Some good movies-1

I realized recently that I watch too many movies. In fact I watched almost 350-400 movies after coming to IITM in these four years! So I thought maybe I can start a thread of entries where I can tell about movies that may not be very famous but which I feel are great and are must see for a movie buff. These threads will have movies of all genres. I will start this thread with a movie which will be almost at the very top in my favorite movies' list.

Title : Life Is Beautiful (Italian: La vita è bella)
Director : Roberto Benigni ( also the main character)

This is a wonderful movie that moved me to tears. It is about optimism and the love of a person towards his family. The first half is like an excellent romantic comedy movie. The core of the movie is in the second half. It shows to what extent a normal person(book store owner) can go to protect his family in extreme conditions.

I especially loved the bonding between the father and son and the storyline between the two in the second half. The way he tries to protect the innocence of his son is heart-touching. The protagonist faces the worst conditions one can face in life (I don't want to give the story away. So, I will not say what they are). But his approach to life and his positive-attitude never changes.

The title makes one think that it is an art movie which has a lot of sad parts in the story. But the director who also happens to be the protagonist of the movie has dealt the whole movie with a lot of humor. I think he alone could have pulled off the role in such a great way. The script in the second half is one of the brilliant ones I have ever seen. This is aided by excellent art work and excellent acting skills especially from Benigni. The movie remained in my heart for at least a week after watching. There were tears in my eyes after the movie was over. Very few movies touch one's heart and this is one such for me.

Awards : 3 Oscars - Best actor, Best foriegn film and Best music,original dramatic score.
Trivia : The director later married the heroine of this film.
The oscar he got is the first for a male performer in a non-English-speaking role, and only the third overall acting Oscar for non-English-speaking roles.