Alike Maus, Life is Beautiful directed by Roberto Benigni, is a non-traditional piece because it falls under the two categories: comedy and tragedy. Life is Beautiful follows the story of a Jewish-Italian man, Guido, and his family: his wife, Dora, and his son, Giosue. The family shared a content, typical life but then suddenly they are transported to a labor camp. Dora is separated from Guido and Giosue, and Guido convinces Giosue that is nothing but a game. Many critics have analyzed the film and states the film is appalling because the Holocaust is represented in a tragic comedy. They also claim that it was not possible for Guido to save Giosue from the Nazis. However, there is evidence that it is possible and the comedy section of the…show more content… However, one Holocaust survivor revealed that the Holocaust has happened in so many different ways and to so many different people. Therefore, it is not just one single experience but a profuse amount of personal events. Also, the survivor states that he has “a friend who is a child survivor of Auschwitz; her mother was able to hide her within the camp”(Haskins 379). This supports the idea that Guido could have possibly hid his son and it is historically correct. Other critics claim that the comedic style leads the Holocaust to be interpreted as light-hearted and whimsical instead of somber and severe. Although Life is Beautiful does not contain as much mature content as Schindler’s List, it still contains scenes that consist of violent reality of the massacre. Such as the shot when Guido finds a towering pile of bodies and the scene where Guido, himself, gets…show more content… If this balance is attained, it is not inhumane for artists to express their feelings this way, contradicting to what Adorno states, “To write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric.” A representation should include factual material that conveys the atrocious occurrence of the Holocaust, but at a lower maturity level so it is still enjoyable and intriguing. When a piece of art integrates both successfully, a viewer should leave with a new outlook on the Holocaust, not just straight facts. With society being fascinated with devastating and somber topics, artistic representations of dreary events pull in a massive audience. With this knowledge, artists use this as an advantage to greaten their public. Because society is attracted to disheartening material, they were intrigued by these three compositions of the Holocaust. Society’s curiosity lead to an abundant amount of people being introduced to the event of the Holocaust, and being taught the details of this horrific occurrence. Therefore, an artistic representation of the Holocaust actually lead to more people learning about this serious, somber event. The audience does not just learn a couple facts but a whole ton of justifiable factual truth, expressing the horror of the event. The film, Schindler’s List, conducted by Steven Spielberg, a comic book, Maus, written by Art
