Bread, Love and Dreams

"...the stuff great entertainment is made of!"

1953 1h 27m IT

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 187

RomanceComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a veteran marshal is sent to a small town, he quickly falls for two women: a midwife and an earthy young woman nicknamed "Frisky".

“...the stuff great entertainment is made of!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Vittorio De Sica
Maresciallo Carotenuto
Gina Lollobrigida
La Bersagliera
Marisa Merlini
Annarella
Tina Pica
Caramella
Maria Pia Casilio
Paoletta
Memmo Carotenuto
Carabiniere Baiocchi
Roberto Risso
Carabiniere Stelluti
Virgilio Riento
Don Emidio

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Luigi Comencini
Writers: Ettore Maria Margadonna, Luigi Comencini, Ettore Maria Margadonna
Languages: Italian
Countries: Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "Bread, Love and..." — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Luigi Comencini, shot by Arturo Gallea. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alessandro Cicognini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Editor Mario Serandrei shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Vittorio De Sica and Gina Lollobrigida and Marisa Merlini carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "...the stuff great entertainment is made of!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Luigi Comencini directs. Arturo Gallea behind the camera. Alessandro Cicognini scores. Mario Serandrei cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
273 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Bread, Love and..." — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Luigi Comencini, shot by Arturo Gallea. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alessandro Cicognini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Mario Serandrei shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Vittorio De Sica and Gina Lollobrigida and Marisa Merlini carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "...the stuff great entertainment is made of!".
9IMDB entry: tt0046159 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Arturo Gallea
Original score: Alessandro Cicognini
Editing: Mario Serandrei
Production design: Gastone Medin
Makeup / hair: Liliana Celli
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Status: Released
Original language: IT
IMDB: Bread, Love and Dreams (1953)

Awards

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Bread, Love and...

Also by

Luigi Comencini

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-04
★ 7/10
With a grandeur typical of much of the rest of this light-hearted romance, the new police chief "Antonio" (Vittorio De Sica) arrives at his new, rural, command on the bus. He has hardly hung up his hat before he takes a bit of a shine to "Bersagliera" (Gina Lollobrigida) who's nickname "Frisky" clearly demonstrates how totally unsuitable any relationship between the two might be. Anyway, she has her eyes on his dashing young sergeant (Roberto Risso). His life is further complicated when the local midwife "Annarella" (Marisa Merlini) begins to fall in love with him, unaware that she has a few secrets of her own that might compromise everything. It's quite difficult to précis the plot without making it look like a predictable soap-style love triangle, but the characterisations here and the quick-fired dialogue pack quite a lot into ninety minutes with Lollobrigida at her most natural in front of the camera. Except, that is, when they are on the bikes in front of what is clearly a moving background of somewhere completely different! There's plenty of chemistry here, some fun and the practically minded "Frisky" seems ultimately more bothered about her mule than either of her men. It's a film that slightly exaggerates normal village life, and at times is just a wee bit contrived, but it's still entertaining to watch.

Production companies