I am the type of person that stays away from watching previews and reading any form of critique before entering a cinema. The only thing I knew about this film was that Roberto Benigni, Italy's Jerry Lewis, wrote, directed and acted in it. The first half of the film blew me away! It was very funny and life was beautiful! Then out of nowhere Jews are persecuted, people get sent to concentration camps and Mr Benigni becomes annoying. <br /><br />I didn't know who I wanted to slap out first, Him or his cutesy little son who never got dirty inside a supposed harsh and un-human environment of a concentration camp. For that fact, his wife still looked a little too pretty to me with that heavy make-up, which did not resemble any sedimentary cosmetics produced by mother earth.<br /><br />Many historical questions must be raised when dealing with something so historical such as a holocaust. Where was the over-crowding? Why was everyone so clean? Why did everyone look like they ate three square meals a day? Why were the Germans portrayed as if they came from an episode of 'Hogans Hero's'? On and on..<br /><br />If anyone noticed, this film relied on two major sets where at least 80% of action occured. The first half was set around the town square. Then to make an ALLEGORY of the second half, we have the concentration camp square. Forget other smart semiotics such as ANALOGY and METAPHOR'S to answer the cheapness and un-imaginable use of locations question.<br /><br />'Schindlers List' comes to mind as to what this film had wanted to be. Do we have to applaud this film because it is a foreign film (read: 'Art-house cinema') or do we praise the film for dealing with the holocaust issue. I say foreign film-makers make as many bad films, or even more, than the ones that come out of Hollywood. And this life was beautifully stupid!