Bread and Tulips (2001)
Directed by Silvio Soldini
Written by Silvio Soldini
Starring Licia Maglietta
Release Date July 27th, 2001
Published December 14th, 2001
Is there any city in the world more beautifully filmed than Venice? Whereas New York is charismatic and vibrant and Paris remains unique and colorful, Venice is breathtakingly beautiful on screen. I have never been there but someday I hope to go there and if I'm lucky I'll meet people like the characters in Silvio Soldini's lovely film Bread & Tulips.
The film that swept Italy's equivalent of the Oscars, known as the David's, stars Licia Maglietta as Rosalba, a 40-ish neglected mother of three. And when I say neglected I mean it. While on a family vacation, the family accidentally forgets Licia at a rest stop and her insensitive husband Mimmo (Antonio Catania) blames her the mix up. Feeling rebellious, Licia decides not to wait for her family to come get her and she hitches a ride home. Once there she begins to feel restless and decides that she needs a vacation of her own and takes off for Venice.
Once in Venice she has dinner at a little restaurant where she meets a waiter named Fernando (Bruno Ganz). After her meal, Licia asks Fernando if he knows a place where she can stay and he offers to let her stay with him for a night.
One night turns into two and before long Licia takes a job and begins renting a room in Fernando's apartment. Licia's husband meanwhile can't get his mistress to do the housework and decides he needs to bring his wife back. Mimmo hires Constantino, a plumber who was merely applying for a position as a plumber when Mimmo noticed he listed detective novels as a hobby. Instead of hiring Constantino as a plumber he hires him as a detective to go to Venice and find is wife.
Guisseppe Battiston plays Constantino and he brings a wonderful comedic element to the film with his bumbling attempts to ape his detective novel heroes. Constantino also has a love interest in Licia's new neighbor Grazia (Maria Massironi) who describes herself as holistic beautician and masseuse.
The film, directed by Silvio Soldini, is charming and fun the characters are sweet and sensitive. Extra credit to Ganz for his heartfelt performance as Fernando who, when we first meet him, is considering suicide. Licia unknowingly restores Fernando and he does the same for her, though not with your typical romantic comedy stops and starts. The courtship is slow and steady and never forced. The audience feels for these characters beginning to end.
Of course the real star of Bread & Tulips is the city. It's small shops and cobbled streets have unending charm.
Bread & Tulips is at times a little too cute but still a charming film populated by sweet characters and worth seeing as long as you don't mind reading a movie. Yes, Jethro, this one has subtitles so put it down and go grab Joe Dirt.
For you intelligent filmgoers, sit down and lose yourself in this gem of a film.
