Life is Beautiful

Theatrical Release Date: 1998 10 23 (USA)

UPC: 717951003089

Studio: Miramax

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Watch With Your Teen]

Summary: In this WW II tragicomedy, famed Italian funnyman Roberto Benigni (The Monster) portrays Guido, who moves during the '30s from the country to a Tuscan town, where he is entranced by schoolteacher Dora (Nicoletta Braschi, Benigni's real-life wife). Dora likes Guido, but she remains faithful to her pompous fianc?, so Guido has an uphill struggle. Meanwhile, anti-Semitic attitudes lead to attacks against Guido's Jewish uncle (Giustino Durano). Leaping ahead to five years later, during WW II, Guido and Dora are married and have a son Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini). After they are imprisoned in a concentration camp, Guido goes to elaborate lengths to keep his son from understanding the truth of their situation. He tells the boy that they are competing with others to win an armored tank -- so everything from food shortages to tattoos is explained as necessary for participation in the contest. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Category: Comedy Drama

Awards: Best Foreign Language Film – French Academy of Cinema Best Foreign Film – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Foreign Language Film – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Dramatic Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Grand Jury Prize – Cannes Film Festival Best Actor - Runner-up – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Foreign Film – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble Acting – Screen Actors Guild Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Features: "Making Life Beautiful" featurette
Academy Award TV commercials
Theatrical trailer
English-language track
Dolby Digital 5.1 audio
Widescreen [1.85:1]

Life is Beautiful

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 11/09/1999

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, 2 PCM stereo

Runtime: 116 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1
0. Chapter Selection
1. Program Start [:14]
2. "Good Morning, Princess!" [:12]
3. "We're In The City!" [3:31]
4. A Great Escape [3:31]
5. The New Waiter [1:42]
6. "Schopenhauer Willpower" [3:35]
7. "When I Suddenly Appear" [1:35]
8. "A Light Meal" [:27]
9. "The Superior Race" [2:12]
10. "Turn Around" [1:41]
11. Stealing The Princess [1:28]
12. Signs From Heaven [2:54]
13. The Jewish Horse [1:04]
14. A Wedding Announcement [4:37]
15. Two Became Three [2:26]
16. Grandma [5:05]
17. The Birthday Party [3:03]
18. "Where Are We Going?" [:50]
19. First Prize [3:07]
20. Learning The Rules [5:35]
21. The First Day [2:08]
22. The Showers [3:36]
23. The Doctor [2:54]
24. "Buttons & Soap" [2:04]
25. "For Life" [5:50]
26. "The Journey That Had To Be" [3:30]
27. End Credits [3:58]

Rebecca Flint Marx

Life is Beautiful caused more than a little controversy when it was released: any attempt to make comedy out of the Holocaust is going to inspire strong reactions from critics and audience members. Love it or loathe it, Life is Beautiful inarguably made an international star out of Italian comedian Roberto Benigni, who wrote, directed, and starred in it. One of his country's most celebrated comedians, Benigni was previously known for his work in numerous Italian comedies, as well as Johnny Stecchino and Jim Jarmusch's Down By Law and Night on Earth. Life is Beautiful's Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, followed by Benigni's Best Actor Oscar and acceptance speech (in exuberant, skillfully broken English), made Benigni possibly Italy's most famous export since the Fiat. Although some viewers found the film's second half, set almost entirely in a concentration camp, to be well-meaning but misguided, the film's first half is indisputably enjoyable. Revolving around the courtship of an aristocratic lady nicknamed the Principessa by Benigni's Guido, it makes a refreshing, elegantly hilarious love story. Somewhat ironically, the film's wittiest and most accurate commentary on fascism and religious oppression is contained here, rather than in the concentration camp setting. Benigni's comedy here becomes a tool for side-splitting yet razor-sharp criticism, and this first section powerfully establishes the reality of everyday life disrupted by the war. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Mario Cotone  Executive Producer 
Roberto Benigni  Director 
Roberto Benigni  Screenwriter 
Vincenzo Cerami  Screenwriter 
Nicola Piovani  Composer (Music Score) 
Gianluigi Braschi  Producer 
Elda Ferri  Producer 
Roberto Benigni  Actor 
Nicoletta Braschi  Actor 
Giustino Durano  Actor 
Sergio Bustric  Actor 
Marisa Paredes  Actor 
Horst Buchholz  Actor 
Lydia Alfonsi  Actor 
Giuliana Lojodice  Actor 
Giorgio Cantarini  Actor 

Country: Italy