The Academy Award winning Life is Beautiful has been re-released on Blu-ray, with this special edition. As well known for Roberto Benigni’s Oscar acceptance as the movie itself at the time, this is a great chance for the film itself to once again take centre stage.

Co-writer/Director Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a simple, cheeky waiter with dreams of opening his own bookstore. He takes a shine to a local aristocratic school teacher, but she is being pressured to marrying a similarly wealthy man. Guido may be poor, but he is also funny and charming, sweeping Dora, literally, off her feet at her engagement party. Guido and Dora are madly in love, and have a son and a very happy life.

Happy, that is, until the effects of World War II are felt. Jewish Guido, and his young son Giosue are taken to a Nazi concentration camp, with non-Jewish wife Dora, who insisted she go with them rather than lose them forever. Despite the horrendous conditions within the camp, Guido manages to hide his son, keeping a happy face on for the sake of his child, convincing young Giosue that they are, in fact, playing an elaborate game, using ‘points’ as a way of convincing the young boy to stay in hiding and do as instructed.

Life is Beautiful really sneaks up on you. Playing as an almost slapstick, off-the-wall comedy at the beginning, it convinces you to fall in love with the clumsy, silly Guido, to truly stake yourself in his character. Then, when you least expect it, he and his young son are put into one of the most horrendous positions imaginable. It is a brave move in a movie, and a real shock to the system.

It really works. You are pulling for Guido and Giosue all the way, making every frame a genuinely heart-breaking experience. The bravery and fortitude Guido shows in keeping up a façade of cheerfulness and playfulness all for the sake of his son, whilst enduring the terror and tyranny of a Jewish internment camp is really affecting and inspiring.

Benigni is perfect in the role. Lovable, with great comedy timing. It is his film entirely, and he carries it masterfully. As I said before, the two tone nature of the film was a risk, jumping from romantic comedy to comic tragedy, and with a weaker actor holding it all together it would not have worked, and could conceivably be seen as disrespectful. Instead it is both heart-warming and heart wrenching. Whilst there is plenty of humour, the true nature of the holocaust is not ignored or glossed over, and a sense of the danger the inhabitants of the camp are in is a constant.

Life is Beautiful will not be for everyone. The light-hearted first half will not prepare you for how dark the second half eventually becomes, and the grief is unavoidable after having allowed yourself to become fully invested in the characters from the very beginning. The story could also be a little too unbelievable for some, with Guido’s young son buying into the ‘game’ through to the bitter end, despite the horror and bizarre incidents occurring around him.

I urge everyone to give it a try though. Life is Beautiful may sound a little gimmicky, or too off kilter, but it is a genuine classic, and fully deserving of the Oscars it won 15 years ago. It is the kind of movie we need more of – brave, bold, and a fresh take on a subject explored in countless films throughout the decades since the horrors of World War II. Just be warned. You will cry.

[Rating:4.5/5]

Extras:

Five minute interviews with stars Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi, a twenty minute making of featurette which explores how people within the industry view the film, and an hour-ish feature celebrating the film, with input from many involved in the movie. B-roll and trailer. Nice features, but unfortunately lacking the input of the star of the movie, Roberto Benigni, other than the short interview.

[Rating:3/5]