 | Life is Beautiful is the tale of an Italian-Jewish shopkeeper, Guido, and his wife Dora and son Giosue. Though set against the backdrop of World War II and the Holocaust, the film amazingly manages to convey an optimistic, dignified sense of life, as Guido uses his irrepressible sense of humor to woo the beautiful Dora and, later, to preserve his son's innocence and his wife's hope amidst the horrors of a Nazi death camp. Throughout, a beautiful and moving score perfectly captures the emotional aura of the events on screen.
The first half of the film is devoted to Guido's charming and doggedly persistent attempts to woo Dora, a beautiful woman who literally falls into his arms from the sky. Guido hungrily pursues Dora with a series of goofy and unlikely stunts, all of which make for great comedy and a wonderfully romantic portrayal of courtship. Brilliant satire of the Italian and German fascists also permeates the film's first scenes. At one point, Guido impersonates an Italian inspector who is supposed to be demonstrating to schoolchildren the superiority of the Aryan race. Instead, Guido stands before the class and shows them the wonders of his Semitic ear lobes and belly button.
Beneath this merriment lurks the gathering menace of anti-Semitism and German occupation. The film takes a darker turn as Guido and his family are sent to a Nazi camp. Yet amazingly, amidst all this horror and darkness, Guido refuses to surrender his optimism, and his hope that his family will one day live again in a decent and sunlit world. He shields his son from the evil of their surroundings by concocting a game where, if certain rules are followed (stay hidden, keep quiet, and don't cry), he will eventually accumulate a thousand points, enough to win a real tank! Though separated from Dora, he saves her from despair by filling the camp with unauthorized loudspeaker broadcasts of himself, Giosue, and Offenbach.
The film's last five minutes are a heartwrenching triumph, and should bring mist to the eyes of even the most hardened movie watcher. There is so much here for Objectivists to love—lighthearted comedy and send-ups of fascism, romance without fear or guilt, and an artistic vision where malevolence and evil are defeated by innocence and humor. Don't miss this one.
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