La vita è bella (1997)

When an open-minded Jewish librarian and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor, and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp.

Director:

Roberto Benigni

Writers:

Vincenzo Cerami (story by), Roberto Benigni (story by)

Stars:

Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini

Top Rated Movies #21 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 69 wins & 52 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roberto Benigni	...	Guido
Nicoletta Braschi	...	Dora
Giorgio Cantarini	...	Giosué
Giustino Durano	...	Zio
Sergio Bini Bustric	...	Ferruccio (as Sergio Bustric)
Marisa Paredes	...	Madre di Dora
Horst Buchholz	...	Dottor Lessing (as Horst Bucholz)
Lidia Alfonsi	...	Guicciardini (as Lydia Alfonsi)
Giuliana Lojodice	...	Direttrice Didattica
Amerigo Fontani	...	Rodolfo
Pietro De Silva	...	Bartolomeo
Francesco Guzzo	...	Vittorino
Raffaella Lebboroni	...	Elena
Claudio Alfonsi	...	Amico Rodolfo
Gil Baroni	...	Prefetto

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.

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Plot Keywords:

jewish | world war two | nazi occupation | tank | holocaust | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Guido's wife, Dora, is played by Roberto Benigni's real-life wife, Nicoletta Braschi.

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Goofs

When the concentration camp is being evacuated, a half-track with the Balkenkreuz painted on it can be seen. Actually, this vehicle is an American-made M3 Half-track which was used by the Allied forces during the war and not by the Germans (although captured M3s were used by the Nazis in North Africa and on the western front).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: This is a simple story; but, not an easy one to tell. Like a fable, there is sorrow and, like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness.

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Alternate Versions

The original Italian theatrical version was 122 minutes long. Benigni later cut 9 minutes out for the American version (removing, among others, all scenes featuring Lidia Alfonsi) and adding a voice over by the adult Giosuè (voiced by Omero Antonutti). This shorter version is the one released on video in Italy.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Tragic Movie Endings (2014)

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Soundtracks

Marcia Reale
(1831)
Written by Giuseppe Gabetti (as G. Gabetti)
Ed. Casa Musicale Pucci di Portici (Napoli)

User Reviews

A Movie About Hope

Life Is Beautiful takes the premise that love and hope can survive the most trying of conditions, in this case a Nazi concentration camp. Most everyone knows this very popular and honored film, so I won't belabor the story. Briefly, in my humble opinion, this film deserves all the accolades it's been awarded. A near perfect film, my only gripe is that Mr. Benigni's performance could have been more understated, especially the half of the film that's set in the concentration camp. But this is only a slight complaint. For a joyful, life-affirming movie, Life Is Beautiful is tops. But be forewarned, as its principal backdrop of anti-Semitism and Nazi murder, it is not a very happy movie.

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax Official Facebook

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian German English

Release Date:

6 November 1998 (Canada)

Also Known As:

La vie est belle

Filming Locations:

Ronciglione, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$118,920, 25 October 1998

Gross USA:

$57,563,264

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$230,098,753

Company Credits

Production Co:

Melampo Cinematografica, Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 122 min (first release)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1