Bread and Tulips
 
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Bread and Tulips (2001)

Licia Maglietta (Actor), Bruno Ganz (Actor), Silvio Soldini (Director) | Rated: PG-13 | Format: DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews) |

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Product Details

  • Actors: Licia Maglietta, Bruno Ganz, Giuseppe Battiston, Antonio Catania, Marina Massironi
  • Directors: Silvio Soldini
  • Writers: Silvio Soldini, Doriana Leondeff
  • Producers: Daniele Maggioni, Tiziana Soudani
  • Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: Italian (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
    PLEASE NOTE:     Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: March 26, 2002
  • Run Time: 114 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00005Y6XU
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,039 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

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  • Learn more about "Bread and Tulips" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Italy's magical fantasy of midlife crisis and rebirth in Venice, the city of lovers, swept the Italian film awards and charmed all of Europe. Director Silvio Soldini turns the tourist mecca of piazzas, canals, and stone bridges into a quaint little village out of time and fills the film with the charm of the city and the gentle quirks of his delightful cast. Licia Maglietta is winning as Rosalba, the frustrated and ignored middle-aged mom who impulsively takes a vacation from her family. She hitchhikes to Venice and falls for lonely, suicidal Icelandic waiter-poet Bruno Ganz (whose soulful, sad eyes recall his fallen angel from Wings of Desire), blossoming as she rediscovers her smile and joy for life. Sweetly sexy and beautifully shot, this story of second chances may not be original or surprising (think Shirley Valentine), but it's no less lovely or enchanting for it. --Sean Axmaker

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
77 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Escaping to Venice May 12, 2002
Format:VHS Tape
When an Italian housewife Rosalba (Licia Maglietta) suddenly finds herself stranded, she realizes that perhaps she is not as appreciated by her family as she would like to be. All she sees is the tour bus moving off into the distance and then realizes her son has changed his phone number so she is unable to stop the bus.

When they finally call to ask where she is, she can't believe they didn't even check to see if she was on the bus before they left. Feeling adventurous and a little resentful, she decides to hitch a ride home, but ends up in Venice. With little money to spare, she manages to survive for a few days with hopes of getting a job and finding a place to stay.

After finding a job in a florist shop and moving in with a waiter named Fernando (who is just about to kill himself it seems), she meets Grazia who bursts into her life asking her to help her with a plumbing disaster.

For some reason Rosalba is swept away in this new life and keeps telling her family she will be back soon, yet something strange power seems to overtake her and she decides she too needs a vacation, albeit a working vacation. She spends her time working in the florist shop, reading books in the evening and eating breakfast prepared by Fernando. He also leaves her a note each morning, which is quite romantic even though, technically, she is just his house guest.

Once Rosalba's husband starts to notice that things are not getting done around his house, he hires Costantino (Giuseppe Battiston) as his private detective. This is when it become more of a comedy of sorts as Costantino is really a plumber who is determined to find Rosalba and return her to her husband.

An enjoyable escape that really keeps
your full attention. Licia Maglietta is
pure magic.

~The Rebecca Review
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51 of 55 people found the following review helpful
Bread and Tulips October 1, 2001
I found this movie to be absolutely charming and left the theatre with a smile on my face. Licia Maglietta was marvelous as the 40-something lovely lady who decides to take the other fork in the road and starts a new life in Venice. Tired of being under-appreciated and verbally abused by her boorish husband and preoccupied sons, Rosalba (Licia) decides to live for herself for a change and then becomes the catalyst that magically causes others to change around her -- the suicidal landlord/restauranteer, the aging florest employer who is a former anarchist, the lady neighbor down and hall, and even the comical plumber/detective sent in pursuit by her husband.

This film is funny, poignant, heart-warming, and charming. The entire cast is truly memorable; the small vignettes of Rosalba's dreams are somewhat jarring in their presentation - but once you become acclimated to their random arrival they add a bit of mystery to the film that is somewhat resolved at the end.

This is a DVD that I will buy upon release for sure.

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55 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Forget flurrying pigeons, St. Mark's, Florian's tables, all the standard fare usually delivered by films set in Venice. Silvio Soldini's deftly masterful "Bread and Tulips" is instead an ethereal Venezia, a triptych of shadows, echoes and lights that evoke a city of workers, narrow stone studded streets, mini bridges and interlocking canals.

It is a place that Rosalba (Licia Maglietta) cannot resist. She is an under estimated, unappreciated middle-age housewife and mother of two teenage sons who is on a family vacation to the Adriatic coast. When Rosalba exits the ladies room during a rest stop she sees the back bumper of the tour bus as it trundles down the road without her.

Her husband is Mimmo (Antonio Catania), a self-centered boor who dallies with his mistress and oversees a plumbing business in Pescara. She immediately contacts him by cell phone and is lambasted for being left behind. She agrees to wait there, but evidently ready for a vacation of her own choosing she makes her way to Venice.

After her evening arrival she has dinner at a modest trattoria where she meets Fernando (Bruno Ganz), an Icelander, a despondent waiter who is prone to suicide attempts. (He keeps a noose handy). Ganz's artfully understated portrayal of Fernando is superb.

When Rosalba allows that she is short on funds Fernando invites her to share his lodgings, where she is greeted each morning with a note from him as well as breakfast on a tray. Eventually, she finds work with an elderly florist and becomes friends with her neighbor, Grazia (Marina Massironi), a wide-eyed, other worldly masseuse. The emergence of Rosalba as a confident woman is a joy to watch as her eyes dance and features soften with radiant allure.

When Mimmo's mistress refuses to iron his shirts, he hires Costantino (Giuseppe Battiston), an unemployed wanna be detective to track down his wife. Costantino's arrival in Venice provides some of the film's better comic moments as he searches for a hotel and Rosalba.

When Costantino is able to trace Rosalba to her room, he meets Grazia and falls under her spell. Love's rocky path has more twists and turns when Costantino confesses why he really came to Venice.

Apparently conscience stricken Rosalba returns to her nonchalant sons and indifferent husband. Fernando is left more mournful than ever with only a note and a bouquet of tulips. Or, is he?

"Bread and Tulips" is a charming romantic comedy that leaves one sighing contentedly, hoping for a trip to Venice and maybe even breakfast on a tray.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Cannot get much better than this
This is one of those films, kind of like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where you just feel good when it ends. An excellent escape for a little while. Read more
Published 15 hours ago by John C. Horst
I Prefer Something Saltier with a Bit More Bite
"Bread and Tulips," (2000), a popular, full-color Italian romantic comedy comes complete with crowd-pleasing charm and lovely photography of Venice, the ancient city on the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Stephanie DePue
BREAD AND TULIPS
THE FOLLOWING IS A SYNOPSIS OF HOW I FELT AFTER VIEWING BREAD AND TULIPS:
The Italians certainly know how to appreciate LIFE & LOVE. Read more
Published 2 months ago by BleachBlondie
Wonderful!
I loved this romantic Italian movie, subtitles and all... :-) The plight of the housewife taken for granted is not a new story, but this twist on that all too common situation was... Read more
Published 4 months ago by L. Hollingsworth
Bread & Tulips
This is a beautiful, real, sweet movie. It shows how a woman can redefine her own life without hurting others or having to become a villain.
Published 4 months ago by Karla I. Loya
LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!
Love a movie about folks setting themselves free. Nuff said - it was a good one, and of course, wandering 'round Venice is pretty cool too!!!
Published 4 months ago by John M. Marsden
loved it again and again
Humorous and quirky story that is worth watching more than once. Sometimes silly and sometimes the humor is subtle. It is different but always entertaining.
Published 5 months ago by Customer
Women's Liberation, One Housewife at a Time
Rosalba, acted convincingly by Licia Maglietta, gets left off the tour bus that is taking her husband and two sons home from vacation. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Customer Formerly Known as Giordano Bruno
Charming, Quirky, Beautiful Scenery
I have to say that my opinion varied quite a bit during this film from 4 to 3 stars, and then back to 4. First of all, anything two hours or more is too long for me. Read more
Published 8 months ago by SanDiegoJesse
Great movie
Beautifully told story about a woman on vacation that gets separated from her family in Greece. Trying to find her way back home to Italy, she finds herself in a small town where... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Di
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