MovieChat Forums > La vita è bella (1997) Discussion > I'm sorry, but I don't get it.

I'm sorry, but I don't get it.

posted 12 years ago by mcintyre-15
22 replies | jump to latest

I have read a lot of the posts here. I just saw this movie for the first time the other day. This was not a good movie at all. It was so far off from reality that it is laughable that one would or even could believe that it is based on a real historical event. Are we to suspend our belief so far that a father could convince his son that the whole thing is a game? Not even in your wildest dreams. Death was everywhere. As well as disease, starvation, and great suffering. The stench alone was horrific. I can't believe this film won best picture or that it was even nominated. It is not a funny movie. It wasn't even close to the truth of what really happened. The boy would have no doubt of what was really happening no matter if his father tried to white wash it. Millions of Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazis. It was a living hell.

[–] JosephASpadaro 9 years ago

No offense, but you entirely missed the point of the film.

[–] jajceboy 9 years ago

Sigh! Why does people expect everything to be realistic and 100 percent accurate these days? Even in genres such as superhero flicks and what not. They never claim to be accurate and realistic, so why do you?You have documentaries for that and even then it's a question.
Movies are primary meant for entertainment, you're meant to not believe in anything you see but just go with it.

The title is a clue to the film itself and what it wants to convey. Never once did it say this is a true story about real events.

[–] dsdaria 9 years ago

This is an overrated movie. I think the main appeal is that Guido did everything in his power to hide the horrors of war from his son, but his acting is so annoying (clownish to the top) that really gets on my nerves.

IT's not a bad movie under any point of view. But the huge love and praise it got was way over the top.

Here's looking at you kid.

[–] ida96 9 years ago

I agree. The preview was marvelous, and the reviews not too bad, so I saw it when it was new and came away disappointed. The only thing I enjoyed about this film was the adorable little boy. Otherwise, it was mawkish tripe.

[–] emptybeaches-25116 8 years ago

To me, the historical accuracy of the film was not at all what the film was about. Of course it has errors. The film is called "Life is Beautiful." No matter how bad things got or seemed, the father was able to overcome anything thrown at him. The way he protected his son, and how he treated his wife despite being in a Nazi camp sends a powerful message--life is not certain...we all must cherish it as a gift and learn to appreciate it and be happy as much as we can. That's the message I think the film was sending.

[–] louiseculmer 8 years ago

i agree. the idea that the boy could somehow be shielded from the reality of life in the camp is simply ridiculous.

[–] rebornandgrow 8 years ago

it was so far off from reality

That's the point of the movie. "Like a fable."

For a reason in the most difficult parts of the movie, the boy is actually not an eye-witness.

He doesn't see his father being murdered. He also doesn't see the mount of bodies, he's sleeping. "Good boy, sleep. Dream sweet dreams. Maybe it's only a dream! We're dreaming, Joshua."

Death was everywhere -Yes, in the real world, not in his "sweet dream". It was a game. Because his game is about life: hence the funny side, the jokes, the "a thousand points to laugh like crazy about", the music, the operas, the hat and the key scenes, the bookshop, the horse painted green, the tank, the visigoths, the kangoroos, the train, the sunflower, the princess thing, the riddles, his dislike of taking baths...

The boy is rebuilding his father's sacrifice, that "was his gift to me" (probably with the help of his mother) with his happy and beautiful childhood memories, that were preserved, thus creating a fable. Most of us like hearing stories when we are young, even more if our parents are into books and music.

[–] eberulf 8 years ago

I can suspend disbelief to enjoy a movie. I cannot watch a clown overact and perform slapstick for two hours and laugh. There were amusing parts but I would not recommend the movie for a comedy or a drama.

That doesn't make me unimaginative or cold. It just is not my brand of humor.

[–] kaunte 8 years ago

Since when has it been a requirement for a film to be realistic to be good? Are films like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings or Wizard of Oz bad films because they aren't realistic?

This movie was pretty much a fairy tale, I thought it was okay but it is quite over hyped.

If I never meet you in this life, let me feel the lack

[–] kerrydragon 8 years ago

I didn't connect with the movie and wanted to like it but it was just a disconnect,except the ending which was touching.The first part seemed to be about the rich and high society,plus an explosion of color was a bit overwhelming.

[–] EricCartmanBrah 8 years ago

Yeah, when you look at the subject matters for those movies compared to this one, it's clear you're gonna have similar standards for accepting a lack of realism....

Seriously, I've seen arguments like this many times on this board and it's equally embarrassing each time.

[–] wartengu 8 years ago

More often than not, Holocausts are exaggerated and made more than what it actually was. Every tale gets told bigger and larger. Don't get me started on the ones that never really happen.