Blog 2: Editing

For my video editing assignment I decided to focus on the last scene of the Italian film “Life is Beautiful.” The last scene is very moving and could not have been so if it was not for brilliant editing. The scene is focuses on the main character Guido. He is trying to find his wife so he is dressed in women’s clothing to hide from the Germans. The music is very dramatic and climatic, establishing suspense.
At around 5:38 there is a long shot of Guido in the background with a spotlight on him. The next shot is of him falling and almost seamlessly the next shot is a close-up of Guido standing up. Now the editor builds suspense in the most heartbreaking part of the film.
Guido’s little son Joshua is hidden inside a mailbox, out of sight from the Germans. Guido is aware of his son’s whereabouts and has to walk by the mailbox as the soldier leads Guido to his death. The editor builds tension by showing Guido and then showing the mailbox, this allows viewer to understand the proximity of both characters in relation to each other. The editor zooms in on a close up of the son’s eyes and then a shot of Guido looking straight ahead; this creates the illusion that they are both staring at each other. The next shot is from the perspective inside the mailbox; all the viewers can see are shadows of a rectangle and a long strip of action creating another illusion looking through the child’s eyes. By the end of the scene Guido is lead down a long path and out of sight of the viewer, gunshots are heard and then a solider emerges alone.
The scene was edited with many illusions and assumptions on the viewer’s perspective. However, nothing felt force and the editor kept the entire scene very suspenseful and heart wrenching. The editing was flawless and without carefully reviewing the scene it would feel as if it really was the view inside of a mailbox and Guido and his son where staring emotionally at each other.


I started my analysis at 5:15 in the video.