October 10, 1998

Life Is Beautiful (1998) ****

In Mussolini's Italy, a young Jewish waiter (Benigni) marries a Gentile woman (Braschi). Five years later, the Nazis send them to a death camp, along with their young son. The father has to find a way to shelter his family from the horrors that surround them. This is one of the most touching and deeply moving films ever made, evoking pathos and compassion in a way that puts a human face on the tragedy of the Holocaust without ever diminishing its horror.