Bella Martha (2001)

Director:

Sandra Nettelbeck

Writer:

Sandra Nettelbeck (writer)

Release Date:

18 April 2002 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

Tagline:

In Martha's enchanted kitchen, more than the food is starting to simmer. With some special ingredients they just might discover a recipe for passion.

Plot:

When a headstrong chef takes charge of her equally stubborn 8-year-old niece, the tensions between them mount... until an Italian sous-chef arrives to lighten the mood.

Plot Keywords:

Chef | Cooking | Restaurant | Car Accident | Italian

Awards:

14 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Martina Gedeck	...	Martha Klein
Maxime Foerste	...	Lina Klein (Martha's niece)
Sergio Castellitto	...	Mario
August Zirner	...	Martha's Therapist
Sibylle Canonica	...	Frida
Katja Studt	...	Lea
Antonio Wannek	...	Carlos
Idil Üner	...	Bernadette
Oliver Broumis	...	Jan
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Sam Thalberg
Gerhard Garbers	...	Herr Steinberg
Angela Schmidt	...	Frau Steinberg
Diego Ribon	...	Giuseppe Lorenzo
W.D. Sprenger	...	Noisy customer
Victoria Trauttmansdorff	...	Companion (as Victoria von Trautmannsdorf)

Also Known As:

Mostly Martha (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Drei Sterne (Germany) (working title)
Martha (Germany) (working title)
Ricette d'amore (Italy)

MPAA:

Rated PG thematic material and mild language.

Runtime:

109 min | Japan:105 min

Country:

Italy | Germany | Austria | Switzerland

Language:

German | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:I | Netherlands:AL | Norway:A | Spain:T | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Hamburg, Germany

Company:

Arte

Trivia:

Sergio Castellitto's German wasn't good enough so Frank Glaubrecht was brought in to dub his voice for the German version.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Martha and Mario first kiss, he leans to the right with the left side of their noses touching. In the next shot he's leaning to the left.

Quotes:

Mario: Why would she want to stay with her family in sunny Italy when she can return to cold and grey Germany to live there with a nut case like you?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Relax-Ay-Voo

Wiener Schnitzel Italian style...

This German film is one of the happiest surprises of the year. Not only is it a well paced, acted, and directed, but it involves the viewer like no other film in recent memory. Director/writer Sandra Nettelbeck deserves praise for bringing this joyous piece to the screen.

Martina Gedleck, as Martha, is perfect as the control freak of the upscale restaurant. Obviously, she can cook, judging by the full houses and the good vibes she generates among the diners. What she has in smarts, she lacks in social graces. Obviously, she doesn't have a life.

Her world is shattered by the arrival of a niece that comes to her under tragic circumstances, and from Mario, the new Italian cook. One can see the new man in her kitchen is too much of a free spirit, who ultimately will be her downfall.

Mario, very nicely played by Sergio Castelletto, is the opposite of his German colleague. It doesn't take long for him to charm the daylights out of Martha. Sparks fly whenever they are on screen together. Both principals have the right chemistry and that's why this film works so well. It will surely disarm anyone in the right state of mind. The only thing is that one must leave the theatre craving for a great meal.