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Life Is Beautiful (1997)
La vita è bella (original title)

116 min  -  Comedy | Drama | Romance  -   12 February 1999 (USA)
8.5
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Ratings: 8.5/10 from 192,789 users   Metascore: 59/100 
Reviews: 900 user | 137 critic | 32 from Metacritic.com

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.

Director:

Roberto Benigni

Writers:

Vincenzo Cerami (story), Roberto Benigni (story)
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Title: Life Is Beautiful (1997)

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Top 250 #55 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 55 wins & 31 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roberto Benigni Roberto Benigni ...
Nicoletta Braschi Nicoletta Braschi ...
Giorgio Cantarini Giorgio Cantarini ...
Giustino Durano Giustino Durano ...
Sergio Bini Bustric Sergio Bini Bustric ...
Ferruccio Papini (as Sergio Bustric)
Marisa Paredes Marisa Paredes ...
Horst Buchholz Horst Buchholz ...
Doctor Lessing (as Horst Bucholz)
Lidia Alfonsi Lidia Alfonsi ...
Giuliana Lojodice Giuliana Lojodice ...
Amerigo Fontani Amerigo Fontani ...
Pietro De Silva Pietro De Silva ...
Francesco Guzzo Francesco Guzzo ...
Raffaella Lebboroni Raffaella Lebboroni ...
Claudio Alfonsi Claudio Alfonsi ...
Gil Baroni Gil Baroni ...
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Storyline

In 1930s Italy, a carefree Jewish book keeper named Guido starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman from a nearby city. Guido and his wife have a son and live happily together until the occupation of Italy by German forces. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a Jewish Concentration Camp, Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game and that the grand prize for winning is a tank. Written by Anthony Hughes <husnock31@hotmail.com>  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Jewish | Tank | Italy | Waiter | Restaurant  | See more »

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for holocaust-related thematic elements See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | German | English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

La vida es bella See more »

Filming Locations:

Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy See more »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$118,920 (USA) (25 October 1998) (6 Screens)

Gross:

$229,163,264 (Worldwide) (30 June 2012)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

 | USA: (English dubbed version)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Before they go to sleep Guido and Ferruccio have a few jokes about the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, a favorite writer of Adolf Hitler. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: The champagne bottle changes position when Guido is describing how to serve lobster (first it's tilted towards the right, then centered, then tilted again, etc.). Also, the bottle is first completely sealed (with all the labels and stuff) and then we can see it without all those labels, to appear completely sealed again in a backward-to-forward take, and then opened again. See more »

Quotes

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

Connections

References Rome, Open City (1945) See more »

Soundtracks

"Belle nuit (Barcarolle)"
(1881)
from opera "Les contes d'Hoffmann"
Music by Jacques Offenbach
Libretto by Jules Barbier (uncredited)
Performed by Montserrat Caballé (as M. Caballé), soprano, Shirley Verrett (as S. Verret),
mezzo-soprano
Recorded by RCA Victor
New Philharmonia Orchestra (uncredited)
Conducted by Anton Guadagno (uncredited) See more »