One of the keen pleasures of movies is seeing one with friends and then chatting about it when the lights come up. That’s just what Piedmont’s Flix Fest, which meets on the second Thursday of each month, offers: a great movie in a comfortable setting, and then a discussion of it afterward.
This month’s film is “Bread and Tulips” (“Pane e Tulipani” in its original language), which was advertised at the time of its release, in 2000, as “the best Italian comedy of the year.”
Some of you may decide, after seeing it, that it’s the best comedy of 2000, period.
There’s no doubt, however, that its Italian setting gives it a special quality, especially since that setting is Venice in all its labyrinthine charm. The Italian temperament enhances the tale, too, with its broad gestures, uninhibited expression, and quick-to-ignite passions.
It all begins when Rosalba Barletta (Licia Maglietta), a Neapolitan-born housewife, finds herself stranded during a family vacation. Instead of waiting for her controlling and unfaithful husband to retrieve her, she decides to hitchhike her way home, and then — ah! — impulsively detours to Venice.
That’s when things get even more wacky and romantic. A waiter, played by Bruno Ganz, starts to make Rosalba’s heart beat hard. In the meantime her husband has sent a bumbling detective to search her out, After showing up in Venice himself, the hubby gets the hots for a holistic masseuse. Funny compilations ensue.
“Bread and Tulips” will be screened on Nov. 14, at 1:00 p.m. Sponsored by the Rec Department, the event takes place in the Center for the Arts at 801 Magnolia Avenue on the second Thursday of each month. Doors will open at 12:45 p.m.. The event is free and open to anyone over 18 years of age. Participants are invited on a drop-in basis, though registration with the PRD is encouraged HERE. Everyone is welcome to bring snacks or lunch.
The next movie in the Piedmont series is the classic comedy-romance, “Roman Holiday”, that introduced Audrey Hepburn to the world, co-starring Gregory Peck., It will be shown on Dec. 12.