Pane, amore e fantasia

Carabiniere Maresciallo Antonio Carotenuto (Vittorio De Sica) is transferred to a small village in the mountains where he is supposed to head the local police station. Being moved to the provinces is a particular burden for him, as he is still unmarried in his early fifties and the selection of single women in the village is hardly large: the most promising candidates are midwife Annarella and the highly temperamental “Bersagliera” (Gina Lollobrigida), who has her eye on a younger police officer however. This spirited, picturesque comedy, a central work of neorealismo rosa, gave Vittorio De Sica one of his most successful roles and made  Gina Lollobrigida into an international star. With more than ten million viewers, PANE, AMORE E FANTASIA remains to this day one of the most successful Italian films of all time and was followed by four sequels. (hjf)