La Vita è Bella (translation: Life is Beautiful) is a 1997 war/romance/comedy film set in World War II-era Italy. It won three Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Roberto Benigni), Best Music-Original Dramatic Score (Nicola Piovani), and Best Foreign Language Film (Italy). Benigni was the first male performer in a non-English-speaking role and only the third overall acting Oscar for non-English-speaking roles with his win in the Best Actor category. The movie was nominated for four more Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing-Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and Best Film Editing. It won 72 awards from 1998-2018, where it won the Felix Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 20/20 Awards. Roberto Benigni directed, starred, and co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. After the film's success, Benigni gained international recognition for writing, directing, and acting. Benigni mentioned many times in press interviews that the book In the End, I Beat Hitler by Rubino Romeo Salmonì partially inspired the film. Stories from Benigni's father, who spent two years in a German concentration camp during World War II, served as the film's primary inspiration. The worldwide success of La Vita è Bella led to the film securing the 23rd spot on IMDb's Top 250 Films list.
Roberto Benigni stars as Guido Orefice, the protagonist, with the stellar supporting cast consisting of Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, the late Giustino Durano, and the late Horst Buchholz. Giorgio Cantarini made his film debut in La Vita è Bella as Giosuè/Joshua Orefice. The movie was filmed in Arezzo, Tuscany, including the Badia delle Sante Flora e Lucilla. La Vita è Bella tells the story of an open-minded Jewish waiter-turned-book-store owner and his son who become victims of the Holocaust. Guido then uses a perfect mixture of will, humor, and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp. When he first moves to town, Guido gets a job as a waiter and meets Dr. Lessing. What significance do riddles play in the relationship between Guido and Dr. Lessing?
By definition, riddles are puzzles that use words and phrases to make the listener understand their answer. Riddles are meant to be solved; that's the fun of it. In La Vita è Bella, riddles bring Guido and Dr. Lessing together on common ground. They show that even people with opposite political beliefs can agree on some things. On the other hand, riddles often only have one correct answer. Riddles don't necessarily need two parties to agree on a solution, and there is often a right or wrong answer. So if Guido and Dr. Lessing disagreed on an answer to a riddle, they would have to let it sit until the answer came around to see who was right. Riddles are also a form of escapism; focusing on them allows each man to take his mind off the traumatic events around him. However, Dr. Lessing significantly contributed to the traumatic events that Guido and his family went through.
The main thing that riddles symbolize is Guido's desire to solve complex problems. He loves solving puzzles and has a knack for solving riddles, as Dr. Lessing comments. His aptitude with riddles could be interpreted as a metaphor for how Guido deals with life. He loves to find solutions to complex problems and is always looking for ways to charm or protect those around him with his quick wit. He wins over Dora with his appeal and shrewdness and protects his son from the horrors of the concentration camp.
Riddles serve as a point of misplaced hope. When Dr. Lessing sees Guido in the shower room, Guido answers the riddle that Dr. Lessing told him earlier in the restaurant. As a courtesy, Dr. Lessing changes Guido's work duty to waiting tables at the dinner tables instead of carrying the anvils. This act of kindness leads Guido to believe that Dr. Lessing will help him, Dora, and Giosuè to escape the concentration camp. The belief is inflamed when Dr. Lessing tries to get Guido's attention throughout the dinner party, but his hope is shattered when the doctor asks Guido's help on a riddle. The gravity of the situation is contrasted with the inherently trivial nature of the riddle. The "problems" that Guido encountered before the Holocaust was lighter and had lower stakes. Riddles seem surreal and otherworldly in comparison to Guido's present situation. The riddles serve as a common ground between two strangers from opposite political and ethical spectrum ends. It shows that there is no point in changing the other's mind. This movie was a double-edged sword. The first half does not prepare you for the horrors in the second. It was hilarious and painful, showing just how far comedy and escapism can take a person and how they can save another.
Opmerkingen