Although a bit too long,"Pane e Cioccolate" features moments of unquestionable brilliance,of sheer genius ,which make him a classic of the Italian cinema any day.The scenes in the chicken cop are terrific and include idea to rival the best of the Italian cinema of the seventies ,which is saying something.It's so terrific I have to search my memory to find such terrifying scenes as those of the poor wops turning into poultry.And as if it weren't enough,those purple passages are followed by the irruption of posh young people,rich kids,who look like E.T.s .It's Italian directors' forte to walk a fine line between comedy and drama (the drag act),a thing French movies simply can't achieve ,with a few exceptions.Much more accessible than his stodgy "disordine" ,"pane" is Brusati's (and Manfredi's ) triumph :it's updated Chaplin -the scene when the hero chews his sandwich when elegant ladies are serving cakes and enjoying classical music - An immigrant will always be "tried out" .Everywhere he shows,he will be the perfect loser .Like this? try these.....They're a weird mob (Powell,1966) America America (Kazan ,1963) The immigrant (Chaplin,1918)

A Film Review of Pane e Cioccolata Written By Jeremy LawrenceThe film "Pane e Cioccolata", also known as bread and chocolate (1973) directed by Franco Brusati is one of the remarkable films that installs the perception of both lifter and of sorrow. Brusati takes the audience through the life of an illiterate southern Italian immigrant as he tries to find refuge in the economic system of Switzerland in order to earn enough money to support him self and that of his so called families back home in Italia. As he progresses through the story unusual problems arise that involve differences in culture as well as a specific stereotype problems created by the society and even by himself. Threw out the film Nino (Nino Manfredi) is thrown into situations that arise because of his lack of a formal education and of his difference in cultural practices. For instance in a spectacular scene ware Nino is confronted by a Swiss police inspector (Giorgio Cerioni) who presents Nino with a photograph of himself urinating in public, his cultural differences are evident. But at first the inspector tells Nino that he has committed an obscene act in public. Nino is appalled by the accusation, but when the inspector tells him that the act was of him taking a pepe in public Nino is Lost and can not see why the act was so offensive that he should be fired for the act alone. What is missing is that in Nino's culture of uneducated southern Italians (hicks) the act is a trivial one and an obscene act is much more sever, infect Neno rebuttals that he has not done an obscene act in private for some time. This and a plethora go to show the distance that Nino was from the members of his surrounding communities. Finally after trying to assimilate into the Swiss culture Nino gives up and decides to change his physical appearance to better resemble the traditional blond hair. When he travels into a pup for a drink he does not know how to answer the water. When a soccer game between the Italian team and the Swedish team appears on the television Nino tries to hide his indignation of the Swiss towards himself and root for the Swiss team. To all that are in the pup the fact that Nino is not a Native German speaker is in explicitly evident. He is ultimately rejected from the society and is imprisoned ware when he is released his blond hair was cut off. This further goes to illustrate his lack of acceptance from the members of the Swedish society. But when her tries to return to Italy, he abandons the train and returns to Switzerland. Throughout his struggle Nino is constantly rejected and a pone boarding the train that will take him back to Italy he is reminded of the stereotypical cultural influence of the fellow train occupancy as they brake out into song. This further goes to demonstrate his unwillingness to return to the foreboding family back home and reaffirms his belief that wail he may not be educated he is at least trying to make ends meet. But one must wonder if he were smarter why did he not go to the Italian speaking part of Switzerland or after a few years why he could not speak more German than the hand full of words he admitted to know. But all in all the stories goes to show that racism and prodigies are not always the solution and that wail one may be illiterate that the circumstances that perspired against that person may or may not lead that individual full circle. This film has much more to say and I, the writer do not have the space to elaborate. For example there is the social implications of the forged friendship of the Italian Industrialist and Nino. But for all purposes this film encourages those who take the time to watch the film to engulfed ourselves in Nino's struggles and to relate to Nino's desperation and a lack of social mannerism and lack of cultural adaptability.

I was four when Bread and Chocolate played at a small theater in San Francisco. My mother decided to take me(no babysitter). The story I've heard many, many times was that I was upset with her that she wouldn't (although now I realize it was more that she couldn't) read the subtitles to me. I eventually became frustrated with her and moved two isles over. My mom has said that she would turn to watch me and although I couldn't truly read the subtitle or comprehend the language, I laughed continually throughout the movie. She said I truly enjoyed Bread and Chocolate. Many years later I rented the movie and it's amazing. It's exactly as I remembered it. Truly a gem of a movie, though the second time around I was able to fully grasp the meaning of this movie. It's universal and it's timeless. I now own this on DVD and have enjoyed sharing it with my family and friends. Certainly a must see movie!

This movie brilliantly and movingly, but always with a lot of irony, describes the plight of an Italian migrant laborer in Switzerland. Some scenes are among the best in the history of cinema.A group of migrant laborers are doing some filthy work in a ramshackle barn. Through a small window they see some beautiful young Swiss adolescents riding on horse back. These youngsters look like gods compared to the poor ants in the barn!In another scene the hero of the film has been trying very hard for some time to assimilate, to become even more Swiss then the Swiss themselves. But he can't suppress his deep feelings of identity for ever. One day he enters a pub and watches a soccer match between Italy and Switzerland. At a certain moment he can't control himself any more and starts shouting to encourage the Italian team. He makes such a nuisance of himself that the Swiss throw him out.Utterly brilliant!