La Vita è Bella

In what ways has the director of life is beautiful used the film to explore the idea that hope is vital to survival?

Roberto Benigni’s 1997 thrice academy award winning film “Life is Beautiful” is in a genre of its own, a movie full of love, hope, and humour against a background of despair. Benigni uses many detailed stylistic features to demystify and define hope. Benigni has created and brought to life the role of Guido, a man who perseveres through the horrors of an Auschwitz based holocaust in order to keep hope alive for both his son and himself. Furthermore Guido uses humour to keep hope alive for himself and mask the terrors of Auschwitz for his son. In contrast to the unending hope, the visual side of the movie is drab as the colour leeches away while the film progresses. Ultimately this film is about the strength of the human spirit in its hope for survival.

Guido’s sole purpose is the safety of his son, Joshua.

The perseverance Guido displays is so commanding that it combats the horrors of the holocaust.

The humour Guido brings into their lives at Auschwitz is used to blind Joshua from the grim truth.

Guido: [being shipped to a concentration camp] You've never ridden on a train, have you? They're fantastic! Everybody stands up, close together, and there are no seats!

Giosué Orefice (Joshua): There aren't any seats? Guido: Seats? On a train? It's obvious you've never ridden one before! No, everybody's packed in, standing up. Look at this line to get on! Hey, we've got tickets, save room for us!

Guido: [pretending to translate] the game starts now. You have to score one thousand points. If you do that, you take home a tank with a big gun. Each day we will announce the scores from that loudspeaker. The one who has the fewest points will have to wear a sign that says "Jackass" on his back. There are three ways to lose points. One, turning into a big cry-baby. Two, telling us you want to see your mommy. Three, saying you're hungry and want something to eat.

Guido’s humour is used as a smokescreen to shield Joshua from the dark thoughts of other prisoners.

Giosué Orefice: Buttons and soap. Guido: What? Giosué Orefice: They turn us into buttons and soap. Guido: Who told you that? Giosué Orefice: An old man was crying. He said they turn us into buttons and soap. They burn us all up in ovens. Guido: How ridiculous. They were just teasing you! There are wood ovens, but there are no people ovens. Putting people in ovens creates too much smoke. Giosué Orefice: I don't believe you.

The movie, like Guido’s humour, starts off vibrant and full of colour, but as the movie progresses it grows dark and dingy.

In the last few minutes of the movie the colour rapidly leeches back in and things grow sprightly once more.

Giosué Orefice: We won! Dora: Yes, we won! It’s true. Giosué Orefice: We got a thousand points and we won the game! Daddy and me came in first and now we won the real tank! We won! We won!