“La vita é bella” is an Italian comedy drama film released in Italy on December 20, 1997 and

in Colombia on March 5 of 1999.

It was directed by Roberto Benigni, and also written by him with Vincenzo Cerami and
produced by Elda Ferri with Gianluigi Braschi.

Starring as the main characters we have:

- Roberto Benigni as Guido
- Nicoletta Braschi as Dora
- Giorgio Cantarini as Giosué

Guido is goofy, eccentric and kind-hearted. He has a joke ready for any situation. I believe
he is still a child at heart. Even in the lowest, most desperate situations, he could find a way
to bring a smile to other peoples faces.

Dora is kind, charismatic, she did not care about status or money as long as she was with
the one she loves and loyal. She acts like a grown up in comparison with Guido

Giosué is an obedient, smart and calm kid for his age, even though he was just a little kid he
managed to obey his dad and act correctly, so he wouldn't get killed.

Musical features: I felt that the classical music was always according to what the characters
were going through, whenever Dora and Guido had a romantic scene the music was slow,
calming and happy, and when Guido, Giosué and eliseo got taken away, the music was low
and ominous. The music is an extra element to show emotions, you really could feel or
imagine how they felt depending on the music. I felt all the despair, happiness, sadness and
love, with the music.

Historical facts: The movie is situated in the time of the Holocaust in 1939. The film is a
useful historical source due to all the major events that are shown in the movie from 1939 to
1945, which corresponds to some of the main events in world history. The major events are
the main focus in the movie, many crucial events related to the Holocaust took place and
demonstrated the experiences of Jews and non- Jews during World War Two. One major
historical event that took place in the plot was the execution of the Jewish people in the
concentration camps. During a scene, Guido was taking Giosué back to the cabin in the
camp after serving the Germans in a restaurant. When Guido wanders backed lost, he
discoveres piles of dead bodies which seemed to be millions.That was a representation of
the approximate deaths during the Holocaust because there isn’t an exact number.

Geographical features: The beginning of the movie was shot in Arezzo, Italy. The opera
house scene was filmed at the Teatro Signorelli, in Cortona. The rest of the scenes are
based on Guido and Giosué being transported to the concentration camp in Germany, these
scenes were filmed in Terni, in an abandoned chemical factory.

Critical appearance: According to google 94% of their users liked the movie, it received
80% rotten tomatoes, 5/5 Parent Previews and in IMDb rating 8.6/10.

Plot
In Italy, 1939 Guido Orefice, a young Jewish man looking to open a library in the city, falls in
love with Dora, a school teacher, who is engaged with a rich but arrogant man. In a series of
coincidental incidents where he declares his love for her, he finally wins her over, stealing
her from her engagement party on a horse, humiliating her fiance and mother. Soon they are
married and have a son, Giosué.

Later on, during World War II, after Dora and her mother reconcile, Guido, his Uncle Eliseo
and Giosué are seized on Giosué’s birthday, forced onto a train and taken to a concentration
camp. Despite being a non-Jew, Dora demands to be on the same train as her family. In the
camp, Guido hides their true situation from his son, convincing him that the camp is a
complicated game in which he must perform the tasks Guido gives him, earning him points
to win a tank.

Guido maintains the story right until the end when in the chaos of shutting down the camp as
the Americans approach, he tells his son to stay in a sweatbox until everybody has left, this
being the final competition before the tank is his. Guido tries to find Dora, but is caught by a
soldier and taken to be killed. The next morning, Giosué comes out from the sweatbox as
the camp is occupied by Americans; he thinks he won the game. The soldiers let him ride in
the tank until, later that day, he reunited with his mom in the crowd of people streaming
home from the camp.

Mariana Bernal 8B