How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Life Is Beautiful.
Quote #7
[With Joshua watching from his hiding place, Guido playfully goosesteps as the soldier marches him around a corner. Both Guido and the soldier turn the corner. We hear machine gun fire, and the soldier returns alone.]
Guido becomes a victim of the war. Faced with certain death, he can't defend himself against the soldier's savage force. He can only protect his son's spirit. In this way, the soldier can kill Guido, but he can't defeat him.
Quote #8
JOSHUA: We won!
DORA: Yes, we won!
JOSHUA: A thousand points to laugh like crazy about! We came in first! We're taking the tank home! We won!
Without firing a single shot, Guido "wins." His son and wife are safe, and his son's love of life hasn't been destroyed.
Obviously, the reality of the Holocaust and World War II was very different than what is presented in Life Is Beautiful. Two-thirds of Europe's Jews, and tens of millions of other civilians and military forces, were killed. But there were many instances of—pardon the cliché—the triumph of the human spirit, and this is what the film wants to show us.