Life is Beautiful

Visible crew/equipment: The camera searches for Dora whilst Guido plays music through the open window. In her room, you can easily see a cable (from a microphone or a spotlight?) on the left side of the screen. (01:42:00)

Continuity mistake: In the rain scene after Guido & his princess are in the rain, the steering wheel becomes detached, and he holds it up, and you see hardware still connected to the steering wheel. When he puts the pillow on top of it for her to use as an umbrella, you don't see the hardware. During this scene, Guido places the pillow directly on top of the steering wheel, and in the following shots, you don't see the actual steering wheel; only the stick.

Continuity mistake: When Guido is caught in the spotlight during the liberation of the camp, he climbs down from his hiding place on the wall and falls to the ground. When the guard prods him to stand up the blanket around his waist hangs down to his feet, but when the camera cuts away and back just before he starts walking, it is several inches shorter. When he play marches for Giosuè it is hiked up even farther.

Continuity mistake: When Guido is trained as a waiter by his uncle the champagne bottle in the cooler not only stands upright for one shot but also its foil cap appears and disappears a number of times. (00:12:05)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: In every scene involving rain, no one ever gets wet. Even in the scene where Guido walks Dora home and she tells him he is wet, the water just beads up on his right shoulder. Wouldn't he/his clothes have been soaked, given how hard it was raining?

Other mistake: When Giosuè discovers the German boy in the metal box Guido says that his name is Schwarz (Black). The German subtitles translate the name as Schwanz (Tail or - rather - Dick), and that's how both Guido and Giosuè refer to the boy later. Even if the different naming later was intended the first subtitling was too anticipatory. (01:33:50 - 01:45:50)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When the two plain-clothes policemen take Guido from the bookstore Giosuè is sitting at the table with both arms on top. When the camera angle changes his left arm is under the table, but in the next shot both arms are on the table again. (00:58:55)

NancyFelix

Revealing mistake: When Guido tries to escape camouflaged as a woman and is stopped by the guards the second from right prisoner cannot help laughing. (01:50:10)

NancyFelix

Revealing mistake: When Guido and Ferrucio spot the publisher sitting in a café she is studying a manuscript while holding it sideways. (00:15:40)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: At Dora's engagement party the dancers get showered with large confetti. When Guido drops the candy tray the first time the pattern of confetti on Dora's head changes completely. (00:49:55)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: The train enters the concentration camp at night, but the prisoners get off in the middle of the day. However, the engine is still puffing steam as if the train had just arrived. (01:08:40)

NancyFelix

Plot hole: When Giosuè acts as a silent German boy and joins the coffee party Guido talks to him in Italian quite loudly while he is eating. The two German children sitting at the same table should have noticed something and, if not give him away, at least be somewhat surprised. (01:38:05)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: After Guido has been escorted from the bookstore by the police his mother-in-law comes to the store. Giosuè picks up a pile of books from the floor with a red book on top, but when the camera angle changes there's a white book on top of the pile. (00:59:25)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When Giosuè climbs out of the metal box the door is only half open, but when the camera angle changes it's fully open. (01:54:05)

NancyFelix

Other mistake: When Guido drops Dora at home after he had "kidnapped" her from the opera the rain has stopped. She mentions his wet hat, he takes it off and puts it back on, and when he bends forward a substantial trickle comes running off the brim. There should be no water left (if any) after he had taken the hat off. (00:38:45)

NancyFelix

Life is Beautiful mistake picture

Continuity mistake: When Giosuè is hiding in the small cupboard Guido puts some flowers on top and some of the blossoms hang over the edge. In the next shot they are all lying on the cupboard, but when the camera angle changes they are hanging over again. (01:01:45)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: When Guido stands in the rain outside the barracks, calling Giosuè, the way the blanket is hanging over his left arm changes from smooth to crumpled between shots. (01:32:00)

NancyFelix

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Guido has his sudden entrance from behind Ferrucio to surprise Dora and her colleague watch the café in the background: two girls disappear from the table on the right between shots. (00:17:40)

NancyFelix

Giosué Orefice: We won.
Dora: Yes, we won! It's true.
Giosué Orefice: We got a thousand points and we won the game! Daddy and me came in first and now we won the real tank! We won! We won.

More quotes from Life is Beautiful

Trivia: Roberto Benigni became the first Italian actor in more than 35 years to win an Oscar for an acting role. The last winner was Sophia Loren. His unexpecting Oscar win for "Best Actor" marked only the second time that an actor had directed himself in an Academy Award winning performance. The other was Laurence Olivier for Hamlet (1948). Benigni also became the first actor to win a best actor oscar for an non-English speaking role.

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More trivia for Life is Beautiful

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