Diane Moves to Tuscany

Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) is a writer and book reviewer, who is supporting her would-be author husband. She THINKS she is happily married, and is devastated to learn that her husband has been carrying on an affair, is leaving her, AND is demanding alimony. He'll settle however - his lover wants Frances' house. With the sale of the house to the spouse-to-be, Frances is left with a nice sum of money and no place to live. Depressed and unable to write, Frances is consoled by her friend Patti (Sandra Oh), whose pregnancy has resulted in her and her partner Grace (Kate Walsh) giving Frances their tickets for a bus tour of Italy. While motoring through Cortona, Frances sees the villa Bramasole; she impulsively purchases it, and begins to rebuild her life Under the Tuscan Sun (2003).

The reconstruction of Bramasole, which when purchased,  is in the same wrecked condition as Frances, is the focus of the film. The house has ceilings that are falling in, pipes which no longer supply water, and a pile of junk that the prior owner was too fragile to discard. Frances sets out on a building project that, as she tears out walls, also helps her to dislodge the pain in her soul. 

Frances tells her friend, Mr. Martini (Vincenzo Ricotta), that she bought the house because she wanted people to cook for, a house in which she could have a wedding and a family. What Frances learns is that wishes can be granted in different ways, and that, while the original desire is not answered, the response can be just as satisfying as the earlier aspiration. Ms. Ladd is magnificent at showing us the progression of Frances' life and Frances' growing understanding of life's vagaries.

Ms. Lane is supported by two wonderful actresses.  Lindsay Duncan as Katherine, a free spirit who acted for Federico Fellini (or FeFe, as she calls him) has also made some life choices that have caused her unhappiness. Katherine is someone who lets life happen as she waits for her joys (symbolized by ladybugs) to appear.  Similarly, Sandra Oh also is faced with the destruction of family when her partner decides that their longed-for child was not really what Grace wanted from life.  Like Frances, Patti must rebuild her life as a single mom, turning to Frances as her extended family. Both actresses give memorable performances as influences on Frances' new life.

At times, it seems that Frances' and Patti's dreams of a happy family with a supportive partner, are impossible goals. But the subplot of the romance between Pawel (Pawel Szajda) and Chiara (Giulia Steigerwalt) gives us hope for the future, as does Mr. Martini, whose devotion to his wife and children show us our first positive male role.

Frances imagines that Marcello (Raoul Bova) is the answer to her prayers. Mr. Bova makes him an appealing character. He's a man who respects Frances, as well as desiring her. Whether he actually loves her is problematic; Marcello is well aware that they've had little time to discover love, while Frances is lost in imagining a new life for herself with this relative stranger. Marcello's pragmatism works in the film. He tries to build a relationship, but is accepting of the fact that it may not come to fruition.

It's worth commenting on the beauty of this film - the cinematography (by Geoffrey Simpson) is exquisite; one yearns to visit Tuscany at the conclusion of the film.  You get to go with Frances on her tour of Italy; her journeys during the repair of her house also bring us to Positano, a glorious seaside town that shimmers in the sunshine. You see Rome, via Marcello's high speed driving (Frances: "Do traffic lights mean anythng around here?" Marcello: "Sure. Green light - avanti, avanti. Yellow light - decoration." Frances: "What about red light?" Marcello: "Just a suggestion.'), and finally there is Cortona, Frances' new home. Sure, some of this is movie magic, but the scenery calls out for a visit.

The original memoir is quite different from the film; for one thing, Ms. Mayes was already in a relationship with the man who would become her second husband when she bought Bramasole (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Like the film, cooking is an important feature surrounding life at Bramasole (though the film doesn't give us the recipes that Ms. Mayes incorporates into her story).  Regardless, this is a wonderful film, full of warmth and friendship.  I'll leave you with a trailer: