Compare and Contrast Two Film Reviews: “The Third Man” and “Life is Beautiful”

Introduction

The essay compares and contrast two film reviews entitled as “The Third Man” and “Life is Beautiful”. The discussion on the above mentioned films shows the critical standing of the film. As the critics, interpret both the films were critical claimed by the critics. The discussion of critics of the two contrasted movies are “The Third Man” and “Life is Beautiful". It is not surprising that critics regard the film version of The Third Man as more lucrative than its literary source. What is surprising is the accepted complementary opinion that the film preserves the basic themes of the novel, albeit more effectively. Graham Greene's famous statement that the film "is better than the story because it is in this case the finished state of the story" would seem to support such an opinion. It also implies the possibility of a radical juncture between the novel and film, a possibility that is all too clear when one realizes that the final effect of the novel is that of a mere thriller, while the final effect of the film is that of an existential thriller (Gomez, pp.332).

On the other hand, the film “Life is Beautiful” is an Italian comedy film which unravels in the time of World War 2. It tells the story of an incredibly humorous Jewish man Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni who also directed and wrote the film), who travels to the city in search of a living, falls in love with a women and deploys ingenious acts humor and wit to win her heart. Astime passes by his life takes a turn for the worst, World War 2 erupts and his family becomes victims of the Nazi horror. As the horrors of the Holocaust unfolds ...