Life Is Beautiful

"An unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all."

1997 1h 56m IT

🙌

8.4

BANGER

★8.4TMDB · 14,294

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“An unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

MGM+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

Paramount Plus PremiumSubscription

Paramount Plus EssentialSubscription

PhiloSubscription

Paramount+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

MGM PlusSubscription

Paramount+ Roku Premium ChannelSubscription

JustWatch TVRent

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roberto Benigni
Writers: Roberto Benigni, Vincenzo Cerami, Roberto Benigni
Countries: Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $230M — a 11.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roberto Benigni, shot by Tonino Delli Colli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nicola Piovani. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Simona Paggi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi and Giorgio Cantarini carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "An unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0118799 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roberto Benigni directs. Tonino Delli Colli behind the camera. Nicola Piovani scores. Simona Paggi cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Italy.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $230M — a 11.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
229 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Roberto Benigni, shot by Tonino Delli Colli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Nicola Piovani. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Simona Paggi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi and Giorgio Cantarini carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "An unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all.".
8IMDB entry: tt0118799 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
914,294 TMDB user ratings logged — serious cultural footprint.
10Classified under 25 themes, including "dying and death", "bookshop", "love of one's life", "nazi".
11Released under 26 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tonino Delli Colli
Original score: Nicola Piovani
Editing: Simona Paggi
Production design: Danilo Donati
Costume design: Danilo Donati
Makeup / hair: Giusy Bovino
Runtime: 116 min · 1h 56m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $230,098,753
Return: 1150% of budget
Original language: IT
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Awards

César Award for Best Foreign Film
Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix
Academy Award for Best Original Dramatic Score
European Film Award for Best Actor
European Film Award for Best Film
David di Donatello for Best Film
Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
Academy Award for Best Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Roberto Benigni

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

tubbs2020-06-09
★ 6/10
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.
r96sk2025-08-17
★ 9/10
<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 a larger effect on me than is the norm. They are all saddening, obviously, but this one with the young family aspect hit a bit more, it felt more intimate. That's all despite the movie being infused with comedy, the mixing of which is supreme. Roberto Benigni is tremendous in the role of Guido, not only does he convey the aforementioned humour brilliantly but when it comes to the more sombre moments his acting prowess shines through just as much. Giorgio Cantarini shows up with an impressive kid display, while Nicoletta Braschi is very good as well - her penultimate scene stands out most. The stunning score is also a major plus, one part of it kept giving me Andrea Bocelli vibes; probably a lazy connection on my part, given it's an Italian film but hey-ho. My only 'negative' (it's not even a negative, tbh) is the final scene with Guido, which felt a little skipped across and rushed. As intended, just felt a tad odd whilst watching though. A heart-wrenching, yet splendid, 116 minutes, that's for certain.