Love is a major theme in this movie. How does Benigni show us what true love is how does it influence the characters to persevere?
Life is Beautiful is a film produced in 1997 in Italy by director Roberto Benigni and investigates one of the most important characteristics of human nature, love. Love is an intense feeling of deep affection and this is an insufficient definition. Benigni, inspired by the events of the Holocaust, and through the characters of Guido, Giosue, and Dora, investigates what true love is. Love brings people together and how allows individuals to persevere through the most difficult situations and the most demanding of circumstances. This depicts love as not a feeling, but an enacted emotion, and an individual must feel this affection and act in a manner that shows this affection.
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Benigni explores true love through the relationship between father and son, Guido and Giosue. During the scene where Guido translates the German soldier’s speech, Guido does not care about his image. He would rather embarrass himself in front of everyone and risk death for not listening to the soldiers’ rules than make Giosue unhappy. He says all sorts of “silly” things such as “Yesterday I lost forty points because I absolutely had to have a jam sandwich.” These silly things are not for no reason. By continuing the illusion that it is a game, Giosue is more likely to believe in Guido. Trust is the basis of love and allows individuals to believe in others and believe in themselves. If another individual makes us believe that we can achieve anything, we slowly will believe it ourselves. This allows both father and son to join forces and combat any obstacle in their way and are unlikely to give in. In the concentration camp, Guido says, “I had so much fun, I almost died laughing” and “I can’t wait to start over again tomorrow, hopscotch and tug of war.” He continues the illusion that it is still a game for Giosue and wants his son to feel that life “is all and well,” and will always stay this way. He converts the painful events, for example, “I am going to die here” to “I almost died laughing” to reveal to Joshua that positive psychology is a solution to any difficult situation. “See such a nice place, your pop takes you to,” says Guido and he tries to make the worst of situations look “beautiful.” This positive psychology not only helps Guido to stay sane while suffering mentally and physically but also assists Giosue to remain optimistic and hopeful. Giosue being happy is the source of Guido’s strength. Alone, Guido speaks to Vittorino, “I can’t take it anymore!' before speaking with Giosue about his experiences. His persistence and fighting spirit was wavering before he speaks with Giosue. When he speaks with Giosue and re-enters the fantasy world of the game, it boosts Guido’s morale. This allows him to continue his journey and never give up. Guido’s love for Giosue is also supported by the “actions of true love” that result in actions that show this affection through the sacrifices Guido is willing to make for the benefit of Giosue. In the concentration camp, after a day of suffering and hard work, he is still willing to sacrifice his gains for Giosue. He tells Joshua, “This is what you get when you get up to sixty points, a plain piece of bread.” Living in the concentration camps means all work and no food, it is essential enough food is required. However, Guido is prepared to give it up, in order to protect Giosue and make sure he receives the food. By sacrificing the food received, Guido does not feel the pain of hunger, but he feels success as he is able to feed his son. This allows him to regain hope and continue to fight against the evils of society. This tells us that mental strength is true strength and overcomes any physical pain. Without this relationship with Giosue, Guido may have given up a long time ago which signifies the importance of this relationship.
We also see true love being explored through Dora and the rest of the family. Through various interesting circumstances and coincidences, Guido gains the love and trust of Dora, who through her relationship with Guido, allowed her to become a better person. She realizes by following her heart, she leaves the constraints and joins her true love. Dora shows the significance of the relationship in the reaction to Guido, Giosue, and Uncle Eliseo being taken away to the concentration camp. She shouts, “Let me get on that train!” She does not have to get on the train, as she is an Italian citizen and is protected from being deported. Dora decides to travel with Guido and Giosue as an act of love and an act of togetherness. She wants to keep the family together, even though they will be separated upon arrival. She is also willing to sacrifice her freedoms in order to be with her family and is an act of protest against the injustice she is witnessing. This shows the trust between Dora and the family and the strength of the bond. There is no going through a task alone, everyone is always “in it together.” This gives everyone in the family a fighting spirit, against the unfair treatment of Jews. There is also a strong bond between Guido and Dora. The scene where Guido goes to the loudspeaker to communicate with Dora is an important scene in the movie that shows the true connections between Dora and Guido. Guido says, “Good morning princess! I dreamt about you all night..” through the loudspeaker, and informs Dora that the family is doing well. Guido is trying to break the disconnection and break the physical barriers to reach Dora. Doing, it makes Dora less worried for Guido and Giosue and reduces her mental strain as she does not need to be as concerned as before. This boosts confidence in Dora as she understands that they are well, and she will continue to fight against the injustice to be back with the family. Guido also plays opera music with the window open as another action to breach the disconnection between him and Dora. He wants to recreate the romantic atmosphere that existed before they were in the concentration camp. This brings back great memories and makes Dora emotional, and allows Guido and Dora to reminisce about the happier times. This promotes positivity and a positive outlook, which are characteristics that result in the high probability of overcoming demanding situations. The love between Guido and Dora, and Dora and the rest of the family ensure togetherness and the fight against Nazi maltreatment together.
The love between the characters, Dora, Guido, and Giosue results in the never-ending fighting spirit that is depicted in the film. Although the family is never truly reunited with Guido being shot in an alleyway, we are put to feel happy and relieved that the sacrifices Guido took to, at least reunite part of the family together and save his son’s life were worth it all along. The film truly shows how love is one of the important aspects of human nature, love and how love can bring people together and the result is the increased strength of their minds which can overcome any physical obstacle in front of them.
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