La vita è bella (1997)

Director:

Roberto Benigni

Writers:

Vincenzo Cerami (story) &
Roberto Benigni (story)

Release Date:

23 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

An unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all.

Plot:

A Jewish man has a wonderful romance with the help of his humour, but must use that same quality to protect his son in a Nazi death camp.

Plot Keywords:

Jewish | Concentration Camp | Italy | Tank | Love

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 52 wins & 27 nominations

Cast

Roberto Benigni	...	Guido Orefice
Nicoletta Braschi	...	Dora
Giorgio Cantarini	...	Giosué Orefice
Giustino Durano	...	Eliseo Orefice
Sergio Bini Bustric	...	Ferruccio Papini (as Sergio Bustric)
Marisa Paredes	...	Madre di Dora
Horst Buchholz	...	Doctor Lessing (as Horst Bucholz)
Lidia Alfonsi	...	Guicciardini
Giuliana Lojodice	...	School Principal
Amerigo Fontani	...	Rodolfo
Pietro De Silva	...	Bartolomeo
Francesco Guzzo	...	Vittorino
Raffaella Lebboroni	...	Elena
Claudio Alfonsi	...	Amico Rodolfo
Gil Baroni	...	Prefect

Also Known As:

Life Is Beautiful (UK) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for holocaust-related thematic elements.

Runtime:

116 min | USA:118 min (English dubbed version)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | German | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Ireland:PG | South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Norway:7 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy

Company:

Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica

Trivia:

Roberto Benigni's Oscar for best actor marked only the second time that an actor had directed himself in an Academy Award winning performance. The other was Laurence Olivier for Hamlet (1948)

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Guido's uncle leaves his house for the hotel, the microphone casts a shadow on the black statue on the right.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Giosué Orefice: [narrating as an adult] This is a simple story... but not an easy one to tell.

Movie Connections:

References Roma, città aperta (1945)

Soundtrack:

Marcia Reale

Outstanding

This may be one of the best films ever made. I've never seen a movie with such a balance of hysterical comedy and serious drama. Roberto Benigni totally deserved his Oscars. People on this site have said such negative things about him and this film. Mr. Benigni had a lot of guts to make this film, and there's not another film like it. He handled both the comedy and drama aspects beautifully. I loved the beautiful cinematography, scenery, and the characters. This movie is magnificent in every way. Don't miss it!