Storyline
A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.
Directors
Cast
Giorgio Cantarini, Richard Sammel, Marisa Paredes, Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Horst Buchholz, Giustino Durano, Amerigo Fontani, Sergio Bini Bustric, Lidia Alfonsi, Pietro De Silva, Giuliana Lojodice, Francesco Guzzo, Adelaide Alaïs, Verena Buratti, Hannes Hellmann, Wolfgang Hillinger, Antonio Prester, Gina Rovere, Laura Susanne Ruedeberg, Andrea Tidona, Dirk K. van den Berg, Omero Antonutti
Trailer
Reviews
100
Film.com
Benigni, with great help from young Cantarini, has crafted a work of such complexity that you may find both your brain and your heart simply overloaded. Which, of course, is the rarely achieved goal of all art.
90
TNT RoughCut
Its unique message about laughing in the face of evil clearly reveals that life is beautiful.
80
Benigni effectively creates a situation in which comedy is courage. And he draws from this an unpretentious, enormously likable film that plays with history both seriously and mischievously. Piety has no place here, nor do tears until the final reel. Life is Beautiful plays by its own rules
80
The A.V. Club
The concept is not so much nihilistic as it is realistic, and the fact that Benigni has made such fine distinctions so powerfully clear is amazing and moving.
70
Film.com
While most reviewers will accuse it of sentimentality (a charge that is justified), audiences, who don't feel the need to appear rigorous and tough-minded all the time, will flock to it in droves.
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