The Divine Comic: The Cinema of Roberto Benigni

Roberto Benigni, the Italian comedian, actor, director, and writer, gained international fame when his film La vita è bella/ Life Is Beautiful (1997) won three Oscars in 1999, including Best Foreign Film and Best Actor. Benigni has been a steady presence in Italian popular culture since the mid—1970s. This book introduces Benigni's performances in film, stage, and television, little known outside of Italy, with an emphasis on the cultural and intellectual backdrops that characterize his fil...