Life is Beautiful

Synopsis

In 1939, Guido (Roberto Benigni) — an enchanting individual with childlike innocence and grand dreams of owning his own bookstore comes to the Tuscan town of Arezzo. He falls in love with Dora, a beautiful young schoolteacher (Nicoletta Braschi). Unfortunately, the woman he calls his “Princess” is already engaged. Worse, she is engaged to the local Fascist official with whom he has had a run-in. Guido, however, is not deterred and a fairy tale romance ensues.

Several years later Guido and Dora are married and have a son, and Guido has finally opened the bookshop of his dreams. But now, the occasional bigotries Guido once ignored have become Racial Laws with which he must come to terms. Throughout it all, he determines to shield his son from the brutal reality governing their lives. This determination becomes a matter of life and death when Guido and his son are sent to a concentration camp three months before the war’s end. Of her own accord, and out of her love for them, Dora deports herself on the same train.

Now, in this unimaginable world, Guido must use his bold imagination and every ounce of his indefatigable spirit to save those he loves.

Life is Beautiful received seven Academy Award nominations, winning three for Best Actor, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Dramatic Score.

Cast

Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giustino Durano, Sergio Bustric, Marisa Paredes, Giorgio Cantarini, Amerigo Fontani, Horst Bucholz, Lidia Alfonsi, Giuliana Lojodice, Pietro De Silva, Francesco Guzzo, Raffaella Lebboroni, Claudio Alfonsi, Gil Baroni, Massimo Bianchi, Jurgen Bohn, Verena Buratti, Robert Camero, Ennio Consalvi, Giancarlo Cosentino, Aaron Craig, Alfiero Falomi, Daniela Fedtke, Antonio Fommei, Stefano Frangipani, Ernst Frowein Holger, Alessandra Grassi, Hannes Helmann, Margareta Lucia Krauss