Life is beautiful questions

1. Explore how lighting and colour create meaning in one key sequence from your
chosen film.
There is a specific scene in Life Is Beautiful (Benigni, 1997) towards the end of the film that I
think uses lighting and colour in a clever way to convey an aesthetic of hope. This is the
scene where Joshua steps out of the box he was previously hiding in, and walks towards the
sunlight, away from the shadows. The scene starts with quite a dull and blue colour to it
which re-enforces the melancholic tone to the film and the previous events we’ve just
witnessed. The more interesting part about the start of this scene is that the lighting seems
more natural as it looks lighter than the low-key lighting of the second part to the movie.
The deliberate use of the natural lighting shows the sunlight diffusing into the scene and
further displays an idea of hope for the characters in the movie. The scene then cuts to an
extreme long shot of Joshua and we see him step from the shadowed part of the camp, out
towards where the sunlight is exposed. The significance of there being a distinct contrast of
light within the scene helps to show Joshua not only physically moving to the light, but
metaphorically we can infer he’s overcoming a dark and tragic part of not only his life, but
also in history. The overwhelming blues, greys, and blacks that illustrate the misery and
poignance of the persistent theme of anti-Semitism and fascism throughout the movie, are
heavily juxtaposed by the warm yellows and bright whites that the natural sunlight emits
onto the camp like a beacon of hope and relief. The way is whish Joshua chooses to
immediately walk towards the sunlight shows us that he rejects the darkness behind him
even though he was already oblivious to the actual truth of it all thanks to Guido. He then
walks into the sun and this connotes a figurative image where the light acts as a safety net
which saves Joshua from the darkness behind him as the rest of the scene continues in
brightness. The scene being lighter than previous scenes and the use of natural lighting has
a more positive and optimistic aesthetic and makes viewers feel comforted. The natural
lighting has a very calm and tranquil tone to it, allowing the audience to be at ease. As the
scene progresses, the light of the sun is more evident and we can see characters are more lit
up suggesting they’re encapsulated by this hope and freedom. The sun coming up almost
catalyses safety for those within the camp.
 2. Examine how the aesthetics of your chosen film contribute to its themes. Make
reference to key sequences.
Although the start of the film tries to portray a warm, light-hearted and humorous tone, I
think there are certain scenes where the film hints to its serious and more unsettling ending.
One of those scenes is where Guido is trying to get a signature in order to start up his
bookshop. Throughout this key sequence, he’s being rudely rejected and almost ignored as
if he isn’t even in the room. The whole sequence portrays a more serious aesthetic of
oppressions which vastly contrasts earlier scenes. The oppressive and more serious notion
to the scene indicates to the themes the film tries to convey towards the end of the film.
The scene reminds the audience that the happy and funny tone won’t last the whole movie.
Ways in which this is explored is the clear and clever use of set décor as we examine the
mis-en-scene, we notice not just a painting, but also a bust of Italy’s fascist dictator at the
time, Benito Mussolini. These two items are placed either side of where the head of
department is stood. All three are positioned deliberately to be circling Guido, looming in
front of him to further create the aesthetic of oppression. The painting chosen to be hung
up has been painted to have a chiaroscuro look where the dark is on the side where Guido is
stood, and the light is where the head of department is stood which implies the political
turmoil and divide between people at the time the movie is set. Not only is the mis-en-scene
a giveaway to the dark themes the movie raises, but also the use of cinematography and
shot types. The woman that Guido speaks to is not only presented as unfriendly and unkind
through her stiff body language and blank expressions, but also, we can see the movie tries
to hint at the fact that she is above him on a political scale. Guido is a Jewish character, and
during the time the movie was set, there was an overwhelming amount of discrimination
towards Jewish people which explains why these two characters are being particularly cold
towards Guido. Their political and social status supposedly being above Guido’s is
emphasised by how the woman is never out of shot. The camera uses over the shoulder
shots when it flicks to Guido talking, keeping her in frame, but when the camera flicks back
to her, it’s just a simple medium shot and not over the shoulder of Guido keeping him out of
the frame. These are some ways in which the scene intensifies the sad truth of the themes
this film explores.

Another key sequence in which the film is presenting a cold and fearful aesthetic is the
scene where Guido is shot by a German soldier. The entire sequence consists of long and
extreme long shots where the cinematography emphasises a clear distance between us and
Guido. His far proximity makes the audience feel nervous and scared for him as we aren’t
used to him being so far away and it illuminates a more disturbing tone. Not only does the
cinematography display this, but also the sound as we’re now faced with no happy or
calming music in the background. The loss of this non-diegetic sound reveals an ominous
and tense atmosphere to the film that we aren’t used to being exposed to. This heightens
the viewers nerves and nods to a less easy to watch sequence which in the end it proves to
be. This scene is also always dark and blue. The low-key lighting helps convey the sombre
mood and further implies the themes of anti-Semitism that come to light towards the end of
the film where it’s the centre of the narrative. Even though the lighting, colour, sound, and
cinematography all point towards a sorrowful tone, Benigni’s clownish and humorous acting
is still persistent to the end as he makes eye contact with his son when he’s being followed
by the solder. In order to prevent his son from being worried, he winks at him and the
continues to march in a comedic way in order to comfort his son. Guido’s natural instinct to
continue his performance of this unserious and comical mannerisms helps put Joshua at
ease, and also us as the audience. Although the scene is one that brings discomfort and
anxiety to the audience, Guido’s consistent amusement is able to maintain a peaceful and
hopeful tone to the film.

Another sequence that further implies a happier and safer tone of relief is the scene
towards the end where Joshua walks into the sunlight and sees the tank. The tank is a
significant ongoing motif of freedom throughout the film because previously, Joshua had a
toy tank but lost it when entering the camp. Guido when trying to describe the camp as
being a game, he mentions the first to get to 1000 points wins a tank. During this sequence,
when Joshua walks further into the light, he spots the tank coming round the corner. This
creates a sense of closure to the film and brings a huge sense of relief to the audience. The
use of lighting in this scene also suggests a safer and brighter aesthetic due to how the
scene uses more natural lighting of the sun which indicates to a calm and less upsetting
style. This could also be a possible cyclical ending as the movie starts and ends with a sunny
lighting where it feels warm and peaceful and due to how we return to the previous lighting
and colour alludes to a comforting ending to the story where Dora and Joshua have a
positive future. The reoccurring use of the tank and also the warm lighting help identify a
promising and upbeat close to the film.