Maus And Life Is Beautiful

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War is a difficult and troubling time which can divide nations and place people into a state of fear. The texts Maus and Life Is Beautiful are engaging stories about the Holocaust. Maus is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Art Spiegelman. Maus retells the experience of Vladek, a Polish Jew living during the Holocaust. Life Is Beautiful is a 1997 Italian comedy-drama film directed and starring Roberto Benigni. In Life is Beautiful Guido Lorefice's family are rounded up by Nazis and to protect his son Joshua from the horrors of the camp, Guido pretends the camp is an elaborate game. Maus and Life Is Beautiful display similarities through the exploration of themes and ideas presented, which include family, love, survival and the Holocaust. …show more content…

The film uses a variety of camera shots and angles to provide emphasis for certain scenes. Life Is Beautiful focuses on the sacrifices made for loved ones, which is displayed by Dora's sacrifice to board the train to the camp. At the train station, she demands to a Nazi solider that she must be let on the train, "I want to get on the train" (Life Is Beautiful). Close up and zoom in shots are used on Dora's face, to highlight her expression. Viewers understand that Dora loves her family so much that she would put her life in danger for them. Furthermore, Maus uses the theme of family to express the culture clash between Holocaust survivors and their children. Dialogue is used in conjunction with captions and thought bubbles to provide technique. When Anja finds out her family is disappearing she immediately worries about everyone, “The whole family is gone! Grandma and grandpa! Papa! Momma! Tosha! Bibi! My Richieu!! NOW THEY’LL TAKE LOLEK!” (Maus, p122). On this panel, readers can tell Anja is hysterical through her dialogue. The reader sympathises for her as it shows how people are effected by Nazi’s. Given the points above, Life Is Beautiful explored the theme of family better, as it visually shows audiences the connection and love between all family members, whereas the family relationship in Maus is strained by traumas suffered by Vladek, which is less enjoyable for