Domingo, Roxanne G.

Ethics
4 Literature August 4, 2008

Magnitude of Happiness
“Life is Beautiful” is indeed one beautiful film. It makes one think, is it even possible that
a man like Guido Orestes can actually exist? Well, it proved to be that it can. Despite the
complexities of life, his character remained faithful to the idea that more than ever, he and his
family can surpass it. With such, I would like to point out the three philosophical themes of
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics which I’ve had understood to be present in the movie.
First, “a man bears patiently a number of heavy disasters, not because he does not feel
them but because he has a high and generous nature, his nobility shines through.” True enough,
Guido Orestes best exemplify such characteristic. His continuous struggle to live despite being
racially discriminated and having been made into a slave by the Aryans, is one proof that he is a
happy man. Why did I say so? Because through his everyday activities, one can see how he
remained to look at life in a very positive manner. For example, when he and his son Joshua
passed a store along the street and there was a sign hanging from that particular store which says
“Jews and Dogs are not allowed inside”, he still managed to make his son understand the
situation without even cursing the owner of the store. He just explained to Joshua that almost
everyone has his dislikes. He even made a joke out of it by saying that the next day, he will put
up a sign in their bookstore which says, “No Visigoths allowed.” Although he explained it in a
very simple and humorous manner, a deeper meaning lies beneath it. Based on what I
understand, it means that everything that happens to us, whether it is good or bad, is only a
matter of acceptance. If a man accepts a defeat just as he would accept a success, then he truly
can have a happy life. A happy man does not exclude himself from the miseries brought upon
him by circumstances. He readily bears these miseries as long as he lives. To quote, “If… the
quality of a life is determined by its activities, no man who is truly happy can become miserable;
because he will never do things that are hateful and mean.”
Second theme is, “happiness is an activity of the soul in accordance with perfect virtue.”
Undeniably, Guido as well as his wife Dora, would not have survived if their happiness lies only
on material things. These material things can also be defined as shakeable foundations of human
longings to find happiness. I say that this theme is appropriate to align with the film because the

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characters seem to treat happiness in their mind. For example, when Guido had been given the
chance to become a waiter to an Aryans’ dinner party or gathering, he took the chance to play in
a radio a music which he thought could remind his wife of their moments together after an Opera
show. Through such, when Dora actually heard it, the music has brought her inner calm and
peace knowing that his husband and son are near him. However, one must keep in mind that such
observation is only one view from a spectator. Thus, such argument can be accepted as neither
right nor wrong. Another good example would be the way Guido had actually made his
predicament as true as it can be to his son’s eyes. Although one might argue that he’s been lying
the whole time he and his son were in the camp, it is still a very reasonable lie no matter how it is
viewed. All that Guido wanted is to save his son from the possibility of death. It is amazing how
he had managed to come up with an appropriate story in such a little time. It meant that the
means in which he had done to save his son’s life has been directed towards what is good.
Indeed, it is true when Aristotle posited that “every rational activity aims at some good end or
good. One end, (like one activity) may be subordinate to another.” Thus, we don’t only look at
the means which Guido used to save his son’s life but we ought to look at the whole picture and
discover for ourselves that his aim is for the good.
Third and final theme is, “the dead are affected to some extent by the good fortunes of
those whom they love, and similarly by their misfortunes, but the effects are not of such a kind or
so great as to make the happy unhappy, or to produce any other such result.” In this particular
theme, one can see the permanence of happiness. Unlike a fortune’s wheel, as Aristotle
explained, which “often turns upside down for the same people,” happiness is determined by
virtuous activities. Towards the end of the film, Guido had had no chance of escaping when he
was caught by one of the Aryan soldiers. But then, just before he died, the spectators did not
actually see him have a change of attitude. He was the same character who looks at life in a very
positive way. Although he knew that he is going to die the moment he was caught, his happiness
did not in any way shake. Probably because he knew that after that night, Joshua may live and
start anew, even without him. Then everything goes round in a cycle. He is never a miserable
man because he has happiness founded on virtuous activities. Therefore, his happiness is
permanent. To quote, “the happy man will have the required quality, and in fact will be happy
throughout his life; because he will spend all his time, or the most time of any man, in virtuous
conduct and contemplation.”

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 When I say that the film “Life is Beautiful” is indeed beautiful, I do not talk on the
superficial level. It is more than that. The film affects me as it affects other spectators because it
transcends through time. Although its history is way back then, one can say that its universality
remains.