Rating of
3.5/4
"Babette's Feast" by Amanda
symp4thedevil - wrote on 10/04/12
This is the definitive foodie film. Gabriel Axel's classic reflects on the simple joys of life and its spiritual rewards: the greatest chef in all of France, Babette, cooking the meal of meals to celebrate a small Christian sect's founder's birth. The sequence relies on the quirks and comments of the Danish General, who is in disbelief that he is eating the perfect meal from France's greatest chef. The members of the Church however, innocently believe the meal to be a witch's brew...misinterpreting the dinner to be less than what it is...later realizing as the General describes it "a meal that is turned into a love affair."
Its simplistic story has an underlining complexity. It doesn't mock the faith and what some might misinterpret as "closed-mindedness" of the Church presented. Typically a film of this sort loses its brilliance when it turns into a political piece. It doesn't portray Babette in a terrible witch-like demeanor either. A town that is shut off from the world, with the purest interests at heart and the world's greatest chef unselfishly under her circumstances, gives them the greatest meal they will ever enjoy in their lifetimes. The film has heart, yes, but also can be enjoyed by those that are turned off by this genre. It is a brilliant drama, it's heroine Babette (Stephane Audran) is deserving of her accolades..and the film is an essential piece of cinema history. Easy viewing with a lasting impression and more than a few laughs.
