Product Description

A swirl of pop-art color, madcap magic, and the bittersweet calls of life and love suddenly take the mature, ravishing, self-reliant Agata by storm. When Agata, popular bookshop proprietor and dispenser of sunny wisdom in the form of books, is suddenly wooed by a man almost half her age, her electricity hits high-voltage. It even sends light bulbs, computers and other electrical appliances bursting in her wake.

Nor is Agata s brother Gustavo a rather self-satisfied, pampered successful architect comfortably sheltered from the brewing storm of life either. The shock when he discovers he is in fact an adopted son, bought by his parents as an infant, shakes the very foundations of his certitudes. The winds of change soon rage at gale force as he is forced to admit his true feelings about his joyless marriage and mediocre life.

An incorrigible skirt-chaser and traveling salesman appropriately named Romeo, as garish as his clothing lines, turns out to be Gustavo s unlikely real brother. The chorus of this ensemble comedy reaches impossible heights of suspense, laughter and tenderness as the destinies of a myriad of other equally endearing and outrageous characters interweave in the adventures of the bizarre triangle.

Yet it is Agata s joy and explosive magnetism in the face of life in all its irony that eventually offers the eye of the cyclone. There, all is supremely quiet and still, as Agata creates a haven of love and freedom to quell the storms of life s unfulfilled desires.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #90942 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-01-30
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
• Original language: Italian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 118 minutes

About the Director
Silvio Soldini made PAESAGGIO CON FIGURE, his first medium-length film in 16mm, in 1983. This film and GIULIA IN OTTOBRE were awarded at various national and international festivals. In 1984 Soldini formed his own production company, Monogatari, with his closest collaborators. With VOCI CELATE in 1985, Soldini also began making documentaries. In 1989 he shot his first feature, L'ARIA SERENA DELL'OVEST, which was extremely well received by the public. The film, presented in competition at the Locarno Festival, won the Grolla d'Oro for Best Screenplay at Saint-Vincent, the Grand-Prix at the Annecy Festival, and the Best Actress award for Patrizia Piccinini at La Boule. L'ARIA SERENA DELL'OVEST was invited for screening at numerous international festivals (Montreal, Rotterdam, New Directors New Films, among others).

The year 1993 marked the making of UN'ANIMA DIVISA IN DUE, which received the Grolla d oro for Best Director at Saint-Vincent, and was presented in competition at the Venice Film Festival. At that time, Fabrizio Bentivoglio also won Best Actor for his performance. Soldini directed LE ACROBATE in 1997, selected in competition at the Locarno Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival, and awarded at Rencontres Internationales de Cinéma in Paris. In Saint-Vincent, the film also received the Grolla d'Oro for Valeria Golino.

In 2000, Soldini made PANE E TULIPANI / BREAD AND TULIPS, a film that consecrated his rank as an international director. It was a tremendous critical and box office success. Indeed, the film was sold in countries all the world from Japan to Australia with sweeping popularity in Switzerland (the film's grosses placed it an all-time second in the entire history of Swiss cinema), as well as in Germany, Argentina, Brazil and the United States. The film won 9 David di Donatello awards, 5 Nastri d Argento awards, 9 Ciak d oro awards, the Premio Flaiano, and received 3 nominations to the European Academy Awards.

In 2004, Silvio Soldini directed AGATA E LA TEMPESTA / AGATA AND THE STORM with Licia Maglietta and Giuseppe Battiston. After BREAD AND TULIPS, this was a return to comedy, bursting with vivid characters, colors, and an atmosphere and mood that was less fable-like and more surreal. In 2006, Silvio Soldini directed BRUCIO NEL VENTO / BURNING IN THE WIND, based on the novel Ieri by Agota Kristof, and shot in French Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Presented in competition at the Berlin Festival, the film received eight nominations to the David di Donatello, and won the award for Best Film at the International Festival Film by the Sea in Vlissingen, Holland.

Customer Reviews

A Romantic Italian Film!
I LOVE THIS MOVIE! I rented it originally, and decided I wanted to
own it, so I can watch it anytime. If you enjoyed "Pane e Tulipani"
(Bread and Tulips) , you will love this romantic movie! It is funny,
sweet, and wonderful. Agata owns a book shop, and this story follows
her labyrinthine path to love, as well as exploring the story of her
brother on a quest to find his biological family. Highly recommended!