Life is Beautiful Movie Study Guide

Life is Beautiful is one of my all time favorite movies. It is poignant story of love, sacrifice, and hope set during the Holocaust. The first half is a romantic-comedy, centered around a poor Jewish-Italian waiter wanting to open a bookstore. Along the way, he uses his charm to sweep a young woman off of her feet (quite literally).

In the second half, he uses that same witty spirit and optimism to shield his son from the horrors of a concentration camp. Heartwarming and heart-wrenching, Life is Beautiful is one of those movies that will have you laughing and crying through the whole thing. The movie's themes including the Holocaust, resilience, triumph of the human spirit, hope, and love.

At the Academy Awards, Life is Beautiful won 3 categories including Best Actor and Best Foreign Language Film. It was nominated for several others, including Best Picture.

This pack has 14 pages filled with worksheets, discussion questions, and lesson plans. It was designed to grow critical thinking skills as well as knowledge about the Holocaust. Discussion questions and other questions can be answered on notebook paper. These sheets are designed to be fluff-free, for going through as much or as little material as you'd like.

COMPREHENSION

• Pre Viewing Questions
• Movie Quiz
• Discussion Questions
• Cause and Effect worksheet
• Compare and Contrast first half and second half

CRITICAL THINKING

• Humor in Tragedy (comparison with Schindler's List)
• Themes
• Creating Beauty (examining the "beautiful" part)
• Types of Conflict
• Quotes from the Movie
• Real-Life Connections (looking at Life is Beautiful through famous quotes)

CHARACTERS

• Character Analysis: Guido
• Traits of Guido
• Traits of Giosue