Life Is Beautiful
An unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all.
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.
- Director
- Roberto Benigni
- Signature
- Craft · Drama · Humour
- Worldwide
- $230M
Who's in it
Cast
The billed ensemble, with character names. Open any performer for their Nutevio filmography.
The Nutevio profile
Movie DNA
How Life Is Beautiful actually feels to watch, measured on the twelve traits our editors track across every Nutevio title.
Story overview
What It's About
Spoiler-free. Read the analysis below for the full argument.
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.
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
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Why We Recommend It
Why It's Ranked
Life Is Beautiful appears in 6 Nutevio collections. Here is the argument behind each placement.
- Best Comedies Ranked #5
Placed at #5 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Comedy Movies Ranked #6
Placed at #6 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Best Philosophical Movies Ranked #17
Placed at #17 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Movies With Incredible Endings Ranked #20
Placed at #20 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Top 250 Movies of All Time Ranked #26
Placed at #26 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
- Drama Movies Ranked #28
Placed at #28 by the Nutevio ranking model. An editor's written case is on the way.
The record
Awards
8 wins · 11 nominations
Academy Awards
3 wins · 8 nominations
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Actor
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Director
- WinnerAcademy Award for Best Film Editing
Cannes Film Festival
1 win
- WinnerCannes Film Festival Grand Prix
César Award for Best Foreign Film
1 win
- WinnerCésar Award for Best Foreign Film
David di Donatello for Best Film
1 win
- WinnerDavid di Donatello for Best Film
European Film Award for Best Actor
1 win · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Actor
European Film Award for Best Film
1 win · 1 nomination
- WinnerEuropean Film Award for Best Film
David di Donatello for Best Director
No wins yet · 1 nomination
- WinnerDavid di Donatello for Best Director
The numbers
Box Office & Release
Life Is Beautiful returned 11.5× its budget worldwide.
- Budget
- $20M
- Opening weekend
- —
- Domestic gross
- —
- International gross
- —
- Worldwide gross
- $230M
- Release date
- Dec 20, 1997
- Runtime
- 1h 56m
- MPAA rating
- —
- Language
- —
- Country
- Italy
Figures from the verified production record. Fields we cannot source are left blank rather than estimated.
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