Life is Beautiful (1998)
Directed by Roberto Benigni
Written by Roberto Benigni and Vincenzo Cerami

Roberto Benigni typifies that bizarre, over-the-top European and Hispanic humor that completely escapes Americans, most recognizable in those odd Spanish-language variety shows. So it's a welcome surprise to see him in a film that combines slapstick humor with subtle character development and the horror of the Holocaust.

I suspect that the world embraced Life is Beautiful (bestowing a Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, plus big box office) in part because his earlier films were so popular and populist. In this respect he's a lot like Jim Carrey, although I'd be hard pressed to imagine Carrey conceiving such a fine work.

Benigni's Guido is an exuberant clown who falls in love with a beautiful woman and manages to win her over because of his ability to make everything seem like it's magic. This relationship transforms him into a deeply happy family man. One of the great things about this film is that we really like Guido; we appreciate his ingenuity and charm and energy almost as much as his wife Dora.

We also see how devoted and in love he is with both Dora and his son Sergio. As a result, the increasing danger to Guido, who is Jewish, and his son, is all the more frightening. Try as he might, there is no way to ignore the fascists, the race laws, and the rumors of concentration camps.

The theme of the film is basically that with the imagination, even the most horrific event can be endured. Guido works his ass off to shield his innocent son from the awful truth around them. Since they've already set up Guido so well, his efforts seem perfectly natural.

The only complaint I have in an otherwise wonderful film is that Guido works so hard to protect Sergio that we rarely see behind the mask he's built. There are a few moments of despair but certainly not enough to drive home how precarious his situation is and how exhausted he certainly must be from such a difficult and seemingly impossible task. The finale, as a result, is soggy.

And so once again we have another in a series of films that steps up to the plate and then drops the ball right when slam dunk is imminent (exactly how many sports I just plundered for that mixed metaphor the world may never know).

However, this sadly lackluster resolution doesn't diminish the power of the numerous great moments. There are some truly wonderful and surprising images that render this film a nearly instant classic of Italian cinema, at times on a par with Cinema Paradiso and The Bicycle Thief, no kidding. One such moment occurs at the opera, another in the midst of a dense fog; both have a completely opposite effect, both are absolutely indelible images.

Review by Crimedog