Life is Beautiful

in #life7 years ago

is a 1997 film, written, directed and starring Roberto Benigni. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, an Italian Jew who owns a bookstore, who must use his fertile imagination to protect his young son from the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp. The story is partially based on the real experience of Rubino Romeo Salmoni, one of the few Jews who could survive the Nazi Holocaust. Benigni said the following about Salmoní: "I could say that he had a happy aspect, that in his way of being, of introducing himself, there was a special comic side" reason that permeated the creation of the character of Guido Orefice. Romeo Salmoní Died on July 11, 2011 at 91 years of age.

The film won 3 Oscars, Best Soundtrack, Best Actor and Best Foreign Film at the 1998 ceremony, as well as many other international awards.

In 1939, Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni), a cheerful, fun and charismatic young Italian of Jewish origin, arrives at his uncle's house in Arezzo to work as a waiter at his hotel. There he meets a beautiful young teacher named Dora (Nicoletta Braschi, wife in the real life of Roberto Benigni), who immediately falls in love and does his best to conquer it, calling her a princess and greeting her happily with the phrase Good morning, princess ! every time he sees her, but she is the fiancee of a fascist official named Rodolfo.

The first half of the film shows the political change that is taking place in the country. Guido imitates the walk of the Nazi soldiers and parodies his racist and pseudoscientific theories. One day, at the hotel where Guido works, a doctor arrives, Dr. Lessing (Horst Buchholz), who immediately becomes his friend, since both of them are fond of riddles and spend their time considering each other. When the hotel celebrates the engagement party of Rodolfo and Dora, Guido arrives and confesses his feelings for her. Dora, who has never been truly in love with Rodolfo, goes with Guido on her horse. While all this is happening, the advance of fascism is increasingly evident: the business of Guido's uncle and his horse are frequently covered with graffiti and anti-Semitic messages.

Six years later, in 1945, Guido and Dora are married and have a son, named Giosuè (Giorgio Cantarini). Despite the war and the Nazi invasion of Italy, they are still happy. Guido opens a bookstore and Dora continues with her work as a teacher. On the day of Giosuè's birthday, Guido, his uncle and Giosuè are arrested because of their Jewish origin and on a train bound for a concentration camp. Although Dora is not Jewish, she also demands to get on the train to stay with her family, but upon reaching the camp, the men and women are immediately separated and Guido's uncle and many others are sent directly to the gas chambers, since They are not considered useful for work. Guido hides his son from the terrible situation they are living, making him believe that it is only a game in which they must earn points, and the first to win 1000 points will get an authentic tank. He also tells him that if he cries, asks for food or wants to see his mother, he will lose points, while if he hides from the field guards he will earn extra points.

Guido uses this fantasy to justify the reality that surrounds them: the guards treat them badly because they want the tank for them and the decreasing number of children (who are being killed in the gas chambers) is because they are hidden to win points. Guido manages to convince Giosuè not to want to leave saying that they are in the lead and only need a little more time to go home with the tank. Despite being surrounded by horror, sadness and death, Giosuè ends up believing everything thanks to the convincing story told by his father and his own innocence.

One day, Guido meets the doctor he met at the hotel, turned into an SS officer, who is choosing the prisoners who will be sent to the gas chambers. When he sees Guido, he recognizes him and does not send him to the cameras, and makes him work as a waiter at a dinner to be held by the military high commanders of the camp. Guido takes the opportunity to take Giosuè with him and sit him at the children's table so that for a day he can eat well. In a moment of the dinner, Guido has a talk with the doctor, who poses a new riddle to help him solve, so Guido is disappointed because he had believed that the doctor was going to help him and his family to leave alive from the concentration camp.

One night there is a great commotion in the field: the Germans are retreating before the arrival of the Allies because the war is over, but they want to kill all the prisoners before the Allies release them. Guido orders Giosuè to hide until everything calms down, because "they are about to win the prize". Meanwhile, he goes in search of Dora to leave all together, but is surprised and shot by one of the guards. The next morning, the Germans have fled and Giosuè comes out of hiding. Suddenly a tank appears, which he believes is his prize. It's the Americans, freeing the field. They pick him up and on the way, among the freed prisoners, Giosuè finds his mother and tells him that they have won.

The voiceover of Giosuè adult, just: This is my story. That is the sacrifice that my father made. That was the gift he had for me.

this is a summary I recommend the movie

Source: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_vida_es_bella

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Hey @gabrielbloguea, thanks for sharing! So many things out there to be happy for and about. Always keep staying positive! Thanks for a nice post! Cheers