Love Is Strong ◆ A Devotion Blossoming in a War Zone
Chunichi Shimbun, Morning Edition, December 29, 2006
The Tiger and the Snow
(2005, Italy)
There was a time when the film world was home to great comedians such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton—brilliant performers who directed and starred in their own films, captivating audiences with their physical comedy and words, and moving them to both laughter and tears.
Today, as computer-generated imagery (CGI) has transformed the way films are made, one Italian filmmaker whose presence is no less remarkable than those earlier masters is Roberto Benigni.
Many will remember his 1997 film Life Is Beautiful, which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor, among other honors. The film I am introducing here is his latest work, The Tiger and the Snow, which is currently in theaters. As in Life Is Beautiful, Benigni both directs and stars in the film, while his real-life wife, Nicoletta Braschi, co-stars.
The story is set in Rome in 2003. Attilio, a poet and university professor, is a somewhat clumsy and occasionally unfaithful Italian man. Yet he cannot forget his estranged wife, Vittoria, and every night he dreams that they are getting married.
One day, he happens to run into Vittoria. His gift for conversation seems to bring them closer, but when she misunderstands his relationship with a former lover, things fall apart again. Then, one night, the telephone rings at Attilio's home.
He learns that Vittoria, who had traveled to Baghdad for work, has been caught in an air raid during the Iraq War and is lying unconscious in critical condition.
What follows is pure Benigni. Despite Baghdad's airport being closed, he finds one way after another to reach the city. With no medicine, IV fluids, or even oxygen available, he desperately does everything he can to keep Vittoria alive.
His single-minded determination to protect the woman he loves brings about a miracle. Through encounters with U.S. soldiers on alert for terrorists and even a perilous passage through a minefield, Benigni combines humor with a powerful message about the horrors of war and the strength of love.
In the twenty-first century, with wars and terrorism still raging, Benigni's cinematic world, rooted in the love of family and humanity, shines more brightly than ever.
