Bread and Tulips
Winter 2002 Main series
Sunday, February 10, 2002 at 7:00pm
Empire Theatres, New Minas, NS
Directed by
Starring Licia Maglietta and Bruno Ganz
Rated NR ·
1h 54m
Italy
Italian
Bread And Tulips, a bubbly, joyous comedy, is a woman’s fairy tale of hope that delighted audiences in Toronto and Cannes. Rosalba (Licia Maglietta) is a 40-year-old housewife who longs to escape the restraints of suffocating family routine and seek new adventures. While on a bus tour with her family, Rosalba is accidentally “forgotten” at a rest stop. When her husband fails to return for her immediately, Rosalba spontaneously decides to fulfil a long-suppressed desire to see Venice, city of her dreams. Her one-day spree of freedom gradually extends to a few days, then weeks as she begins to rediscover a long-forgotten sensuality and her natural, fun-loving nature. She gets a job in a florist’s shop run by a hopeless anarchist, finds lodging with a mysterious Icelandic waiter who speaks in epic verse, acquires a flighty holistic masseuse as a friend and rediscovers her passion for the accordion. Meanwhile, Rosalba’s irate husband hires a plumber with an obsession for detective novels to find her and bring her home. Described as “a rare jewel”, “fresh, daring and new” and charged with a vital positive energy, Bread And Tulips won six Italian Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.
“[Licia] Maglietta is the secret of this movie’s romantic charm. Italy’s favourite film in years.” – Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times