I've seen a rather wide variety of responses to the movie. I suspect its because it wasn't a documentary in any way , which is what people tend to expect I think on this subject. The movie was supposed to be a Fantasy and Surreal Comedy, and I think that upsets some people, and confuses some people. Benigni said it was impossible to fathom what it was like, and any attempt to portray it would be inadequate, that he didn't want to try to that and he didn't want the audience to look for any realism in the movie. I don't think its an issue of why couldn't it be more realistic, because that’s not the kind of movie he was making, that to me would be like wondering why Schindler's List couldn't have more humour in it. I don't think its offensive that its not realistic, I couldn't get my grandmother to see it because of language barriers (and even if there wasn't I don't think she would), but my grandfather would have seen it. He always had to put some odd little amusing comment in the middle of stories about that time period (they faught in the war and were in camps), and I think that’s just how some people deal with horrible things like that. If he was alive, I don't think he'd have found the movie offensive either, because I can see a bit of Guido in him.
The kid in the story was still very young. He probably DID know what was going on, but because it was horrible and didn't make much sense (a child like that wouldn't know why this happened, the politics, why people would do these things etc.), he went along with the game, no matter how ridiculous it was, because that was simply easier. Even adults have thought things like that, so I don't think it would be difficult for a child to actually believe/accept/play-along-with the idea even though he sees the reality. I believe Benigni got the idea of the game from Primo Levi who wrote If This Is A Man and said that they were all standing there naked and he's thinking, What if this was all just a terrible joke or game.
That all said, I don't think it was the "greatest movie" of the year or whatever. Nor am I making excuses for what it was attempting. I think it was a decent movie, it didn't greatly irritate me or anything as it seems to have for you, but I think it could have been better.
I just seem to be at the end of this spectrum from you, instead of wondering why it couldn't be more realistic, I wonder why it couldn't be more surreal! The first half was fine IMHO as fantasy, its the 2nd half int he camps that I'd have been MORE surreal! I don't feel showing the reality is necessary since the audience is assumed to already be familiar with that via other books and movies. The camp could have been more eerie and surreal, more looming, odd angles and shadows, shot from a child's eye level, iow, make it right out of a child's nightmare- that for me would have made it seem scarier and more horrible from a child's POV, while strengthening the surrealism of it all, and making the fantasy/imagination/game more "believable" within this context.
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The kid in the story was still very young. He probably DID know what was going on, but because it was horrible and didn't make much sense (a child like that wouldn't know why this happened, the politics, why people would do these things etc.), he went along with the game, no matter how ridiculous it was, because that was simply easier. Even adults have thought things like that, so I don't think it would be difficult for a child to actually believe/accept/play-along-with the idea even though he sees the reality. I believe Benigni got the idea of the game from Primo Levi who wrote If This Is A Man and said that they were all standing there naked and he's thinking, What if this was all just a terrible joke or game.
That all said, I don't think it was the "greatest movie" of the year or whatever. Nor am I making excuses for what it was attempting. I think it was a decent movie, it didn't greatly irritate me or anything as it seems to have for you, but I think it could have been better.
I just seem to be at the end of this spectrum from you, instead of wondering why it couldn't be more realistic, I wonder why it couldn't be more surreal! The first half was fine IMHO as fantasy, its the 2nd half int he camps that I'd have been MORE surreal! I don't feel showing the reality is necessary since the audience is assumed to already be familiar with that via other books and movies. The camp could have been more eerie and surreal, more looming, odd angles and shadows, shot from a child's eye level, iow, make it right out of a child's nightmare- that for me would have made it seem scarier and more horrible from a child's POV, while strengthening the surrealism of it all, and making the fantasy/imagination/game more "believable" within this context.