LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

• Starring Roberto Benigni
• Directed by Benigni
• Rated PG-13 with profanity, violence; running time 114 minutes
• With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a 10

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(Nov. 6, 1998) -- The ability of humor to heal -- to help us overcome life's tragedies -- has never been more eloquently explored than in Life Is Beautiful, the award-winning new film from Roberto Benigni.

Italy's biggest comedy star -- the Jim Carrey of Europe -- Benigni has made inroads here in a couple of Italian comedies and in the independent films of Jim Jarmusch. But none of his earlier work approaches the genius of Life Is Beautiful, a touching, poetic comedy of survival.

It is no overstatement to put its balance of humor and pathos in a league with the best of Charlie Chaplin.

Written and directed by its star, Life Is Beautiful has two distinctly different acts, the first in the late 1930s in pre-war Italy, the second a few years later, during the war.

Benigni is Guido, a carefree young man who moves to Tuscany to take a job as a waiter in an elegant restaurant. He also falls in love with Dora, a village school teacher (played by his talented real-life wife, Nicoletta Braschi).

Their gentle, humorous courtship is spiced with the quirky, small-town flavor of Fellini's masterpiece, Amarcord. The couple also stumbles upon a few moments of hatred, seeds of bigotry planted by the fascists' rise to power. And we learn that Guido is Jewish.

Then there's a drastic but effective shift of tone. Guido and Dora are married and have a little boy. Anti-Semitism is everywhere, but Guido has learned to use humor to shield the boy from its horror.

When the boy asks why a store posts a sign forbidding entrance by Jews and dogs, Guido laughs it off, suggesting they post a sign on their own shop, restricting entrance to "Visigoths."

However, when Guido and his family are shipped to a concentration camp, his resourcefulness takes on a life-or-death urgency. Because non-working children and the elderly are the first condemned to death, Guido hides his boy in the camp.

He lets the boy think the hardships of camp life are part of a game with elaborate rules, such as "no asking for snacks or crying for mother," and promises a wondrous reward if the boy can succeed.

In a world of unimaginable horror, Guido uses his wits to save those he loves.

Life Is Beautiful is a daring, highly original work. As an innovative director and a richly talented actor, Benigni successfully juggles slapstick comedy, poetic romance, riveting drama, wrenching tragedy and life-affirming humor.

It's been argued that the ability to laugh is what distinguishes humans from other animals. But only humans could have created the horrors of the concentration camp. This wise and deeply affecting film champions humor over hatred.

The victory has already been celebrated with awards at festivals in Cannes, Montreal, Toronto and Jerusalem. An Academy Award in the spring will likely be next.