Language
Arts Permission Slip for Life is Beautiful—
Due
before
May 21 (b), May 22 (a).
_____
Yes, my student, _______________________________________________, may view the film Life is Beautiful.
_____ No, please provide an alternate assignment
for my student: ____________________________________________.
Parent/Guardian
Name: __________________________ Signature: _________________________ Date: __________
In eighth grade Language Arts this
year, we’ve been reading the play version of The Diary of Anne Frank. We would like watch a film to give students
more background about this time period but one that also demonstrates
situational, dramatic, and verbal irony and gives us the chance to meet the
state standards in speaking, listening, and viewing. We’d like to show Life
is Beautiful (La Vita E Bella), an Italian film that won three
Academy awards--best actor, best foreign film, best music (for Nicola Piovani’s
original dramatic score). In this film, an Italian man chooses to hide the
atrocities of the concentration camps from his young son by pretending that
they are playing an elaborate game. His
intention is to ensure that, for his son, life will always be beautiful. Much of the movie actually takes place in Italy,
developing the main character and showing the love and happiness of their
family before they are sent to the concentration camp. It is rated PG-13 for Holocaust-related
thematic elements but because it is often viewed through the eyes of a child,
there are not graphic depictions of violence or death. In the past, our students have been moved by
this powerful and sensitive movie. It
also presents several meaningful opportunities to discuss situational,
dramatic, and verbal irony, which are challenging literary techniques for our
students. We hope that you will trust us
to discuss these issues thoughtfully and professionally. It is readily available at any video store or
the public library if you would like to preview it yourself. Please
return this permission slip by May 22, 2012 or sooner.
~Kim Izzo/ Kim Combs (izzok@duvalschools.org)
and Morgan Jackson, (jacksonm3@duvalschools.org)
