Movie Review: Life is Beautiful
A charming, fast-talking Italian man tries to win the heart of his "principessa." A few years later, he uses his boundless imagination to protect his young son from the realities of life in a concentration camp. I absolutely loved this movie. I'm not a huge movie buff, tending to fall asleep about halfway through almost everything, so it really means something for me to say that. Don't get me wrong, I do like movies, but I rarely love them. The first part of this lovely movie is like a fairy tale. Guido (Roberto Benigni) meets and falls in love with beautiful Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), who is already engaged to another man. Guido is so charming and funny that she finds it almost impossible to resist him. I did find it impossible to resist him. Benigni's performance is spectacular. He is excellent with the physical comedy that had me laughing continuously throughout this part of the movie. My husband very rarely laughs until he can't breathe, but he got to that point a few times throughout this first part. My favorite scene might have been the section where Guido jokingly uses his own skinny little body to extol the virtues of the Italian people. My poor husband has had to endure me singing the praises of his Cuban belly button in Guido-style ever since. A few years later, Guido is still a happy-go-lucky prankster, but times have changed. Soldiers are everywhere. As a Jew, authorities are keeping a very close eye on him. Then one day, he, his elderly uncle, and his young son are rounded up on a cattle train. We all know what that means. My heart started to hurt. I had fallen in love with this character. I didn't know if I could keep watching. But Guido sets…
