Guido attempts to keep from the boy the horrors of what is going on, and this eventually manifests itself as a game where the aim is to score 100 points, with the winner winning a real tank which, of course appeals to the young boy. The relationship between the two is very similar to that of Jackie Coogan and Charlie Chaplin though Benigni, unlike Chaplin, keeps the best of the comedy moments. The five year old greatly reminds me of Toto in Cinema Paradiso, and plays an equally important role in his prospective film though in Paradiso's case it is at the beginning of the movie. In this period he and Dora Braschi have had their son Giosue Cantanarini. Various incidents related to the rise of anti-semitism and fascism in Italy show that there are sinister forces at work which come to the fore in the second segment.Guido Benigni moves events on from Tuscany in 1939 to the last year of the war in a concentration camp.

The way he ties together little strand in the film to create comedy elements shows a great writing ability, and a mastery of timing when it comes to their execution on screen.

Unlike so many films nowadays there is nothing crude or course, his is simple innocent humour, which is all the more effective. It is the first half where the audience can laugh the loudest and delight at the immense comedy talent of Benigni.

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