Life is Beautiful Holocaust Movie Project Essay Example

Life is Beautiful is a film directed by Roberto Benigni that focuses on the story of an Italian family during the Holocaust. The main character, Guido Orefice, is sent to a concentration camp along with his wife and young son. Guido tells his son that all of their work at the camp is a game, and to “win first prize, a real tank, they have to get 1000 points”. Throughout the film, Guido and his son persist through suffering by making jokes and trying to “win the game”. Life is Beautiful demonstrates that the only way to endure dehumanization and survive the Holocaust is by not giving up, which is possible with games and tricks.  

Guido connects with his wife, Dora, by sending her messages, which allows her to have a reason to survive the misery of the concentration camp. After Guido and Dora get separated when they get off the train, they never see each other again. Though, Guido finds ways to make her know that his son and himself are alive. One day, Guido and his son, Joshua, are working, and they stop at a soldier’s office, where they realize they can make an announcement over the speakers for the entire camp to hear. Guido says “Buongiorno Princesa,” which he used to say to Dora all the time, and Joshua chimes in on the announcement, too. The scene cuts to Dora exemplifying joy to know her husband and son are still alive. This event promotes Dora to keep working and change her mind to believe that survival is necessary for her family. Especially after a woman told Dora that all children and older people are killed because they cannot work, Dora lost hope and had no reason to keep fighting. The film portrays Dora having to go through the clothes of dead people, and the close-up angle of the scene shows the real emotions on her face of Dora realizing children that used to wear these clothes died. But with the confirmation from Guido’s announcement that her son is, in fact, alive, Dora has hope once more. She will continue to work in the brutal labor of the camp so she can potentially reconnect with her family in the future. Later on in the film, Guido presents another one of his tricks so that Dora knows to keep fighting. While serving at a Nazi dinner, Guido broadcasts a special song on a gramophone so the entire camp can hear. While sleeping in a crowded room full of women, Dora hears and recognizes the song and walks up to the window. The portrayal of Dora looking out through an open window and symbolizes Dora looking upon the ruined world and having hope. Through all of the terrible conditions of the camp, she knows her family is alive, and that is what allows her to survive. Dora does not give up and fall victim to death in the camp, and this is due to her perseverance through the suffering and dehumanization and the knowledge she learns that her family is still alive. Like his wife, Guido helps his son survive by using messages and games, too. 

Guido saves Joshua’s life by pretending that all of the forced labor, hunger, and other dehumanizing aspects of the concentration camp are a game. In one instance, Joshua shows up at his father’s work, repeating, “I don’t want to shower!” because all the children had to go shower. At first, Guido tried to get him to shower, but he finally gave in and let Joshua hide at his work and said they had “minus 10 points and his mother would be mad”. Little did Guido know, he was actually saving his child’s life by allowing him not to shower because all of the children were killed in the gas chambers when they went to shower. Not only did this game of points prevent Joshua from dying with the other children, but Guido also told Joshua that he had to hide all day, and if he weren’t found, he would earn points. This allowed Joshua to survive, but food deprivation was difficult for him; he almost feels less than human when he has to hide in the bunks all day with no food or water. Before the Americans took over the camp, there was a very long night of waiting for Joshua. Guido instructed his son to stay in a box all night and not come out until there was silence, and then Joshua would win the game, reach 1000 points, and win a real tank. While Joshua hid, Guido went to look for his wife. Sadly, a Nazi soldier discovered Guido and executed him just hours before the Nazis fled. Guido’s game allowed Joshua to survive the concentration camp, while Guido sacrificed his life for his son. Throughout all the difficult times, Joshua and Dora never gave up and were able to reunite in the end. Comically, an American soldier pulled up to Joshua in a real tank, and the look on Joshua’s face shows the pure happiness that he believed he won the game and his father was right. The heartfelt moment allows viewers to feel the true loss of Joshua’s father and that he dedicated his whole life and unmerciful time in the camp to save his family. Guido accomplished his goal, as his family could survive and continue with their lives, though mourning the loss of the beloved father. 

The use of Guido’s game and messages to his wife achieved the survival of his family in the concentration camp, despite having to experience extreme labor and un-human-like treatment. At the end of the film, a scene depicts Guido walking with his son in a foggy area back to the sleeping bunks. He comes across a ginormous pile of skeletons, and the camera depicts his facial expressions. The haunting look on his face and the pure shock of the never-ending pile of skeletons leave viewers speechless and truly show the horrors of the Holocaust and how difficult survival was.