Friday November 2, 2001

Grade:

B+

"Bread and Tulips" is a laugh-out-loud, feel-good movie that dares to hope. Let yourself be carried away by the unpredictable, eccentric characters and hidden back canals of Venice - would a little extra hope and eccentricity in your life really be all that bad?

Director Silvio Soldini ("Le Acrobate"), inspired by the humor and idealism of such films as Ingmar Bergman's 1954 classic "A Lesson in Love," has crafted an unconventional tale of one woman's - Rosalba's (Licia Maglietta) - second chance.

A combination of Woody Allen's misadventures, the offbeat but loveable characters in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and the thoughtfulness of "A Room with a View," "Bread and Tulips" mixes physical comedy and romance with an honest portrayal of the sometimes convoluted human condition.

Known in Italy as "Pane e Tulipani," this is the story of middle-aged Italian Rosalba and her accidental journey to Venice after being left in a rest stop while on vacation with her indifferent husband and two sons.

It is a story of Rosalba's journey toward an eventual liberation from her stifling existence as a middle-class housewife. As she makes her way through Venice, she is transformed and empowered by the kind cast of characters she encounters while in a city of love.

She meets and befriends a suicidal, lounge-singing maitre' d, an anarchist florist, a bindi-sporting holistic beautician and a Pink Panther-esque bumbling detective, who form a memorable and endearing supporting cast.

Rosalba is a refreshing combination of the frailty and innocence of Audrey Hepburn, with voluptuousness reminiscent of Sofia Loren and an element of clumsy realness. The shift in Rosalba's character from an insecure woman to vivacious and beguiling is believable and subtly crafted.

The movie's turning point is Rosalba's rediscovery of her talent to play the accordion. This instrument possesses a strong resonance and strange sensuality, which perfectly symbolizes Rosalba's emerging new lifestyle. An accordion-playing heroine is an unusual touch; women are not usually slated with this instrument in modern cinema.

Simple story lines mix seamlessly with waking dream sequences that are barely distinguishable from reality and not employed with too heavy a hand. For example, while Rosalba is sleeping in a pensione (small hotel), she dreams that her mother-in-law wakes her and piles fresh brussel sprouts in the sink and offers her a hair dryer to cook them with.

Scenes were shot primarily in the back alleys and canals of Venice and in areas of the city where the working class typically live - a side of Venice not popular with tourists or guidebooks. This unusual portrayal of Venice lends itself to Rosalba's discovery of herself and a new life. This movie does not portray Venice as the usual stereotype that you may see in many movies.

There are no striped gondoliers or monumental ornate architecture to be seen; simpler, less grandiose places such as a flower shop or small eatery are the focus. Soldini shows us that magic can bloom in the most usual places.