in the story?

What are the historical and cultural elements present in the
film?
What appears to be the conflict of the film?
What is the climax of the story?
How did you find the movie?
What did you learn from it?

Mechanics:
encoded on short bond papers
Arial 12
1.5 spacing
one inch margins on all sides

Deadline: March 10, 2015 (Tuesday)

Baay, Guerllein Joyce G

IV St. Damian

FILM REVIEW: LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

By: Roberto Benigni

A. SUMMARY

The protagonist Guido and his best friend Feruccio comes to town and through
coincidence he falls in love with a German teacher name Dora. Guido is both funny and
charismatic, especially when he romances Dora, saying she is beautiful like the morning
sunrise, a princess etc. Dora, however, comes from a wealthy, aristocratic, non-Jewish
Italian family. Dora's mother wants her to marry a civil servant, but Dora falls instead for
Guido, who ends up stealing her away at her engagement party from her aristocratic
and arrogant fiance. After several years, they got married and have a son name Giosue.
When Giosue was six years old, the war continues without noticing Guido, his son and
Uncle Eliseos house preparing for a birthday party arrest by the Germans or Nazis.
Nazis take all the Jewish men and women transfer them to camp. Dora demands to be
taken to the train, but Nazi soldier didnt permitted to see them.

Guido tries to convinced his son Giosue that the camp is just a game and they must
win 1000 point to get a real tank to escape. On the other hand, Dora decided to go to
camp and declared that she married a Jewish man, suddenly the Nazi soldier let her
ride the train. Uncle Eliseo is in distinctive group and is lead towards the showers first.
Luckily, Giosue refuse to take a shower because it was a gas chamber. Guido must
maintain a strategic distance that he can offer his quick thinking skills help to save his
son. Giosue knew that they were in a concentration camp and got to be killed. His father
Guido tries to save his son and his wife Dora, he hides Giosue among the German
children with the help of Italian prisoners. While waiting the German Officer's meals.
With the days becoming steadily worse, Guido realize that time is short and that he
must make certain sacrifices his own life if his son is ever to see the tanks roll over the
hills, and be reunited with his mother.
 B. THEMES

Fantasy

Guido is an imaginary thinking man, and he kept doing fantasize other life around
him. Dora and Guido knew that they are not actually willing to entertain the game or the
fantasy that they are doing. They always claiming each other prince and princess, But
Guido always wanted the fictitious world to cope with a reality this is the way he
manifest idealism, a route for him to adapt the reality and with excellence. Guido
develops progression of circumstances, he always controlled destiny and performed
different enchantment. He is very interested to create peoples fate and influence
individuals around him. In this film Life is beautiful shows up that dream or fantasy can
get to reality.

Innocence

Guido has an innocence that shows values and positive attitude to others. He
cherish innocence himself and others because he gave importance to love and
humanity. He refuses all the mans failings and cruelty of human nature. In this movie,
Guido want to protect his son Giosue innocence. He kept the secret that the camp was
just a game so that Giosue will be safe from Nazi soldiers.

Bravery

A disaster such a holocaust is big condition that affects the humanity in the story.
The conflict arises when Guido and his son Giosue must have right decision or choices
tested in the concentration camp. Guido and his family face the difficulties or situations
during the holocaust. Guido is brave enough to sacrifice his own life for his love ones. In
this film, bravery provides too simple a scale on which to weigh the decisions of those
involved in such a complicated matter. There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that
makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism like humanity,
idealism, individuality and sometimes doing the right thing is not that simple as being
brave or courageous in the face of risk.

Riddles (problems)

Life is Beautiful compose of different riddles that Guido wants to solve. He is

particularly gifted and skilled to solving problems. Metaphor used riddles of how Guido
deals with difficulties of life. He always wanted to solve difficult situations that he
experienced. And this is his way to secure and protect everyone with his unique
personality. The life of Guido composed of trivial riddles, thats why the doctor want to
help Guido to escape his family on the misery circumstances. Riddles seem silly
comparison to Guidos circumstances. Like the situation in the camp, it is like a riddle
that hard to escape or solve but Guido tries to overcome it by having a great critical
skilled when manipulating thoughts or ideas inside the concentration camp.

Coincidence or Destiny

Guido trust himself that he can control or adjust mans destiny. He can control
occurrences to great end. In this film it uses coincidence that the things cannot always
controlled either positive or negative sometimes it is more primarily magical of their own
right. The event happen like Guido didnt expect that the American tank will come, picks
and save Giosue. The coincidence lead it to happy ending but not with Guido because
he died to save his sons life. The coincidence happen in the story helped them reach
their goals, this implied destiny or some force working to continue life and pursue their
goals and dreams.

C. Critique

How does the character of the protagonist evolved in the story?

Guido as a protagonist in the story is a fantasize man. Guido always wanted the
fictitious world to cope with a reality this is the way he manifest idealism, a route for him
to adapt the reality and with excellence. Guido develops progression of circumstances,
he always controlled destiny and performed different enchantment. He is very interested
to create peoples fate and influence individuals around him. He sacrifice his own life to
save his son away from Nazi soldiers. He is a very brave men and not afraid to all the
difficulties or challenges in life. He gave a positive outlook or a good spirit to his son, he
showed love, happiness, compassion and secure him from the harsh realities of the
camp and keeping himself alive.

What are the historical and cultural elements present in the film?

Holocaust represent as a disaster to human kind. It shows a tragic historical

setting, on how the German soldier or barbarians torture and harass others primarily
children. The life is beautiful seeks to convey, for one thing, the reality of life during this
period, especially life in a camp for one family in particular. But it simultaneously injects
a new spirit into a story that has been told many times. This story of some of the horrors
of the Holocaust includes a unique, almost an emotional element, something beyond
the material reality that on its face is so horrible. The Author willingness to use comedy
to underscore the evils of war is horrible.
What appears to be the conflict of the film?

The conflict of the film is when the German soldiers caught Guido, Giosue and
Unlce Eliseo and other Jewish women and men to concentration camp. Dora didnt
permitted to take him to the train with Guido and Giosue. Guido are trying to organize
his thoughts and ideas on how to escape in the concentration camp and become
reunited again with his family. Guido tried to protect the innocence of his son by giving
him positive outlook and take away from despair.

What is the climax of the story?

The climax of the story happens when they escape from the camp away from Nazi
soldiers. Guido tries to convinced his son Giosue that the camp is just a game and they
must win 1000 point to get a real tank to escape. On the other hand, Dora decided to go
to camp and declared that she married a Jewish man, suddenly the Nazi soldier let her
ride the train. Uncle Eliseo is in distinctive group and is lead towards the showers first.
Luckily, Giosue refuse to take a shower because it was a gas chamber. Guido must
maintain a strategic distance that he can offer his quick thinking skills help to save his
son. Giosue knew that they were in a concentration camp and got to be killed. His father
Guido tries to save his son and his wife Dora, he hides Giosue among the German
children with the help of Italian prisoners. While waiting with the days becoming steadily
worse, Guido realize that time is short and that he must make certain sacrifices his own
life if his son is ever to see the tanks roll over the hills, and be reunited with his mother.

How did you find the movie?

The life is beautiful is a tragicomedy it is very interesting it is all about dignity,

human rights and preservation of once innocence. The movie shows about holocaust
and wars, it represent way powerful yet emotional. The film discussed the importance of
keeping innocence like the fathers role in the family. Throughout the movie you will see
the faith, hope and love. Thus, Life is Beautiful is an almost magical tale. Situations
arise that seem so coincidental. This movie show the reality of holocaust, it shows tragic
but can be portrayed as happy story. The movie enlighten me and gave learnings of
facing different problems and importance of innocence. This film help other people
understand that even though this event is tragic in our history we can still learn
something good out of it.
What did you learn from it?

I learned from this film was that preserving innocence is very important in aspect
of upbringing because it promotes humility, healthy and mature exposure to major
issues. Become innocent protect us from miserable and despair life from damaging
different circumstances. I also learned that we have to fight and face all the problems or
difficulties in life because at the end these sacrifices will lead us to right choices in life.
And because of perseverance and brevity we can gain much good results. Everything
happens for a reason, God always make plans for us for us to lead in right places.
Without small test or challenges in life would be a smoothly pave path to nowhere it. We
need to appreciate every moment on our life and cherished it. Show our love to others,
not only in words but also in actions. We need to accept what might happen in our life
and this will help us to reflect and renew our life again.