Few award recipients express the elation Roberto Benigni did when he took the stage at the 1999 Academy Awards to accept the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Benigni hears his name called and immediately lifts himself up on the arms of his seat, swinging his legs in the air. Then, with a grin stretched across his face, he jumps up on the back of the seat in front of him tossing his arms in the air triumphantly. Still elevated, he steps over to the next row and is congratulated by Steven Speilberg before turning around and accepting the roaring ovation from his peers in the crowd. Benigni jumps down and bounces with excitement to the stage. He embraces the presenter, who is just as excited as Benigni, takes a deep bow, and dives into his speech.
It wasn’t the only win of the night for Benigni and his film, Life Is Beautiful. His performance as Guido earned him another golden statue for Best Actor, and Nicola Piovani won for Best Original Dramatic Score. The film also earned nominations for Editing, Writing, Directing, and Best Picture. Though I was born the year Life is Beautiful was released, I didn’t see the film until I was in eighth grade. It’s one of the first foreign language films I ever watched, and at the time I remember really enjoying it. I’ve since had many more viewings, and it’s become one of my favorite films. Awards aside, I believe the film has stood the test of time as a roadmap we can all follow through hardship and tragedy.
I was raised in a predominantly Jewish community, where most of my friends were Jewish. Although my family wasn’t very religious, we belonged to a temple and attended our fair share of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. I visited the Holocaust Museum, read books about the horrors of WWII, and often heard the phrase “Never Forget.” Despite my Jewish heritage and upbringing, I was still naive and ignorant when I first saw Life Is Beautiful. For most of my childhood, I thought antisemitism was something that raged during WWII but ultimately died down after the allies won the war. It wasn’t until later — around the time I first saw Life Is Beautiful — that I learned what a “Holocaust denier” was. Since then, I’ve become acutely aware of the fact that antisemitism did not die with the Nazis. On the contrary, I learned about Operation Paperclip, the secret mission launched by the United States to purge the Nazi military apparatus of their weapons, scientists, doctors, etc. in an effort to prevent other powers such as the Soviet Union from scooping them up. The U.S. tirelessly worked to cover up the Nazi pasts of these individuals and gave them powerful jobs once they arrived in America. Most notably, Wernher von Braun, who was a member of the SS, went on to design the rockets NASA used to achieve lunar travel. So, clearly, I was incredibly naive as a child, thinking antisemitism vanished after the war.
There have been over 500 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reported to the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) in 2022 alone. Kanye West has engaged in an antisemitic barrage, which seems to continue and intensify week after week. Kyrie Irving posted about an antisemitic film on social media, then took a concerning amount of time to contrite.
The opening line of the film comes as a voiceover, “This is a simple story, but not an easy one to tell. Like a fable there is sorrow, and like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness.” From the onset, we’re oriented with the idea of a fable. While fables contain sorrow, wonder, and happiness, they also portray a universal truth to the reader. A message that is intended to be internalized like perseverance, honesty, or hard work.
Set in fascist Italy, the film centers on Guido, an Italian Jew who works as a waiter in Arezzo but dreams of opening a bookstore and having a family. He spends the beginning of the film pursuing the woman of his dreams, Dora (Nicoletta Braschi), eventually winning her over. One of the most relatable aspects of Guido’s character is his desire for prosperity and to keep his family healthy and safe. At his core, this is all Guido really wants and he goes to great lengths in order to achieve it.
While Life Is Beautiful tells the story of a Jewish family during WWII, the approach Guido takes to the horrors he encounters is one I believe can be applied to any number of tragic situations we may find ourselves facing. There are three key aspects of Guido’s character that can be applied to any devastating situation or event as a kind of roadmap anyone can follow: maintaining a positive outlook, dedication to protecting loved ones, and personal sacrifice. These three traits that Guido exemplifies in combination throughout the film are what end up keeping him motivated and in the end, saving his son’s life.
As they often will for anyone, Guido’s positivity and dedication to protecting his son, Giosué (Giorgio Cantarini), go hand in hand. Having a positive outlook in the face of hardship is a simple yet difficult undertaking. What Guido shows us is that using loved ones as motivation to put on a brave face can be a valuable tool. After being taken by Nazis on Giosué’s birthday and packed tightly in the back of a truck, Giosué is understandably in distress. Guido has to stay positive and figure out a way to protect his son. In an attempt to calm Giosué, Guido tells him that this trip is all part of a birthday surprise he’s put together. Despite being surrounded by other Jews who are visibly defeated, Guido knows Giosué isn’t looking at any of them for reassurance, only him. Guido knows where they’re headed but with his son looking to him for comfort he also knows that projecting control is how he’ll be able to put Giosué at ease, even if only for the time being.
While there are many small examples of Guido’s ingenuity in the face of evil, the most impactful comes once they arrive at the camp. In order to protect his son from the psychological, emotional, and physical horrors of the camp, he cleverly creates a game. Without Giosué there with him, it’s safe to assume that Guido would not maintain his optimism. But, with the innate desire to give his son the best chance at survival, he tells Giosué they’re competing to gain 1,000 points and win a real tank. Improvisation can be a necessary and useful tool when it comes to protecting our loved ones. This is also a great example of how Guido creatively projects positivity to put Giosué at ease.
When a Nazi officer enters their barracks to give the rules of the camp, Guido “translates” that 1,000 points will win first prize, a tank, restating what he’s already told Giosué to add validity to the claim. There are three things you can lose points for according to Guido: if you cry, if you want to see your mommy, and if you are hungry and want a snack. He also says the soldiers play “very mean” guys and anyone who is scared of them will lose points. This is somewhat akin to how we tell kids Santa only comes if they’ve been good. However, Guido’s plea to Giosué is a matter of life and death. Guido not only gives his son a sense of playful security by means of the game, but he uses the rules to tell Giosué what to do in order to survive without revealing the devastating reality of their situation.
Even when Giosué seems to begin catching on, Guido is able to improvise and keep the game alive. He tells Giosue the tattoo on his arm and corresponding numbers on his striped pajamas are their player numbers, a believable explanation for Giosué and further confirmation they’re playing a game. When Giosué overheard a man crying and saying that they burn people in ovens at the camp, turning them into buttons and soap, Guido quickly has another answer for Giosué. He convinces Giosué this is ridiculous, and to prove that the other children are not burned and still around, he takes Giosué for a walk to where a group of German children are playing hide and seek. A woman comes out to round up the children for dinner and scolds Guido for not being in the kitchen preparing to serve. But, Giosué gets mistaken as a German child simply because he isn’t wearing identifying clothing. This is an opportunity for Giosué to get a much-needed meal. It’s also an example of the Nazi Regime’s irrationality because Giosué was easily mistaken as a German child.
Not only does Guido constantly think about protecting Giosué’s physical safety through means of the game, he also never loses sight of protecting both his son and wife’s spirit. When Guido notices an unmanned loudspeaker, he rushes over to make sure the coast is clear before calling Giosué over. He’s identified an opportunity to give Giosué a sense of playful security while also sending a message out to Dora assuring her they’re still together and alive. Although moments like this seem improbable considering the situation, Guido’s character, and Benigni’s performance makes them believable. He gives Giosué the continued impression that his father is in control, all through his confidence and positivity, even though he knows how risky his actions are. In the grimmest of places, Guido is able to provide joy for his son. And in the direst situations, he’s capable of putting a smile on Dora’s face, even from across the camp.
While serving dinner to the Nazi officers, Guido notices a record player with a copy of the opera song that played the night he won Dora’s heart. Despite the danger of being caught, again he displays his dedication to protecting the spirit of his wife from afar. He projects the record out the window, bringing a smile to Dora’s face from across the camp yet again. It might be hard to imagine taking a risk like this while Nazis are in the next room, but for Guido, it feels like exactly what he would do. That’s another one of the beautiful aspects of the film. Guido, as a character, constantly does the most extreme – what I think we all wish we could do to protect our loved ones – without thinking twice. His only goal is to keep his son alive and his wife’s spirit intact.
The first and only time we really see Guido’s own joyful spirit falter throughout the film, he is face to face with the undeniable horrors of the camp. On his way back from the dinner Guido gets lost and comes across a large pile of bodies. The only time Guido’s optimism seems shaken, he’s alone. Although it’s a devastating image, one of the few overtly tragic images in the film, it demonstrates that Guido fully knows the stakes. It adds even more gravity to what he does throughout the film and highlights the final piece of Guido’s roadmap through tragedy, personal sacrifice.
Throughout the film, Guido sacrifices everything in order to keep Giosué safe and positive. He goes hungry, giving his son extra bread. When they’re woken by gunfire and notice German soldiers fleeing, Guido makes the ultimate sacrifice for his son. He rushes Giosué to a box that they saw one of the German children hiding in during hide and seek. He tells Giosué to stay no matter what and to only come out once it is completely silent. As Guido tries running to find Dora though, the German soldiers are rounding up as many prisoners as they can, and Guido is intercepted. Guido comes to the realization that he won’t be making it out of the camp alive. A soldier marches him at gunpoint past the box Giosué is hiding in and around the corner, where he is shot off-screen. Guido knows his fate for the full duration of that walk, but he also knows that Giosué is watching him pass through a slit in the box. So, in his final effort to save his son’s life and spirit, he winks, smiles, and marches gleefully to convince Giosué he’s alright. Exemplifying his devotion to staying positive in order to save his son, all while making the ultimate sacrifice. Guido chooses to sacrifice himself in order to save his son, something I think any parent would do. What sets him apart though, is the unbreakable hopefulness he displays, not for himself at this point, but for Giosué.
Once it is finally silent, Giosué exits the box and looks around. A huge tank rolls around the corner and Giosué shouts “It’s true!” An American soldier comes out of the tank and invites Giosué up to ride with them. Another example of how what might seem ridiculous about Guido’s narrative surrounding the camp comes to fruition in a believable way for Giosué. As they’re riding out of the camp, Giosué spots Dora walking with other survivors and starts screaming with joy. He’s reunited with his mom and the two embrace. In a mirror of the film’s opening lines, “This is a simple story, but not an easy one to tell. Like a fable there is sorrow, and like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness,” an adult Giosué voice over professes, “This is my story, my father’s sacrifice, his gift to me, we won!” Life itself is like a fable. There is sorrow, but also wonder and happiness.
The most remarkable aspect of the film, to me, is the fact that in most circumstances, Guido’s actions seem irrational and improbable. But as we learn more about his psyche and consider how he would act in these situations, everything he does aligns perfectly with his singular persona. The movie demonstrates how to approach any situation with sanguine and agility through positivity, protection of those we love, and personal sacrifice.
It can be hard to comprehend the tragic realities we’re living through, like the devastating war in Ukraine, and attacks on race, religion, gender, and sexuality. It may be harder still to deal with the emotional toll they take. However, we can thrive through tragedy by following Guido’s lead; maintaining positivity to uplift our loved ones, and when needed, sacrificing for those loved ones. Despite how ugly and cruel the world can be, there is beauty all around us. Guido found that beauty even when it was nearly impossible to see. Just as Guido found beauty in his life every day, we too can find beauty in our lives and share it with those around us.
