The power of laughter, to lift the spirit in any situation, even in the face of extreme danger/tragedy makes the characters in Life is Beautiful very memorable and heroic. Robert Benigi, director and actor of the movie, Life is Beautiful, based this movie on his father's re-telling's of how life was in concentration camps in WWll. However, Benigi added a little twist to these dark moments, by adding humor to these times and showing the power of laughter (Life is Beautiful(1997) - Plot Summary). Guido, the main character, is very cunning, hilarious, and has a wild imagination, which lets him pull of crazy things, just to make life for his son and wife better in a sense, making him almost heroic for doing so. Robert Benigi shows this power of laughter, by taking an almost fairy-tale like approach, which made it both funny and emotionally moving, but with a shift in tone once Guido and his family were taken to the concentration camp. Guido, played by Benigi, used his sense of humor and wild imagination to confuse his enemies and pull of things that would otherwise be insane. His actions brand him a hero, being caring, brave, and eventually dying for his son. He may be a considered a hero because of his actions. His heroic qualities that made him such a hero were: his tragic flaw or error which brought about his death, and his journey. Guido, in Life is Beautiful, follows the conventions of a hero as illustrated by his heroic qualities, his tragic flaw and his journey.

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             Benigi shows Guido's heroic qualities by making him ingenuitive, imaginative, and very funny. He uses his surroundings to his advantage, and makes dire situations seem funny for his son, Giosue, by his antics that cheer Giosue up, and make him think this is all a game. Guido is very brave since his antics could end up life threatening, which they eventually do. Guido has a sense of innocence and naivety, since he seems like he doesn't seem to grasp the situations he's in, and believes almost anything anyone tells him.