Life is Beautiful

Plot Synopsis
Life is Beautiful is a story of a father’s love for his wife and son, where the story is set during the holocaust.


Plot Outline
The story begins with two young man, Guido Orifice and Ferruccio driving through the countryside. However, their car broke down, and while Ferruccio was trying to fix it, Guido wondered to a nearby farm, where he got head over heels with a lady, named Dora, who later becomes his wife. Through out the first segment of the story, by fate, Guido bumped into Dora several times in the most unexpected manners. These sequences have helped Guido to win the heart of his princess, Dora, as they finally got married. The horror and tragedy starts at the second segment, as it is set in a concentration camp five years later, where Dora was separated from Guido and their son, Giosue. In order not to let his son learn the truth that they have been imprisoned, Guido tried to convince his son that they were actually playing a game. Thus, the guards and rules to be observed are all part of the game to win a tank. The story ended with Guido sacrificing himself for the safety of his wife and son.


Characters
Life is beautiful features mostly Guido, Dora and Guisue who were living happily together until the occupation of Italy by German forces sets in.


Guido Orefice
Guido, is a young man who acts as a loving husband and father in the story. Like any other young man, who longs to marry a princess in a fairy tale, Guido was immediately smitten by Dora’s beauty and tries all means to impress her to get her hand. He takes very good care of his son, Giosue, and makes sure that he is always safe. He is a hilarious yet intelligent character, as in times of trouble, he is still able to keep a cheery face, yet at the same time think and act quickly in the situation. However, his heroic act of love for both his son and wife, led to him sacrificing himself in exchange for their safety and lives.


Dora
Dora, is a young woman who acts as a loving wife and mother in the story. She is a brave woman, as she was not afraid of defying her mother and eloped with Guido, during her engagement dinner. She was also not afraid of being imprisoned, and even demanded to be brought to the concentration camp when she was being separated from her husband and son. Therefore, illustrating to us the love and bond this family has towards each other.


Giosue Orefice
Giosue, is a young boy who acts as the son of Guido and Dora in the story. He is an innocent young boy, who believed naively what his father told him from the start that they are playing a game. However, as the days passed by, he slowly learnt the horror that is happening in the concentration camp and started to question his father.


Critique
In my opinion, I feel that “Life is beautiful” is trying to relate us more with human feelings and the bond between father and son, as the focus of the movie is mostly on Guido and Giosue. Thus, giving a balance for us, so that we can cope with the horror later on. It also serves to help us bring our state of mind away from reality, as the story ends with “This is my story. This is how my father sacrificed himself. This is the gift from my father.” which illustrates to us the beautiful relationship between a father and son. However, the holocaust is the highlight of the story that draws us back into the painful reality. This engages us even more, as it helps to remind us the ugly side of what humanity is capable of. We are also able to see the racial discrimination between the Germans and the Jews, as there was a sign being placed outside a shop that says “No Jews or dogs allowed”, which illustrates to us how the status of Jews are being reduced to no more than a dog.