"Life is Beautiful" on Ice

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F3FsrjBASNY

Hmmmm, mixed feeling about this.

Part of me wants wants to say "Best Nazi-themed entertainment since 'Springtime for Hitler'!!!"...but another wants to say "Erm....can they do that? Is that offensive?"

My upbringing would say it was insensitive because of the ending, which when used in a competition like this becomes offensive.. yea.

Weird and tasteless ....

I'm curious, have any of you watched the movie "Life is Beautiful"? Also known as "LA VITA È BELLA"?

I'm sure many of you have seen this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZgmj5ay5Bk

This one is essentially a reverse of the trope that "Life is Beautiful" created. In this one, the child explains that she knows her father is lying to protect her. The Father in this video, is exactly what the parents in "La Vita e Bella" are to their own son during the holocaust.

I mention this, because the song and this ice skating performance are based on "La Vita e Bella". The outfits are knock off versions of the ones which were used in the film "La Vita e Bella". Everything, the expression given at the beginning of the performance and somewhere in the middle of it where you see they are trying desperately to keep up the appearance that everything is okay to their son (the son- you have to imagine is present, they didn't have a third person for this performance, but if you know what you're looking for, he's there). Even in the end, the father did everything he could to give his son the smiling father he felt his son needed in order to shelter him from the horrors of what was happening to his people. In the end, the mother could no longer keep up the appearance.

The performers of this ice skating piece did this piece as an homage to the female skater's favorite movie (La Vita e Bella/Life is Beautiful), and then went on in her tweet to ask her followers to watch the movie itself.

Until today at about 0100 (AM) Eastern Standard Time, I had never heard of this movie. I watched the entire ice skating performance and cried - I immediately recognized it as being a Holocaust themed version of the video I post in this reply- as well as the old adage that recognizes those which smile the most tend to be the ones the most in pain. Knowing the full back story of this skating performance, however, and recognizing this movie is what called attention to the whole idea making it into mainstream culture, I can't help but wonder why so many have found it "tasteless", "cold-hearted", etc.

Now, I could almost understand Adder's take. Almost. Thing is competitions are when the most attention is drawn in to arts like ice skating. When you have many eyes set on you, you have the greatest opportunity to get a message sent to the masses. Drawing attention back to this movie and to re-spark the conversation of the Holocaust, during a time when Syrian Refugees are being demonized around the world, is probably the most important time to send such a message to everyone. Turning us back to the only well-known example we have of what an entire people are going through (the Holocaust).

I think the offense might be that someone who (probably?) isn't Jewish and doesn't carry the weight of any that Jewish cultural baggage is using the holocaust as a competition piece. Unlike La Vie e Bella, it's not a carefully crafted piece of storytelling, but a superficial snapshot of the barebones story in a medium that is generally quite trivial.

*shrugs* I'm not Jewish, but I can see why some might be offended.

Alethea Thompson wrote: Now, I could almost understand Adder's take. Almost. Thing is competitions are when the most attention is drawn in to arts like ice skating. When you have many eyes set on you, you have the greatest opportunity to get a message sent to the masses. Drawing attention back to this movie and to re-spark the conversation of the Holocaust, during a time when Syrian Refugees are being demonized around the world, is probably the most important time to send such a message to everyone. Turning us back to the only well-known example we have of what an entire people are going through (the Holocaust).

I only thought the ending insensitive. It was not needed to convey the story and made the whole thing overly dramatic which gave it the impression of trying to use the tragedy for their personal gain in the competition.... because as you say it was her 'favorite movie'. Given the extent of suffering associated with the event a little bit of sensitivity could well be demanded - but perhaps they were of relevant descent and meant catharsis of it.... I'd just say its the wrong format. There are better ways to remember and educate about personal suffering then point scoring IMO, which involves the stakeholders in the suffering and asserts the proper respect etc.

I disagree. Without the ending, I would have thought it tasteless- like they were simply using it for their own means. The ending is a perfect closing out that and makes it an obvious reference to point- at some time, reality settles in, you can't hide from it anymore (specifically, in this case, the kid cannot be hidden from the reality anymore).

I'm probably in the minority on this, but storytelling (in any form) should never be left unfinished. It does no justice to the story, or in this instance, the culture that is being conveyed.

Alethea Thompson wrote: I disagree. Without the ending, I would have thought it tasteless- like they were simply using it for their own means. The ending is a perfect closing out that and makes it an obvious reference to point- at some time, reality settles in, you can't hide from it anymore (specifically, in this case, the kid cannot be hidden from the reality anymore).

I'm probably in the minority on this, but storytelling (in any form) should never be left unfinished. It does no justice to the story, or in this instance, the culture that is being conveyed.

I agree with ya that without the ending it was tasteless, but we disagree on what the ending added
Just my opinion, which doesn't matter on this as the only people I'd be worried about was the people directly connected to the actual event being portrayed. My experience of war veterans is they really don't like being reminded of the experience but do appreciate people remembering the history so its a bit of a balancing act from my point of view.