
Life Is Beautiful
1997 · Movie · PG-13 · 116 min · ★ 8.4 · 69% critics
Life Is Beautiful follows an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry as he tries to keep his family’s world light and hopeful. When World War II forces them into a concentration camp, he works to convince his son that frightening events are “just a game.”
Also known as La vie est belle · La vita è bella
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Details
- Original title
- La vita è bella
- Years
- 1997
- Release date
- 1997-12-20
- Language
- Italian
- Rated
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Critic score
- 69/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.4/10 (14,007 votes)
- Box office
- $230,098,753
- Budget
- $19,000,000
About
You’ll like Life Is Beautiful if you want a tragic story softened by heartfelt humor and strong family emotion, and you can handle a major tone shift; Not for you if you expect a straightforward Holocaust depiction like Schindler's List or prefer consistent tone like Groundhog Day.
Pros: moving, respectful balance; strong father-son focus; memorable humor | Cons: tone shift complaints; ending feels rushed; some jokes feel inappropriate
Themes
- dying and death
- bookshop
- love of one's life
- nazi
- self sacrifice
- loss of loved one
- italy
- riddle
- mass murder
- concentration camp
- fascism
- holocaust (shoah)
- +14 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1999
- Academy Award — Best Original Dramatic Score · 1999
- Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 1999
- Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix · 1998
- European Film Award — Best Actor · 1998
Show all 19 awards →
- European Film Award — Best Film · 1998
- César Award — Best Foreign Film
- David di Donatello — Best Film
- Academy Award — Best Film Editing · 1999 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1999 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Original Dramatic Score · 1999 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best International Feature Film · 1999 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 1999 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · 1999 · nominated
- International Submission to the Academy Awards · 1999 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Film · 1998 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Actor · 1998 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · nominated
- David di Donatello — Best Director · nominated
Cast & crew

Roberto Benigni
as Guido

Nicoletta Braschi
as Dora

Giorgio Cantarini
as Giosué

Giustino Durano
as Zio

Sergio Bini Bustric
as Ferruccio

Marisa Paredes
as Dora's Mother

Horst Buchholz
as Doctor Lessing

Lidia Alfonsi
as Mrs. Guicciardini

Giuliana Lojodice
as School Principal

Amerigo Fontani
as Rodolfo
Directed by Roberto Benigni