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Post by achebeautiful on Jul 14, 2006 10:55:41 GMT -5
"Il Postino" (The Postman)
Beautiful film!
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Post by achebeautiful on Aug 6, 2006 21:11:25 GMT -5
I post this review of this film because the film had an incredible impact on me and though it has been awhile since watching it the effects remain very strong. I highly recommend this one to everyone!
Life is beautiful/Livet är underbart
Triumph of the will
Roberto Benigni's Life is beautiful (La vita è bella) is a modern fairy tale, as touching and as relevant as the tales collected by the Brothers Grimm to entertain, enchant and ,yes, to scare children over 150 years ago. Like many such tales (such as Snow White) this storyteller is not afraid to explore the dark side of humanity in order to highlight the power of good. And, in this century, what could be much darker than the concentration camps of World War 2, and the attempted extermination of entire peoples on the basis of alleged 'impurities' ?
The film begins on a truly whimsical note, with two young men, Guido Orifice (Roberto Benigni) and Ferruccio Orefice (Sergio Bini Bustric) motoring through picturesque sun-drenched countryside on their way to an Italian city to join their uncle and work with him. The car breaks down, and while Ferruccio attempts repairs, Guido, a happy-go-lucky but intelligent sort, wanders to a nearby farm. There, a beautiful woman, Dora, (Nicoletta Braschi) falls out of a hayloft, into Guido's arms. He is immediately smitten, though she is merely amused by his antics as he tries to impress her.
When the two men reach the city, Guido's plan to open a bookstore are scuppered by the inadvertent (though comical) upset he causes to the local councillor whose permission is required. However, he meets Dora (a schoolteacher) several more times, though each time it is in most unexpected manner. He woos her, and she seems interested. Unfortunately, she is to be married to the same arrogant councillor whose wrath Guido has already incurred. However, in a grand and magical sequence, Guido finally wins the hand of his princess, the name he has given her from their first meeting.
The challenge of Benigni's work is that it binds two diametrically opposed subjects in a balanced and entertaining way. His tale of a 'love that was meant to be' is told engagingly and whimsically in the first part of the movie. The second part of the movie delves into horror and tragedy which test the limits and meaning of such love (indeed any love). The second half of the movie is set in a concentration camp, five years later. Guido, Dora (now his wife) and their son Joshua have been sent there along with their uncle, (Giustino Durano). Dora is separated from the others, and Guido tells Joshua that their imprisonment is really a game, and that the winner of the game will win a real tank (Joshua's unfulfilled birthday wish). Thus, the guards are all part of the game, and certain rules must be observed in order to gain enough points to win.
The first half of the movie, set in pre-war Italy, sets the tone for the events to follow by contrasting the evolving relationship between Guido and Dora, with the slow slide of Italy into the Nazis' Final Solution. When Guido is working as a waiter (and still trying to win Dora) , he encounters a school inspector who will visit her school. Guido turns up early, posing as the inspector, only to find out that the inspector was to deliver a race superiority lecture to the pupils. Guido invents a funny and satirical alternative. Of course, we, the audience, cannot fail to see the irony of a bunch of dark-eyed and sallow-skinned five year olds receiving a lecture on the superiority of the blue-eyed, blond Aryan nation. When the teachers in the school complain that mathematical problems such as "What is the total cost to the state if the cost of each lunatic is four crowns and each cripple five, and there are 20, 000 in total" are being asked of the pupils, it is not because the questions are sinister and tasteless, but because the multiplication is too difficult for five year olds. The teachers rue that" it is not too hard for a German five year old".
The second half of the movie focuses on the characters rather than the horror that confronts them. Guido is forced to work in the ironworks at the camp knowing that if he can no longer work, he will die. Even though he is weak and dreadfully tired after every day, he keeps a cheery face for Joshua so that the facade of the game never drops. This sometimes requires him to take extreme risks but Guido never hesitates. His love for his son is complete. In the same way, Dora had the option of evading the camp but chose to be with her family, albeit remotely. The central characters never allows their humanity to be overwhelmed by the events and the callous indifference shown to them by their captors. When Guido's uncle (Giustino Durano) is being led to the 'showers', a female guard stumbles and he helps her. He retains his dignity despite knowing his fate.
The movie has been criticised for trivialising the Holocaust; unfairly in my opinion. It is true that certain events in the movie are a little unrealistic. Perhaps Guido would not have escaped punishment for some of his antics in a real camp. But the appalling nature of the camps is never denied - merely pointed up in a subtle way. Joshua complains that he cannot find any of the other children competing for the prize. Guido tells him that they are better at hiding than Joshua, and only the child best at hiding will win. Guido knows the real reason for the lack of children is because they were all gassed once they arrived.
Guido meets an old friend in the camp - a Dr. Lessing (Horst Buchholz, reunited with Benigni from Faraway, So Close) whom Guido used to pit his wits against in games of riddles. Now Dr. Lessing decides who is fit to work and who must be sent to the 'showers' (fit to die, so to speak).
Begnini's performance is central to the success of the movie, and his screen-time with his son Joshua (Giorgio Cantarini) is convincing and affectionate. Funnily enough, the weakest part of the story is why Dora and Guido get together (Braschi is Benigni's real-life wife). Yes, it is meant to be a tribute to the power of serendipity and fate. But, while we know that Guido is a good person, all we know of Dora is her beauty (which is a prerequisite for a princess in a fairy tale, I suppose), and that she hates her fiancée. Buchholz and Durano are also quietly effective as the doctor and the uncle respectively, using the slightest of expressions and gestures to convey a world of emotion and meaning.
Benigni's (who is director and co-writer of the film) use of a concentration camp as a backdrop to his story is a brave and inspired move. Though comparisons with Spielberg's Schindler's List are understandable, Life is Beautiful is closer to Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. Both Chaplin and Benigni use the plight of 'the common man' to underline the effects of fascism. However, Chaplin resorted to rather obvious sentimentality which he contrasted witha heavy-handed satirical protrayal of Hitler. Benigni does not need to put horns or tails on his 'bad guys'. Their events and deeds speak of their character loud and clear. (To be fair to Chaplin, he did not have the benefit of hindsight). At a time when similar atrocities are still taking place in an area only a few hours flight from most cities in Europe, it is also a timely reminder of the consequences of such madness. This is a truly adult fairly tale; triumphant, poignant, timeless and one which will linger long in the minds of those who see it, and creating memories that one will wish to revisit time and time again.
Directed by Roberto Benigni.
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Post by achebeautiful on Aug 7, 2006 15:11:16 GMT -5
"In Her Shoes"A film that I did not expect to like, but did.....and did so very much. I think the rest of you would as well.
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Post by achebeautiful on Sept 4, 2006 9:47:00 GMT -5
"The Princess Bride"
I had no idea that this film was so entertaining! If not for Paula, I would have written it off as a mushy "girlie" movie! But it is a lot of fun to watch, and hilarious! You have to see it!
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Post by achebeautiful on Sept 5, 2006 18:51:19 GMT -5
"About A Boy"
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Post by Rachelle on Oct 8, 2006 15:38:18 GMT -5
i recently just watched The Interpreter starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn. It wasn't full of suspense than I originally thought it would be.
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Post by achebeautiful on Oct 29, 2006 9:01:54 GMT -5
"End Of The Spear"
Awesome true story!
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Post by Rachelle on Nov 3, 2006 18:31:13 GMT -5
This is not a new film but I just finished watching Schindler's List for one of my classes and it is a very powerful movie about the Holocaust and a man, Oskar Schindler who helped saved the lives of I think it was 1,000 Jews.
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Post by achebeautiful on Nov 3, 2006 18:40:43 GMT -5
Rachelle, "Schindler's List" is an incredible film! Wasn't it very powerful at the end when after all he had done he felt he could have done so much more? I'm still moved by that scene! Thanks for reminding me of it, I'll have to check it out again!
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Post by Rachelle on Nov 3, 2006 18:45:06 GMT -5
Yes the ending was very powerful. I cried so much during that movie but the scene at the end, I just let the waterworks come.
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Post by achebeautiful on Nov 3, 2006 18:59:33 GMT -5
When I recently visited The Holocaust Museum in Washington DC it was the same way for me. I couldn't control my emotions. I was so filled with sadness and anger over how Jewish people were (and are) treated. It sickens me. For that reason, I am grateful for Steven Speilburgh and the great work he has done and is doing to preserve these stories in history so that we may never forget them. And I am grateful that he was considerate enough to make the movie with the intention of having it shown while as many survivors of the Holocaust were still alive.
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Post by achebeautiful on Nov 8, 2006 17:32:32 GMT -5
"Central Station" (or Central do Brazil)
It's a foreign film, and has subtitles. Great story!
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Post by S.C. on Nov 12, 2006 3:00:13 GMT -5
"Does This Mean We're Married"?
This is such a cute film. My mom brought this film to my attention a few months back. She knows my affinity with all things French and thought I would love this film. She was right!
Plot: It's a green-card marriage romance. Deena, an American standup comic living in Paris, has an expired visa. So, she marries Nick Foulliet, a struggling musician with a different woman for every day of the week. First the immigration investigation, and then a series of financial disasters push Deena and Nick into spending time together, and they fall in love. But can their in-name-only marriage become real?
Plot Summary by: Kathy Li
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Post by achebeautiful on Nov 12, 2006 6:46:25 GMT -5
Sounds great Shavon! I'll have to look for it!
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Post by achebeautiful on Dec 30, 2006 12:24:37 GMT -5
"The Nativity Story"
This is an incredible film! Everything about it gets a very enthusiastic thumbs up from me.....the musical score, the acting, the cinematography, the storyline, and especially the message. I personally stayed after the film was over until all the credits rolled and the lights came up and simply marvelled at the lives of Mary and Joseph; two extraordinay people that inspire me to be a better man. Whatever your religious persuation, do yourself a favor and see this film. You'll love it!
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