Life is Beautiful (La vita è bella) is a 1997 Italian comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian bookshop owner, who employs his fertile imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp. The film was partially inspired by the book In the End, I Beat Hitler by Rubino Romeo Salmonì and by Benigni's father, who spent two years in a German labour camp during World War II.
The film was a critical and financial success. It grossed over $230 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing non-English language movies of all time, and received widespread acclaim (despite some criticisms of using the subject matter for comedic purposes). It won the Grand Prix at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, nine David di Donatello Awards (including Best Film), five Nastro d'Argento Awards in Italy, two European Film Awards, and three Academy Awards (including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actor for Benigni).
The English language dub was produced in Los Angeles.
Cast[]
| Character | Original Actor | Dub Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Guido Orefice | Roberto Benigni | Jonathan Nichols |
| Dora Orefice | Nicoletta Braschi | Ilaria Borelli |
| Joshua Orefice | Giorgio Cantorini | James Falzone |
| Ferruccio | Sergio Bustric | Sam Fontana |
| Rodolfo | Amerigo Fontani | Chip Bolcik |
| Uncle Eliseo | Giustino Durano | Nicholas Kepros |
| The Principal | Giuliana Lojodice | Patricia Mauceri |
| Dora's Mother | Marisa Paredes | Cynthia Adler |
| Oreste | ¿? | Vincenzo Amato |
| Eleanora | Carlotta Mangione | Francesca Mari |
| Rodolfo's Friend | Claudio Alfonsi | Davide Borella |
| School Inspector | Franco Mescolini | Edward Furs |
| Book Store Policeman | Massimo Salvianti | Silvio Oliviero |
| Secretary | Giovanna Villa | Francesca Di Mauro |
| School Janitor | Antonio Fommei | Steven Skibell |
| Prefect | Gil Baroni | Peter McRobbie |
| Bartolomeo | Pietro De Silva | Nick Wyman |
| Vittorino | Francesco Guzzo | Peter Arpesella |
| Violin Player | Stefano Frangipani | |
| German Corporal | Hannes Helman | Andreas Beckett |
| Doctor Lessing | Horst Buchholz | |
External Links[]
- Life is Beautiful at the Internet Movie Database