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B+ |
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Modern Tragicomedy
by Evan (movies profile)
May 31, 2008
12
of
19 people found this review helpful
La vita E bella-Life is Beautiful
Two completely different movies. The first is a lighthearted comedy, the second is something like you have never seen. A movie where a jewish man tries to make his young son believe that a concentration camp is some kind of game. Now how many movies try to sugarcoat the holocost? Did Schindler's List? No. Did The Pianist? No. They both focus on different things but neither tries to make it look like this.
Some people may be repulsed by this movie for what it does. A perfect scene to sum up what the 2nd half does is the scene when the boy asks if the Germans make buttons out of people? Now how would a comedy do this? It cant really deny what happened, but can Benigni say "Yes son, they killed people and used their bones make buttons?" Of course not. What he does sounds like it had to offend some, but his presentation of the material works perfectly. He mocks the suggestion and names the buttons.
The movie easily could have been an insult, but it works perfectly. Benigni was very deserving of his Oscars, if it has been to long to remember he was the guy who walked across the chairs, just for making a movie like this that is never insulting, even considering the content. ***(Out of ****) |
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