Life (indeed) Is Beautiful

                             Life…… indeed is beautiful



It was late midnight, I was almost going to sleep and the weather was cool and calm. I guess it was cool because it was calm, or maybe other way around. As I was to turn off my T.V. they started a movie on Z studio.

      Should I watch it or should I go to sleep? I thought would give it a go as dad was not at home that means absolute freedom. Well the movie was set in a very old fashioned way. It was late 1930 set-up. I thought maybe I have decided wrong. But patience is always on my side.

      The movie name I missed due to some unavoidable reason. In first few minute I understood that it was dubbed into English from its native language. It didn’t take a scientist mind to conceive that  the accent was Italian. I came to know that it’s an Italian movie dubbed into english.

      The movie start very slow with two friends driving into a city going to the uncle of one of the buddy while the brake fails. One of the friend who actually was the protagonist, had some very unique feature. He was funny looking, round face, petite, thin, forehead broadened  by the less amount of hair. All in all he wasn’t good looking but even that time there was something in him which was irresistibly catchy.

      So there he meet the female lead and in the coarse of time he meet her again and again as the movie proceed. The girl was charming, beautiful and thin. I deduced that the movie is a comedy and the lead actor is solemnly keeping it alive, the comedy was quite general one even getting slapstick some time. But without a miss it was tickling and certainly it encouraged me to keep watching.

        The lead character’s name was Guido, an Italian jew and the female against him was named Dora(Italian but not jew). Later Guido marries Dora after he takes her away from her engagement with her consent saving her from a loud guy.

        This result in the banishing of Dora from her family. At that point of time movie take a leap and soon they are having a son, Joshua who is 4 and half year old. They are having a perfectly happy life but the time was getting tougher as the atrocities against jew got stronger. They had a store in the market which was painted as a mark of jew’s property.

        Then one day at Joshua’s birthday Joshua, Guido and Guido’s uncle are sent to a concentration camp by Nazi officers. Dora wasn’t to be sent since she wasn’t jew but later she insisted an officer to send her too and the officer agrees. So she too get into the train which was carrying others. Guido watches her getting on the train but couldn’t communicate as he was forced in another bogie. As the mood there was sad and gloomy  Guido tries to cheer Joshua by telling him that it’s a surprise for him since it’s his b’day.

        As they reach in the camp, the ladies and the old person are separated from other adult males. Old person and children were to b gassed to death as they serve no purpose. Eventually the fate of Guido’s uncle isn’t depicted in later part of movie. Guido takes Joshua with him. Joshua was getting  impatient and he too was sensing the unpleasant atmosphere. To comfort him Guido tells Joshua that it was the surprise it’s all the game set on his b’day. And in this game all others are participants, the rules were straight forward, never get caught no matter whatsoever and not to cry, complain, ask for food and even ask to meet his mother. The time you are caught you loose and you are out of the game. The first person to get 1000 points will get a big tank. And why he can’t see other children out there because other children’s were too smart and already gaining point by hiding from soldiers and everyone else.

        The boy couldn’t resist his desire and temptation for the tank and agrees to participate in the game which actually was a ploy by Guido to save his son. As Guido was forced to work near furnace Joshua remained hidden throughout. Meanwhile Guido takes few risk to make his son believe that it actually is a game.

      At this point of time movie get extremely tragic and emotional but still it doesn’t looses it’s comical touch. The potrayal of a father using his fertile and rich imagination to save his son is quite touching.

      At some point of time due to living in menial condition and no facility around Joshua’s patience breaks and he blame his father for lying. Then again Guido with it’s irresistible art of communicating manipulates his son into agreeing him by telling him that yes, they can leave but they are very close to winning. Joshua falters and agree with his father.

      In about 2 years time when allied forces moves in, the German forces start getting back leaving all behind. In the same way the German soldiers start leaving the concentration camp as American forces inch closer. In that chaotic scene Guido hides Joshua into a small box and tell him that they have won the game but they need last few points and he will win if he doesn’t get caught in the last final. He tells Joshua not to move out of box in any case till everything is silent.

      After taking the promise Guido start searching for Dora. In the process he get caught by Germans. The officer order the soldier to execute him. While the soldier takes him in the corner to kill him they pass the same box in which Joshua was hiding, Guido know that Joshua is watching through little holes, so at that point of time Guido start walking animated and funnily just to prove that it’s all game and there is nothing serious.

        The German soldier takes Guido to the corner and kill him. Eventually all the German soldiers leaves the place and then the inmates came out and start walking as they found themselves free. When all is silent, Joshua comes out of the box but finds noone. He look here and there suddenly he saw a big allied force tank coming from behind. He got elated and awed that he has won and his father was right without knowing that Guido is dead.

        An American soldier comes out of tank and ask Joshua for a ride. Joshua happily nodes and while moving he gets his mother moving with other inmates. At that very scene the movie ends with adult Joshua’s voice from behind the scene.

        It was already morning when I looked out of window and I thought that I couldn’t sleep. The movie was all I was thinking about. In the end from the cast’s name I  got the name of Guido as Roberto Benigni who also was co-writer and director of the movie

        Later I searched and found out that the movie’s name was “la vita e bella” or in English “life is beautiful”. the actress who played Dora was actually Benigni’s wife Nicoletta Braschi and she is the lead opposite to him in Benigni’s most film.

        Life is beautiful won academy award for best music, dramatic score and best foreign language film. For the same film Roberto Benigni got best actor.

        There were few things very special about the movie I noticed, first of all the movie wasn’t a hard hitting or striking type it never really concentrated on the atrocities on the jews in a nazi concentration camp, there was no painful depiction of gross genocide, mass murder or holocaust. The motive of making the movie was not to reveal the unseen truth and in no scene it was controversial or hyped.

        Secondly it gives a light on a father son relationship. Mothers are always considered second to god only but then I believe there is an unspoken and most of time unrealized love which flows between father and son. The irony is that a father’s love can’t be seen it can be calculated as an adult Joshua realises and recollects his memoirs. A father protects without even taking the credit.

        Third the movie’s name was more than appropriate as it defines the very soul of the movie. Life is beautiful  just one need to change the perception. Even the activity of the concentration camp can be seen as a game of a sort.

          Last but not the least, Roberto Benigni. The way he act, there is a charisma, a charm which usually goes unnoticed. A comic verbose who makes u laugh or brings smile on ur face just by simple twitching of his face. The only time you realise his talent is when you are not watching him because while watching he would not allow your mind to go astray. And I believe sheer talent goes unnoticed because one is too mesmerized to think or realise.

        Another recommended movie of Roberto Benigni is “Night on earth” by jim jarmusch. You would thank me if u haven’t seen it already. 







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