Life Is Beautiful Movie Analysis

The film, Life Is Beautiful, is about a Jewish Italian man, Guido, that falls in love with a woman, Dora, he meets on the road while repairing his car. Guido’s destination is his Uncle Eliseo’s home, where he will be staying. When in Italy, Guido and Dora continue running into each other, soon making Dora begin to like him. After some time, Dora and Guido get married and have a son, Giosue (Joshua). Throughout the first half of the movie, we are exposed to the political changes occurring in Italy, such as discrimination against Jews and the public exclusions made towards them. One day, Guido, Uncle Eliseo, and Giosue are taken on Giosue’s birthday by the Nazi’s and are forced to get on a crowded train to get to the concentration camp. Dora,
Guido made the best out of the terrible situation in order to make sure his son did not define his childhood by the time they were held in a concentration camp. Guido wanted his young son to know only the beautiful part of life. Guido made an ugly, brutal, cruel, concentration camp into a world of imagination, creativity, and fun for Giosue. This movie was comedic as well to serve to Guido’s purpose of making life beautiful. It served well that the story writers and the directors began the movie from the time before World War II so that the audience could clearly see the political changes that were going on. By the second half of the movie, the war had already began and changes were already being brought. For example, when Giosue asks Guido why there were signs saying Jews and pets weren’t allowed on the doors of their local shops. Guido responds saying that people do what they want and perhaps they should put up a sign on their bookshop saying no spiders or visigoths allowed. Guido is able to make the sad reality into a happy and comedic “reality” for