| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Special Features
None.
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
Product Description
new
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
86 of 90 people found the following review helpful
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.... Read more ›
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.... Read more ›
54 of 58 people found the following review helpful
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.
57 of 62 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.
... Read more ›23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Bread and Tulips tells the story of a middle-aged Italian woman, Rosalba, beautifully played by Licia Maglietta, who is left stranded at a tourist stop by her husband and sons. Upset by their indifference to her, she decides to visit Venice before she goes home to a family that does not appreciate her.
Needing dinner after arriving at her pensione (bed and breakfast) she goes to a tratoria (family style restaurant) and meets Fernando, the waiter, played by the fine German actor, Bruno Ganz, whom some viewers may have seen in Wim Wenders wonderful films. Rosalba is short of cash and ends up staying with Fernando in his apartment.
Rosalba senses the loneliness and sadness in Fernando. He has a noose to hang himself hidden under his bed. She does her best to cheer him up by making his dingy apartment an attractive place to live.
Rosalba soon finds work with an eccentric florist and decides to stay with Fernando. She is a warm, attractive woman who makes life better for everyone she meets. She seems in no hurry to go home to her family.
Her husband decides to send a plumber, who has come looking for work, to Venice to find his wife. This subplot adds much humor to the story. Each of the characters has some unique quality which makes them memorable. Rosalba is so warm and friendly that everyone who meets her likes her and wants to help her. She may not be needed by her family, but she quickly becomes important to her small circle of friends in Venice.
What makes this film special is first the performances, which are first-rate. Licia Maglietta as Rosalba is wonderful. She is just the sort of person we would like to know. She is warm, friendly, genuinely interested in others, and talented.... Read more ›
Needing dinner after arriving at her pensione (bed and breakfast) she goes to a tratoria (family style restaurant) and meets Fernando, the waiter, played by the fine German actor, Bruno Ganz, whom some viewers may have seen in Wim Wenders wonderful films. Rosalba is short of cash and ends up staying with Fernando in his apartment.
Rosalba senses the loneliness and sadness in Fernando. He has a noose to hang himself hidden under his bed. She does her best to cheer him up by making his dingy apartment an attractive place to live.
Rosalba soon finds work with an eccentric florist and decides to stay with Fernando. She is a warm, attractive woman who makes life better for everyone she meets. She seems in no hurry to go home to her family.
Her husband decides to send a plumber, who has come looking for work, to Venice to find his wife. This subplot adds much humor to the story. Each of the characters has some unique quality which makes them memorable. Rosalba is so warm and friendly that everyone who meets her likes her and wants to help her. She may not be needed by her family, but she quickly becomes important to her small circle of friends in Venice.
What makes this film special is first the performances, which are first-rate. Licia Maglietta as Rosalba is wonderful. She is just the sort of person we would like to know. She is warm, friendly, genuinely interested in others, and talented.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Movie
This is a good movie. About following your instincts and taking a chance. It depicts perfectly how it is never too late to find yourself, and how when you do, everyone and... Read more
Published 5 days ago by Mona
5.0 out of 5 stars
Middle age love
I've seen this movie for the second time. I love it. The characters are believable. Licia Maglietta, Bruno Ganz are great as the couple who find each other when She is left behind... Read more
Published 7 days ago by R. Mitra
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet story in Venice
Excellent character development, good scenery, touch of humor, very nice story, heart felt acting all made for a great movie
Published 10 days ago by Attila Szabo
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quirky
Chose this one day home sick. Certainly entertained by the story of an unappreciated woman who "takes a vacation". A group a quirky characters.
Published 11 days ago by Mary Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charming, sweet, escape....
Still holds up after so many years. Great performances, wonderful dialogue. Worth seeing more than once. Wish more movies were like this one.
Published 12 days ago by 1+1=3
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ok
Just ok. Nothing to see a second time. Just at the end we get the story that changed everithing in the life of some persons. Before that moment, many irrelevant details.
Published 25 days ago by Alfonso A.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Movie!
I will be watching this movie again! This story is very creative & fun. As a non-Italian, I enjoyed catching a glimpse of Italian humor. It isn't laugh-out-loud humor. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Amesyth Ardendron
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charming breath of fresh air
The Italians have this flair for enduring good taste - a very engrossing movie, starts somewhat slowly but that's par for the course
Published 1 month ago by Balzaque
3.0 out of 5 stars
Housewife's need for respite, independence and self-identity
Well acted and thoughtfully presented. Appreciate the story, however, not necessarily ground-breaking. Would recommend for the acting but less so for the story line.
Published 1 month ago by Scott Carpenter
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Italian film "Bread and Tulips"
I loved everything about it. The actors, the acting, the story, the scenery, the humor and the sensitivity. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Anita
Look for Similar Items by Category
|
