‘Marcella’ Review: A Straightforward Comfort-Food Valentine to an Italian Culinary Queen

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If you can read, you can learn to cook, and those who question this saying might find Marcella Hazan’s life story convincing. Known globally but particularly in her adopted country of America as the leading authority on Italian cuisine, Hazan was not a cook when she moved to New York City as a 31-year-old newlywed science graduate. In fact, before her marriage, she had never cooked at all. As a homemaker in an unfamiliar city and yearning for the tastes of her homeland, she began teaching herself to cook using one well-worn book by renowned chef Ada Boni. Over time, Hazan transformed from an amateur into an expert who would later inspire others to learn from her. The documentary “Marcella” by Peter Miller portrays traditional Italian cuisine as a powerful influence that even experts like Hazan are devoted to.

Although traditional Italian cuisine is often passed down rather than created or credited, Hazan’s work comes closest to being considered as her own by many practitioners. For instance, her signature tomato sauce, a combination of tomatoes, butter, salt, and a single onion, cooked to an extraordinary level that tastes both like the essence of pasta sauce and unlike any other you’ve tasted before. While Hazan may not have originated this recipe, she perfected it and shared it globally: To countless home cooks, her recipes are indelibly associated with her in the same way a mother’s spaghetti is associated with her. If this description underplays Hazan’s extensive technical expertise and academic research, the movie “Marcella” does not: The film features numerous experts from the gastronomy elite who are undeniably captivated by her knowledge and impact.

As a passionate movie-goer, I must say that the series “Marcella” truly resonated with me. It delves deeper than just the glitz and glory, revealing the authentic, unassuming woman behind the culinary icon. What struck me was how she seemed to shock herself with her own success, a trait that made her relatable in an extraordinary way. The series also subtly explores the unique and personal relationships we form with our favorite cookery authors, ones that feel strangely intimate despite being entirely parasocial.

Interestingly, interviews with people who actually knew Marcella – such as her husband Victor, her son Giuliano (a renowned Italian cookery writer), and their longtime publisher Bill Schinker – provided a more detailed and enlightening perspective than the admiring chefs and gastronomes who grew up on her work.

Intriguingly, excerpts from Marcella’s memoirs narrated by Maria Tucci, as well as these personal accounts, painted a completely different picture of her character. They dug up some hidden vulnerabilities in a personality that is usually described as regal and indomitable.

At one extreme end, we find Hazan’s long-term struggle with a disability – her right arm, which remained bent at an angle due to an incomplete healing from a childhood break. On the other hand, there are moments of humor as she sometimes reflects on her own influence – such as her disappointment at popularizing balsamic vinegar, only to see it frequently misused and overused since then. Somewhere in the middle might be the uncertainty that comes with being an immigrant multiple times, having lived between Italy and the United States for much of her life, and spending her later years in Florida – a place where authentic Italian ingredients can be scarce, and artichokes are often too large.

Marcella provides enlightening perspectives on how Hazan’s delicate, traditionalist cooking served as a contrast to the robust, Italian-American cuisine from the East Coast immigrant community, often characterized by red sauce. Some food commentators suggest that nostalgia can enhance and distort signature ethnic flavors. Remarkably, most of the interviewees are either American or based in America; it would be intriguing to learn about Hazan’s influence in Italy, but this angle is missing from this optimistic, traditionally structured tribute. Despite resisting cultural assimilation in her speech and demeanor, Hazan was embraced by the U.S. as a culinary national treasure similar to Julia Child, even if she never achieved the same level of fame due to not having her own TV show. Sunny and accessible, Marcella seems like an effort to rectify this disparity; perhaps a biographical film will emerge eventually.

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2025-05-09 10:22