Islamabad
Director-Actor-Co-Screenwriter: Roberto Benigni
Mandwa Film Club of Lok Virsa brings Italian film ‘Life is Beautiful’ to screen on Saturday January 30 at 3 p.m.
Filmed and in 1997 and released in 1998, Roberto Benigni co-wrote, directed and plays the lead here. It is late-thirties. One part of the film is about laughter as the lighter side of life. The other part is not-so-lighter. The events take us back into the thirties and comic acts performed by the hero remind us of Chaplin's earlier comedies.
A time comes when faith and religion become crucial but now we are near the end of war. The sacrifice of a father, mother become the highlights of this drama.
Critics have pointed out severely that this is making fun atrocities committed during World War II. However, what you see in this film is not so much of history as pure humanity which is at work here. This is both sensitive and delicate where the only gift you have with you is humanity and how you can save one innocent life. The film then is about human spirit, dream and hope.
The film is not simply knit. It has complexities for which one must use the heart and brain at the same time. This is the biggest achievement of the film maker. In this bittersweet world, the work we see on the screen is not overburdened with sentiments so the story, to a large extent, remains unsentimental. There is horror and there is pain but one person's energy, struggle for life for a child and his passions are what matters. All this brings in comedy and romance and then tragedy with humour, strange combination but that is how it works here, and all this becomes heart-warming with irresistible charm which keeps us in a certain way away from the horrors of holocaust. But finally when the tragedy occurs, you cannot control your emotions and tears. Someone correctly pointed out "it leaves you on the brink of tears”. The seriousness of the situation is filmed with cinematic charm and vision and at time even with hilarity.
There have been films in the past where human tragedy has gone hand in hand with humour: ‘The Great Dictator’, ‘To Be or Not to Be’, ‘The Producers’. However, ‘Life is Beautiful’ is different from them all. What this film brings in is hope and that life must go on for others. This does not mess up with history but brings energy and courage to those rare tragic moments. The power of cinema here is at its best.
The drama is hidden in the comic acts and the film not only entertains but educates with grace and dignity. It is full of raw energy and to watch it is a cinematic experience creating a spell on the audiences and becoming a classic. Reminds us of a quote “there is no bigger tragedy than to remember the happy times during the misery."
Far from piece of historical reality, ‘Life is Beautiful’ is a gift from the power of imagination, romance and what you witness on the screen. Of course there is death waiting but then there is love and care for new generation after the war. The emotional ending is powerful because it has an element of surprise. It is kind of disbelief.
‘Life is Beautiful’ won Academy Awards (Oscar) for Best Actor, Best Foreign Film (Italy) and Best Dramatic score.
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