NEWS

The Davidson Film Club is pleased to invite you to a screening and discussion of the Oscar-winning Italian film “Life is Beautiful” on Saturday, September 14, at 7:00 pm in the Armour Street Theatre in Davidson.

“Inspiring, heartrending, funny, sad, surprising and richly imagined.” Margaret A. McGurk, Cincinnati Enquirer

Directed by Roberto Benigni

Italy (1997, 1h56)

In Italian with English subtitles

Discussion of the film will be led by Dr. Scott Denham, Charles A. Dana Professor of German Studies at Davidson College and Holocaust specialist.

Walk-ins are welcome, $9 (NC sales tax included) at the door, cash or check (no credit cards). Walk-ins must apply for a seat in advance at [email protected]. Walk-in seats are limited by availability.

Refreshments (red and white wine, bottled water, and snacks) will be made available by the Film Club.

Film Summary:

In 1930s Italy, a carefree Jewish waiter-turned-bookseller named Guido starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman named Dora. Guido and Dora have a son named Joshua and live happily together until the forced deportation of the town’s Jewish population in cattle cars. Dora, while not required to be deported, volunteers to leave with her family, and they are all forced to live in a concentration camp. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a concentration camp, Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game and that the grand prize for winning is a tank.

Best Actor Oscar and BAFTA awards plus four other Oscar nominations. 72 wins and 52 nominations, including dozens of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay prizes. Best Director and Palme d’or nomination at Cannes.

“Audiences will be laughing hysterically while crying their eyes out.” Chris Gore, Film Threat

“In the real death camps there would be no role for Guido. But Life Is Beautiful is not about Nazis and Fascists, but about the human spirit.” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“Benigni’s infectious energy and sharp comedic talents deliver a beautiful message of hope and love amongst such horror and tragedy.” Fico Cangiano, CineXpress Podcast

“Benigni’s point, made with tender sensitivity, is that a child’s innocence is worth protecting.” Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

“Benigni does a fabulous job of building his characters and telling his story while planting the reality of their situations in our subconscious.” Keith Garlington, Keith & the Movies

“Shows how humor is a rich spiritual resource that enables us to cope with the unexpected and to smile through the unbearable.” Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Pra

Our website www.davidsonfilmclub.com features the whole current series and film descriptions. Have you Bookmarked it? We are a non-profit, tax-exempt organization run by volunteers that only exists to bring you fine international fiction films and engage in stimulating discussion about them.

Hope that many of you will be at the September 14 screening of this, both slapstick and heart-wrenching, dramedy!

Alan
Alan Singerman, President, Davidson Film Club
[email protected]
(704) 231-6736