It’s hard to imagine a good, light comedy about the Holocaust. But with the genius of Italy’s Roberto Benigni, “Life is Beautiful” (“La Vita e Bella”) comes to the screen full of life, love, and good spirits.Written, directed by, and starring Benigni, “Life is Beautiful” starts in 1939 in Tuscany, during the rise of the Fascists. Benigni’s character, Guido, happens to run into a beautiful young woman all over town. Guido catches her falling out of a chicken coop and decides to call her his “princess.” The next day, he runs her over while riding a bicycle, and he decides to pursue his beautiful princess, Dora (Nicoletta Braschi).Guido longs to open a bookstore in town, but he must work for his uncle as a waiter. Dora is engaged to the local Fascist official, with whom Guido has had a few unfortunate meetings. Guido finally wins Dora’s love during her engagement party, and the two take off together to start their fairy tale romance.A few years pass, and Guido and Dora have a perfect life, along with their beautiful son, Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini). Guido has opened his bookstore, and life could not be any better. However, the Fascists and their “Racial Laws” finally catch up to Guido and his family. Always the funny and enlightening man, he tries to protect his family from the evils of the racists. One day, though, on Giosue’s birthday, Dora returns to find their home empty and ransacked. She knew the time had come, so she went down to the train station and demanded to be let on a train with her husband and child. Dora was not going to let her family be torn apart – she was going to the concentration camp, too.This tale of love and survival during a time of hatred and cruelty in World War II has the power to touch audiences by showing the special bonds between parents and children, as well as the love between Guido and Dora.With his clever comic ability, Benigni manages to make his character full of life and optimism when things seem so bleak. His motivation is to shelter his son, whom he loves more than anything, from the atrocious acts at the concentration camp. He wants his son to always believe that life is beautiful.”Life is Beautiful” won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, eight David di Donatello Awards (the Italian Oscars), and other festivals’ awards, including the Vancouver, Toronto, and Jerusalem Film Festivals.”Life is Beautiful” is now showing at the Drexel East.