BREAD AND TULIPS (Pane e Tulipani) ----------------------------------
When Rosalba's (Licia Maglietta) husband and children allow their vacation tour bus to leave a rest area without her, she furiously decides to hitchhike home. A stopover in Venice introduces her to Icelander Fernando (Bruno Ganz, "Wings of Desire") and becomes more than a one night stay in "Bread and Tulips (Pane e Tulipani)".
"Bread and Tulips" is blessed with a charming cast and glowing lead in Licia Maglietta. Unfortunately the film's uneven pacing drags it down, making it a bit of a chore to sit through.
Rosalba finds a desolate pensione on its last night of operation and is directed to the Marco Polo restaurant. There she meets downtrodden waiter Fernando who informs her that they're without a cook before presenting her with an artfully arranged cold plate. When Rosalba misses her train home the next day, she returns to the Marco Polo and asks Fernando where she can find a very cheap room. He graciously offers to board her for the evening and she awakens to find a luxurious breakfast spread left for her. On a whim, she takes a job with an anarchist florist, Fermo (Felice Andreasi) and ends up taking residence down the hall from Fernando. New age masseuse neighbor Grazia (Marina Massironi) and Rosalba speculate on Fernando's marital state when he's seen with a young woman and small boy.
Meanwhile Rosalba's husband Mimmo (Antonio Catania), a bathroom fixture businessman, has had enough of Rosalba's disappearance when his mistress refuses to iron his shirts and sends newly hired plumber Costantino (Giuseppe Massironi), a pudgy momma's boy who reads detective stories, to find his wife. Costantino finds love with Grazia instead.
As amusing as Costantino and his travails are, coscreenwriter (with Doriana Leondeff)/director Silvio Soldini spends way too much time following the hapless lug so that we almost forget about Rosalba. Fernando's 'mystery' family (his daughter-in-law and grandson) are revealed for what they are so quickly one wonders why they were ever made mysterious. Rosalba's fantastical dreams, where various characters appear in her bedroom, are too random and don't work their way into the film's texture. Fernando's suicidal tendencies are treated as an aside, an important character distinction that could be missed by a trip to the concession stand.
Yet there are marvelous touches in Soldini's work, such as Rosalba's rediscovery of the accordion, Costantino's lodging in a broken down barge and Fermo's dictatorial treatment of his customers (which sends many of them fleeing). Fernando's archaic way of speaking lends considerable charm to Ganz' soulful waiter. The Venice of "Bread and Tulips" is the Venice known by its residents rather than its tourists.
"Bread and Tulips" is sweet but uneven.
C+
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