"he did not make me relive it as a trauma. He always told me about it gently. " (Celli). So it is clear that when Benigni made this film, he was not focused on solemnly creating terror filled scenes. But instead bringing forth a collision of story telling and realistic type issues. Using some of the comfort that his father brought to him as a child, Benigni allows for his audience to feel that gentleness of a father to a son. Since there is no moral duty to follow, Benigni simply carries out his knowledge and creative side as a filmmaker.
Even though many people believe that an event such as the Holocaust, should be deemed tragically truthful, not one person can fully present it as it was. In Maurizio Viano's article Life is Beautiful:Reception, Allegory, and Holocaust Laughter, Viano describes a very important factor of this truth. He also acknowledges how many critics follow that any illustration of the Holocaust has to carry out that authenticity. Although this is perceived, he quotes Benigni, "I realized that nothing in a film could even come close to the reality of what happened. You can't show unimaginable horror - you can only ever show less that what it was " (Viano). Considering this concept, this goes back to allowing filmmakers to have the ability to recreate events in different styles. It is true that Benigni wanted to show something more beyond the horror of this time, but if little details of the Holocaust were not included, then how would it be possible for the audience.
to understand and experience the mixture of fable and truth? Throughout the film, the main character Guido, is hiding his son, participating in hard labor, being sneaky and other actions were made exemplifying that life in the concentration camps were not just fun and games. Benigni still showed portions that outlined life during the Holocaust. Though this film does not need it, without these specific scenes the movie would not have a foundation and any sense of realism to it.
