Life Is Beautiful.

(Miramax, 1998) Or is it? In Roberto Benigni's magical little film this affirmation is a comic and ultimately courageous prayer whispered on behalf of a child. Playing a whimsical and enchanting Jewish waiter in Mussolini's pre-war Italy, the director, star, and co-author of this film spends the first half of Life Is Beautiful telling the tale of a Chaplinesque clown who succeeds in wooing the hearts of both the audience and the local principessa.

But Life Is Beautiful also takes us someplace no other comedy would dream of going, into the maw of Hitler's death camps. Benigni conjures up a world where children are protected from death and despair by the antics of a courageous parent whose love and spirit are boundless. [Delightfully Divine]