Number Two: Life is Beautiful/ Ila Vita E Bella (1997)

Now this a film I have intended to watch for years but approached with definite subject matter related trepidation.

What I enjoyed

The storytelling here is brilliant. I love that this wasn't a war film in the traditional sense - I don't remember hearing gunfire until the last ten minutes - but more a sincere story of a good, truly loving man. The film begins with a caption setting out the story's fairytale-esque qualities and I could see that throughout - there's always just a hint of whimsy, fantasy, a haze but not a gloss. It doesn't though shirk or duck the horrors of the holocaust and there are moments of real terror which intensify throughout. There's a sense of tragic inevitability but Guido's optimism, even in circumstances of such desperation ('Well open an anvil factory!') give this film such heart and rare emotional depth.

Roberto Benigni won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance - utterly deserved. Clown prince in the first act, sad clown in the second, he was note perfect throughout. At times I felt like I should be emotional but his boundless enthusiasm, to keep Joshua's spirits high, pulled me up every time. Right until the very end he kept me smiling. The relationship between Guido and Joshua is handled so well, with a genuine warmth between the actors playing them - an excellent father/child story.

This film does not feel like it was made twenty years ago. The production style echoes back to Hollywood's golden age - the obvious studio interiors, the upbeat music often used to punctuate Guido's slapstick and, despite the awful subject, a certain sense of wholesomeness the film just feels classic. A timeless.

What didn't quite work

Narratively the film took a while to get going. Personally, I love this - the extended back story, detailing how Guido meets Joshua's mother is beautifully told, really endearing the character to the viewer and providing a clear explanation for why he acts as he does once incarcerated. I know though that many like their films to get into the action early and because I loved this film so much I'm kind of clutching at straws!

Conclusion

This is not like any Holocaust film I've seen. It might not have the intensity of The Pianist or Schindler's List, but I'd argue the relationships and my attachment to the characters is far greater as a result. It's a tragedy rather than a horror. A beautiful film and one which has already become a firm favourite.