The Tiger and the Snow

Although not quite as gripping as 1997's Life is Beautiful, Italian actor/auteur Roberto Benigni's latest film gives the manic performer plenty of opportunities to wring laughs from similarly heart-rending situations. The story line revolves around Italian poet and teacher Attilio de Giovanni (Benigni), who dreams incessantly about marrying literary researcher Vittoria (Nicoletta Braschi), who's writing a book about his friend Fuad (Jean Reno), an Arab poet. Arriving in Baghdad just as hostilities begin, Vittoria is seriously wounded and confined to a hopelessly ill-equipped hospital. Upon hearing this, lovestruck Attilio poses as a doctor, races to her bedside and attempts to procure the necessary supplies that will speed her recovery. Benigni's non-controversial, non-ideological film uses the Iraq conflict as a backdrop, not a cause celebre. Tiger and the Snow is simply a seriocomic tale of unrequited love that gives the Italian comic a perfect vehicle for his Chaplinesque blending of humor and pathos.

Shelf Talk: Life is Beautiful won three Oscars and grossed $224 million worldwide. Tiger hasn't fared nearly as well; its global box-office take was little more than a tenth as much, and its token U.S. release (on four screens) earned less than $10,000. The Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists bestowed upon the film two of its prestigious Silver Ribbons—for Best Story and Best Music—but otherwise Tiger hasn't picked up any major awards. Furthermore, Benigni's antics at the 1999 Academy Awards ceremony have long since receded into memory. Thus, this movie's performance will largely depend upon the extent to which Hart Sharp's advertising campaign reintroduces him to American consumers.