User reviews

This film about the struggles of an Italian immigrant in Switzerland generates bizarrely conflicting emotions; indeed at times you don't know whether to laugh or cry! I saw this years ago when I was at university and I expect it has dated in the sense that the status of immigrants has changed a lot since then. It may even be disquieting at times for those who have grown-up believing that they must never laugh at particular social groups, but the film is clearly sympathetic to those whose dignity is compromised daily by their circumstances of life. I defy anyone not to cry with laughter at the restaurant and chicken-coop scenes.

If all the film-festival awards this movie has won haven't convinced you to see it, then my review probably will not either. Regardless, it is important to know how well-done this movie truly is. Nino Manfredi does an absolutely stellar performance as a poor Italian immigrant trying to fit in in a world which dislikes him and his kind. From the start, this seems like a regular enjoyable comedy, but quickly transitions into both a comedy and a drama. On the one-hand, Manfredi's Chaplinesque "loveable loser" character is both endearing and hilarious. On the other hand, the film offers true insight into the problem of immigrational bias and cultural dissimilarity, and a stabbing insight into the premise of a national identity; how it is both meaningless and yet extremely important. This film deserves every award it received and then some.

For the Italian cinema this is an important film. Not only because there's a big actor -Nino Manfredi- but because it's based on real situations of the time it was made...

In the Sixties and Seventies Italian and Spanish workers were the biggest immigrant groups in Switzerland. "Pane e cioccolata" talks about the experiences and difficulties of an Italian waiter in this country. Of course, some situations are caricatural, nevertheless the movie still keeps its strength because everything it's credible.

Manfredi's character wants to remain in Switzerland because he believes he can make enough money to help his family, he dreams of carrying there wife and children and giving them a better life. We laugh a lot, at the same time there's much sadness because we see someone who tries everything to integrate in another society, without success.

A bittersweet comedy, Italians are among the best moviemakers for mixing different feelings and talking about life.

Great tale about the "joys" of being an immigrant in 70's Switzerland and being rejected from their society for anything other than for labor.

It's all in the title, no connection to the popular "pane e Stella" Italian snack here, rather the bread is a metaphor for the immigrants who have little choice but working abroad to put bread on their families table, while the chocolate refers to the luxury Swiss product and symbolizes that country's wealth. It's bread and chocolate as in rich and poor, as in eating for survival as opposed to eating for pleasure, as in immigrant and swiss, etc.

I saw this film when it first came out and fell in love with it.

Having spent some time in Switzerland, I knew the truth of the rejection of foreign workers, and I saw the places where they lived in great poverty, in the midst of rich, glittering inter- national crowds. The bigotry was (and still is to a great

extent) painfully true.

This is one of those marvelous films that makes one cry and laugh, almost simultaneously. As many have said before, it is Chaplinesque.

I especially appreciated hearing the various languages actually spoken by the characters - German, Italian, Greek, Turkish. The subtitles help the viewer very well indeed, but the sound of the actual languages enhances the verisimilitude of the story.

Just recently I have, after more than 20 years of searching, discovered that this film is on video tape, and I can't wait to acquire it - at long last!

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!

This is a warm, wonderful film. It is touching and funny and one of the very best "humanistic" films from Italy after Fellini lost his touch. It's hard to understand why this film is so little know to younger movie buffs. If you can find it, take a look!

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!

Then it was Italians for the Swiss. Recent it was Romanians for the Italians. And now the Chinese for the Romanians.

This movie talks about the courage and the naivety of becoming a foreigner in the endless search for "the better". In the end...it remains a search and that is because we are not moving from a country to another inside ourselves. We are keeping the same place there: the place called "us- who we really are". The search remains without meaning, without result if we can't understand the importance of looking at us and understand the cultural and spiritual significance of our core.

The story: An Italian becomes an immigrant in Sweetland, in search for what his country can't give to him and his family; financial stability. Here he has to face new and continuous challenges, even greater than the ones he had to face in his country and son... the hero finds himself fighting with destiny itself who seem to have made a job out of the continuous effort of putting Nino down and tryings to show him who he is and that he must not forget what the reason is for his presence in the semi-adoptive country.

A drama full of comic and hilarious situations where the director really knows what is the difference between comic and drama and how to put them next to each other without failing to send the message. But more important, the comic is on the highest standard of intelligence; simple and efficient as you expect from a movie that has cinematic power inside as well as an important theme to explore and expose: immigration.

The acting is incredible and all the actors manage to deliver it to the highest expectations. Nino Manfredi is exceptional and extremely well distributed in this role created with the sensibility for abstract.

A movie to remain in history before and after all the countries will merge into one.

The most touching moment of this film was when the late and great Nino Manfredi colours his hair blonde to assimilate being a German whilst watching the historic Italia 4 -Germania 3 match. Of course he can't contain himself when the azzurri come out on top in extra time. With the great Friulian goalkeeper Dino Zoff who kept going until 1982 when Italia were once triumphant over the team from Deutschland.

This phenomenon of pretending to belong to a culture is quite common in South Australia. People with the most remote Italian roots masquerade in the clothing of Italian football teams and go around offending first generation Italians. In particular those of the Istrian refugee heritage. I've coined this phenomenon the Van Brussel effect

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When this comedy came out in the 70's, it was aptly described as "Chaplinesque". The hero, a coarse Italian immigrant in Switzerland, is as much an Everyman as Chaplin's Tramp. The movie was a hit in the US, winning the NY Critics' Award for Best Foreign Film. Nino Manfredi is funny and touching as the earthy immigrant, the "bread" in the land of refinement ("chocolate"). Anna Karina is stunning as the Greek stowaway who shares some of the same predicament as Manfredi. The "chicken coop" sequence is particularly hilarious. I think this is one movie that deserves to be transformed into a Broadway musical. How about it, Mr. Sondheim?

Bread and Chocolate is a very humanistic movie that mixes funny with sadness. The way the Brusati shows us the way foreign people are welcome to Switzerland is somehow not the saddest way but in addition it has some humor. This makes the audience, like people said before, cry and laugh at the same time. It can also be based on a real person and not fictitious as people like Nino would do anything to stay in a country where they have opportunities. Excellent job for Brusati, it is the first Brusati film I have seen and I am looking forward to see another one.

Great adult comedy, a modern day Chaplin-like "little tramp" story.

I had never heard of this film, but it was discussed recently on Jon Favreau's "Dinner for Five" on the independent film channel. Two of his guests that evening, director John Herzfeld and actor Peter Falk were discussing the film. They both raved about how wonderful it was. I am now determined to find it and view it for myself.

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)

As I said before, I would recommend this film to anyone who likes a challenge. Taken at face value, the movie itself is rather boring, and it would be easy for me to say that I did not enjoy it, however taking a closer look, this movie contains themes to which we can all relate.

Garofalo is an Italian man who is traveling around Switzerland looking for work. He refrains from returning to Italy because he can make so much more money in Switzerland. Throughout the film, Garofalo meets many people of all nationalities who face the same problem as he.

May I suggest to the next viewer that you investigate the meaning behind the tittle. I am working on that one myself!