The Greatest Movie of all Times

This is an assignment for my Introduction to Mass Communication class. It was a quick write that I did in about an hour. The assignment was to write a story about what we thought the greatest movie of all times was. I chose to write about "Life is Beautiful".

I think the best movie of all times is Life is Beautiful which is exactly what this movie is, beautiful. The movie is a story of how one man gives everything in order to hold his family together during the Holocaust and bringing them through a concentration camp. The movie has many different aspects that make it a great movie.

The first thing that makes this movie a great movie is its main topic, which is the Holocaust. However the story of the Holocaust is told from the perspective of one family. This angle gives the story a more humanized feeling. It also makes it more impactful and makes the audience more able to relate to the events of the Holocaust.

Even though the topic of the movie is a very serious one the director, Roberto Benigni who also co-wrote and played the lead role in the movie, manages to work in some comic relief in the movie. In fact, the first half of the movie is spent setting up the family of the Orefices. During this half Guido meets and makes Dora fall in love with him.

However during this half there are clear anti-Semitic tensions. There are acts of vandalism towards Jews and even one scene where Guido pretends to be an anti-Semitic representative of the ministry of education. Although this scene is a very comedic it is still an indication of the events to come.

Even though the main theme of the movie is the events of the Holocaust there is also a sub-plot about how Guido works to take care of his family while in the concentration camp during the second half of the movie. This again makes the movie very relateable to viewers.

Another thing that makes this movie great is its structure. The movie has a five year flash forward in the middle and is narrated by Giosué Orefice as an adult. There is also a large amount of irony that makes the story interesting.

These elements that humanize the story make the events of the Holocaust more real to the viewer. Although the story is not actually a true story all the events in the movie are very believable and could have happened and might have.

The balance of this movie is what I believe makes it so great and powerful. This movie will make you cry and cry from laughing.