Bongiorno principessa! Honestly, I didn’t know much about this film before I saw it. I was expecting something about a Holocaust and from the title, well, naturally I thought it was going to be a tragic drama. I’m glad to say that it is one of the funniest and most amazing films I’ve ever seen. After watching it, I see it is classified as a tragicomedy and I wholeheartedly agree. At the beginning when we see Roberto Benigni’s character goofing off almost like an Inspector Clousseau (Pink Panther)/Mr.Bean hybrid, I was starting to rethink whether I was mistaken that such a comedic performance could possibly incorporate the Holocaust in its storyline. That’s what I really admired about this film − it is in fact really heartbreaking but the film manages to deal with such a serious topic and add some life and love and spirit, yet never compromise or trivialise its subject matter. And of course, I loved the inspirational character played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed this wonderful film. He was such a lovable, warm character – we need more of this type of optimism in the world, no matter what tragedy you’re in. And to those yet to see this film who may question the humour, it actually makes it more painful to watch this innocence have to suffer – he knows and we know too – of the horror that awaits but he is one who is not willing to let the human spirit die, though his body may.
This is one of my favourite scenes in the film – when Guido (Roberto Benigni) and his son are sent to a concentration camp, in order to keep the boy's spirits up, Guido tries to convince his young son that it is all just a game:
This is one of my favourite scenes in the film – when Guido (Roberto Benigni) and his son are sent to a concentration camp, in order to keep the boy's spirits up, Guido tries to convince his young son that it is all just a game:
Although, at times I doubted the authenticity of the situation, such as when the German official stops the train to let his wife on or when the American stops the tank for the boy – that just seemed a little like the world revolved around this family and really, I believe they would’ve been treated more insignificantly in this instance. Nevertheless, these are really such trivialities in an otherwise touching and – although the phrase is cliché – heart-warming tale. It’s great that it’s the second film I’ve seen in a row that has taken a spot among my favourite movies of all time but now I see the similarities in tackling a common storyline (well, nothing we haven’t heard about before) and constructing it in such a unique and clever manner. Lovely. It seems the less I know about a film the more pleasantly surprised I am but looks like I may be closer to finding a formula for my favourite films: a touch of ingenuity and a dash of humour.
5/5
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