Why suddenly a review on a movie which having own the Oscars has already achieved the ultimate and must have received hoards of excellent reviews from critics and movie lovers! But having seen the movie just yesterday and being touched by it so much that I decided I must share my opinion with all of you out there!
In the beginning of the movie , Roberto Benigni says ’’ this is a simple story but not an easy one to tell. Like a fable, there is sorrow and like a fable there is wonder and happiness’’ ...and that is what makes the movie one of the best movies of all times. It is a simple story and has been dealt by various directors earlier too.However, it stands out as he has made it from a different perspective and the entire treatment given to the movie is thoroughly refreshing !
I am sure most of you may be knowing the story of the movie...based during World War II , it is the story of a Jewish guy , Guido, living in Italy and his happy family ...and how the war brings his world crashing down. Packed off to a concentration camp with his son Joshua, he gets separated from his wife (Nicoletta Braschi )though she is in the same camp. The war ends but tragically he is shot dead by the Germans while searching for his beloved wife , though the mother and the son are reunited in the end!
This sketchy description hardly does any justice to the master craftsmanship that Benigni has displayed in the movie ...infact the genius of the movie lies in the brilliant acting by all the characters and the dialogues ! The movie is also interspersed by a wonderful, lilting background score which sounds typically Italian .
The skill of the director comes to the fore as he effortlessly changes the tone of the movie from that one of hilarious comic situations to that of the grimness of war ...which has been depicted in a much more subtle way than other movies on the same theme ! The horror of the war is not highlighted ...the essence of what we get from the movie is the strength of character of the main character...his indefatigable and indomitable spirit...his love for his family his love as well as for life...his ability to smile in the midst of utmost despair .His laughing comments have a much deeper meaning and makes us introspect on the fruitlessness of war and all that it connotes! He is no one great ...he is a common and ordinary guy ..but in his commonness lies his greatness .
Benigni may have had alternative endings to the story too...he could have shown that the main protagonist does not die in the end or is spared in the end by the Germans as the war had anyway ended ...and hence ’life was beautiful’ . But by showing that he dies and yet saying that ’Life is beautiful’ ...he makes it all the more impactful and tragic.
In the end , you find yourself staring at the screen(atleast I was!) ...while thoughts race in your head ! You are thrown into such a situation that you dont know whether to laugh or cry ...whether you are happy and sad ! And again , that is where the director shows his mastery , his balance ..that he is able to makes us feel both these opposite emotions at the same time !
It reminds me of a line by Keats ’’ The sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts’’. It is indeed true .So, if you have missed this one ..do watch it as soon as you can . You wont regret the experience!