Classicism

Classicism
Despite the harsh circumstances in the film Life is Beautiful, Director Roberto Begnini manages to convey a bittersweet love story. In order to comprehend the meaning of this film, it can be helpful to look at the film through the lens of classicism. This film reflects three concepts of classicism: humanism, idealism, and Aristotle's theory of the unities.
The concept of humanism is difficult to define. It was first created in ancient Greece and Rome, and has influenced philosophical beliefs since its creation. However, this is a broad definition that's difficult to conceptualize. A more specific definition suggests that classical humanists believed that “that individual worth came from the individual's capacity to reason, which could shape character and life according to rational standards” (Miller, 2006). In the film Life is Beautiful, Director Roberto Begnini shows how an individual's worth is tied to his or her ability to reason.
The most explicit example of this concept is shown through the character Dr. Lessing. The main character, Guido Orefice, and Dr. Lessing have a friendly relationship that revolves around the telling of riddles. Lessing is obsessed with figuring out riddles to the point that an unsolved riddle will keep him from sleeping throughout the night. Near the beginning of the film, when Guido waits on the doctor, Lessing praises Guido's quick ability to unravel some of the most difficult riddles he has encountered. Later in the film, when Guido is in the concentration camp, he is faced with the possibility of death because of his poor physical condition. Lessing did not see him as a person of worth, and only recognizes his former waiter and riddle solver when Guido bravely speaks out the answer to the last riddle Lessing gave him. This quick reasoning saves his life, as Lessing shows that he values Guido's mind enough to save it from death. This shows the concept of humanism, because it suggests that worth is related to reason....