Life is Beautiful 美麗人生 電影賞析 (英文版)

Life Is Beautiful—Always Feel Love And Be Hopeful I watched the movie Life Is Beautiful yesterday although I’ve downloaded it almost two years ago. And after the movie finished, I still feel unsettled as if it has not come to an end. It really impresses me a lot. The movie is written, directed and starred all by Roberto Benigni, based partly on a story of his own family. Life is Beautiful was shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, and went on to win the Grand Prize. At the 71st Academy Awards, the film won awards for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, and Best Foreign Language Film, with Benigni winning Best Actor for his role. The film also received Academy Award nominations for Directing, Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture. Life Is Beautiful is an Italian movie ran in 1997 which tells a story about how Guido—the hero of the film—employs his fertile imagination to help his family during their internment in a Nazi concentration camp. The movie is set in the background of World War II and divided into two parts. The first half of it is like a pleasant and romantic story about how Guido meets Dora—a local teacher—and pursues her in a funny but intelligent way. And Dora finally resists her parents and runs away with Guido on a green-painted horse at her engagement party. They marry and have a very naughty but cute son named Giosuè. However, good times don’t last long. In the second half of the movie, Guido and Giosuè are caught by Nazi on Giosuè’s 4th birthday as Jewish and are about to be sent to the concentration camp. But Dora, who could have escaped from the tragedy, chooses to go with them. But she was locked away from the father and the son. In order to protect Giosuè and relieve his pain in the concentration camp, Guido tells his son that they are playing a game and the winner will get a real tank as a prize and act as if he is trying hard to win points. Giosuè believes his dad and behave quite well. Meanwhile, Guido also tries to tell Dora that they are good in different ways. Finally, in the chaos caused by the American advance, he tells his son to stay in a box until everybody has left, this being the final test before the tank is his. Guido goes off to look for Dora but is caught and shot to death off camera, by a Nazi soldier. I think the story happened in the concentration camp is more impressive, although it doesn’t take a total part of the movie. Only a half of the movie shows Guido’s role as a father, but his characters is fully described. That is also what I get most from the movie—a father’s optimistic attitude and his deep, silent love. As soon as Guido and Giosuè are put into the dormitory in the concentration camp, Guido convinces his son that they are in a game and they need to earn 1000 points to get the big prize. He tells him that if he cries, complains that he wants his mother, or says that he is hungry, he will lose points, while quiet boys who hide from the camp guards earn points. When the Nazi officer comes to announce the rules they should obey, Guido voluntarily becomes the interpreter and tells the rules of the “game” to his son, although he doesn’t know German at all. When Giosuè decides to give up and go home, Guido pretends to be very regretful because they get most points and they quit. As a little boy who wants to get the tank, Giosuè changes his idea and prefers to continue the game. When Giosuè is mistaken as a German and arranged to have meal with other German kids, Guido tells him to keep silent. However, Giosuè still says “thank you” when a waiter gives him a dish. The waiter realized something and goes to tell the officer. Then Guido teaches all the kids in the room to say “thank you” before the woman officer comes. These are some scenes I remember very clearly. From them, I see that Guido is very clever and good at adapt himself to changing circumstances. No wonder Giosuè is protected well by him. And, at the end of the story, Guido goes to look for Dora and is found by Nazi, he was taken by a soldier with a gun. When they walk pass the box where Giosuè hides, Guido walks awkwardly and pretends to be happy. At that moment, Giosuè is laughing, but my tears well up in my eyes. We can say that even in the last moment of his life, Guido still makes his son believe that they are in a game. He really sacrifices a lot. Through the whole movie, Guido acts positively. From they are caught to his death, he never behave his worry or sadness, he even doesn’t frown. He is always laughing and energetic. When Giosuè found that he is forced to carry anvils, he tells his son that they are making the tank. When Giosuè says other kids are all dead in the gas chamber, he tells him that they are hiding away in order to win the prize. Being influenced deeply by his father, Giosuè never feels suffer in the concentration camp. Giosuè manages to survive, reunite with his mother, and even thinks he has won the game when an American tank arrives to liberate the camp. It’s Guido that make his son alive. Through the whole film, we could see some hope for the future and feel love for the life, even if when they are arrested in concentration camp. The world we live is that the severe tragedy exists with the eternal love and the everlasting hope. Be a human being, we are destined to cope with a lot of pressure, failure and anything that makes us distress and dismay. However, unless there is hope and love, we couldn’t be strong-spirited. Life is beautiful only when we observe it with heart. So just stop complaining and begin to learn to enjoy the life, cherish love and the entertain hope.