Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Director: Roberto Benigni
Stars: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Guistino Durano.As strange as it sounds, Italian actor-filmmaker Robert Benigni’s Academy Award-nominated Life Is Beautiful is that rare kind of concentration camp story, one that’s actually quite funny. The humor comes from the imagination of Benigni’s character, Guido, a Jewish Italian who, along with his family, is sent to a camp during World War II; determined to keep the horrific truth away from his four-year-old son, Guido conceives an elaborate hoax in which he tells the boy that the camp is one big competition, with all present (guards included) trying to earn points to win a tank. Life Is Beautiful isn’t really a comedy, though, yes, there are some successful moments of earnest levity. Yet, it’s ultimately an intensely sad ride, culminating with Guido’s death. The true sign of the film’s strength is that the audience’s resulting sobs are directed at Guido’s nobility, not his bloodied corpse.