![]() ![]() While Life Is Beautiful tells the story of a Jewish family during WWII, the approach Guido takes to the horrors he encounters is one I believe can be applied to any number of tragic situations we may find ourselves facing. At his core, this is all Guido really wants and he goes to great lengths in order to achieve it. One of the most relatable aspects of Guido’s character is his desire for prosperity and to keep his family healthy and safe. He spends the beginning of the film pursuing the woman of his dreams, Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), eventually winning her over. Set in fascist Italy, the film centers on Guido, an Italian Jew who works as a waiter in Arezzo but dreams of opening a bookstore and having a family. A message that is intended to be internalized like perseverance, honesty, or hard work. While fables contain sorrow, wonder, and happiness, they also portray a universal truth to the reader. Like a fable there is sorrow, and like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness.” From the onset, we’re oriented with the idea of a fable. The opening line of the film comes as a voiceover, “This is a simple story, but not an easy one to tell. Kyrie Irving posted about an antisemitic film on social media, then took a concerning amount of time to contrite. Kanye West has engaged in an antisemitic barrage, which seems to continue and intensify week after week. ![]() reported to the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) in 2022 alone. There have been over 500 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. So, clearly, I was incredibly naive as a child, thinking antisemitism vanished after the war. Most notably, Wernher von Braun, who was a member of the SS, went on to design the rockets NASA used to achieve lunar travel. tirelessly worked to cover up the Nazi pasts of these individuals and gave them powerful jobs once they arrived in America. in an effort to prevent other powers such as the Soviet Union from scooping them up. On the contrary, I learned about Operation Paperclip, the secret mission launched by the United States to purge the Nazi military apparatus of their weapons, scientists, doctors, etc. Since then, I’ve become acutely aware of the fact that antisemitism did not die with the Nazis. It wasn’t until later - around the time I first saw Life Is Beautiful - that I learned what a “Holocaust denier” was. For most of my childhood, I thought antisemitism was something that raged during WWII but ultimately died down after the allies won the war. I visited the Holocaust Museum, read books about the horrors of WWII, and often heard the phrase “Never Forget.” Despite my Jewish heritage and upbringing, I was still naive and ignorant when I first saw Life Is Beautiful. Although my family wasn’t very religious, we belonged to a temple and attended our fair share of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. I was raised in a predominantly Jewish community, where most of my friends were Jewish. Awards aside, I believe the film has stood the test of time as a roadmap we can all follow through hardship and tragedy. I’ve since had many more viewings, and it’s become one of my favorite films. It’s one of the first foreign language films I ever watched, and at the time I remember really enjoying it. Though I was born the year Life is Beautiful was released, I didn’t see the film until I was in eighth grade. The film also earned nominations for Editing, Writing, Directing, and Best Picture. ![]() His performance as Guido earned him another golden statue for Best Actor, and Nicola Piovani won for Best Original Dramatic Score. It wasn’t the only win of the night for Benigni and his film, Life Is Beautiful. He embraces the presenter, who is just as excited as Benigni, takes a deep bow, and dives into his speech. Benigni jumps down and bounces with excitement to the stage. Still elevated, he steps over to the next row and is congratulated by Steven Speilberg before turning around and accepting the roaring ovation from his peers in the crowd. ![]() Then, with a grin stretched across his face, he jumps up on the back of the seat in front of him tossing his arms in the air triumphantly. Benigni hears his name called and immediately lifts himself up on the arms of his seat, swinging his legs in the air. Few award recipients express the elation Roberto Benigni did when he took the stage at the 1999 Academy Awards to accept the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. ![]()
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