Bongiorno Principessa!
A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.
- 8.4
- 1997
- Released
- 1h 56m
Roberto Benigni
Guido
Nicoletta Braschi
Dora
Giorgio Cantarini
Giosué
Giustino Durano
Zio
Sergio Bini Bustric
Ferruccio
Marisa Paredes
Dora's Mother
Horst Buchholz
Doctor Lessing
Lidia Alfonsi
Mrs. Guicciardini
Giuliana Lojodice
School Principal
Amerigo Fontani
Rodolfo
Pietro De Silva
Bartolomeo
Francesco Guzzo
Vittorino
Raffaella Lebboroni
Elena
Claudio Alfonsi
Rodolfo's Friend
Massimo Bianchi
Man with Key
Jürgen Bohn
German Party Attendant
Verena Buratti
German AuxilliaryRobert Camero
German ExecutionerEnnio Consalvi
General Graziosi
Giancarlo Cosentino
Waiter ErnestoAlfiero Falomi
KingDaniela Fedke
German AuxiliaryAntonio Fommei
School JanitorStefano Frangipani
Card PlayerErnst Frowein Holger
German SergeantAlessandra Grassi
Teacher
Hannes Hellmann
German CorporalWolfgang Hillinger
German Major at PartyMargarita Lucia Krauss
Female Soldier at Children's DinnerPatrizia Lazzarini
1st Lady at the Grand HotelMaria Letizia
2nd Lady at the Grand HotelConcetta Lombardo
GigliolaMaria Rita Macellari
ReginaCarlotta Mangione
Eleonora
Franco Mescolini
Public Education InspectorFrancesca Messinese
Lady at the OperaInger Lise Middelthon
German AuxiliaryAndrea Nardi
UpholstererGünther Pfanzelter
German SoldierCristiana Porchiella
Spinster Teacher
Antonio Prester
Bruno
Gina Rovere
Dora's MaidLaura Susanne Ruedeberg
German Auxilliary
Massimo Salvianti
Policeman in Stationery Shop
Richard Sammel
German Lieutenant at StationJames Schindler
Solid German
Andrea Tidona
Grand Hotel DoormanGiovanna Villa
Common Secretary
Omero Antonutti
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Adelaide Alaïs
German Auxilliary (uncredited)Daniela Fedtke
German Auxiliary (uncredited)
Released
it
$20,000,000.00
$230,098,753.00
- #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)
- #world war ii
- #deportation
- #jew persecution
- #story teller
- #riding a bicycle
- #national socialism
- #dark comedy
- #charade
- #concentration camp prisoner
- #romcom
- #dark
- #war
- #nazi germany
- #hopeful
Reviews
<em>'Life Is Beautiful'</em> is certainly beautiful (in a sense), but is acutely haunting too. You can see where the film is heading from pretty much the get-go, though that only strengthens the grip that the film had on my mind. Evidently, it's an outstanding piece of filmmaking. I've, of course, seen plenty of flicks that feature this particular historical event, but I gotta say this one had
The first half of the screenplay is better than the second and in particular the weak ending which is very commercial Oscar material. However, there is Benigni, who is an old school visual comedian, and some of his antics are a delight. The period setting details are also well done.