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Babette's Feast [1987]
from MGM Entertainment
starring Stéphane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel, Jarl Kulle, Jean-Philippe Lafont
directed by Gabriel Axel

Features:

• Dubbed
• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

Released in 1987, Babette's Feast is a film which depicts so little, yet says so much. Set in a rural Danish community, it centres around the twin sisters of the village pastor and the French women who serves them after fleeing the 1871 revolution. On winning the lottery she plans a feast to mark the centenary of the sisters' father, bringing a dimension of fine living into the lives of the God-fearing Lutherans and healing festering personal animosities in the process.

Director Gabriel Axel captures the rugged timelessness of the Jutland landscape, and draws inspired performances from Stéphane Audran as Babette, and Bodil Keyer and Birgitte Federspiel as the sisters Filippa and Martine. Per Norgard's sparse but affecting score captures the mood of the film perfectly. Altogether it's a heart-warming and affecting experience.

On the DVD: Babette's Feast on disc reproduces the vivid colour photography well in widescreen. There’s dubbing and subtitles in English, French and Italian. Both the trailers for the English- and Danish-speaking markets are included, the latter an effective summary of the film.--Richard Whitehouse

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• The cooking is fine, but the movie is about love, wisdom and friendship...without sentimentality
  I don't know whether this film hits my heart the way it does because of the feelings of friendship, love, closeness to others or the warmth of that transformation Babette's cooking creates, but when the feast starts and for the rest of the movie, I choke up often.
  Yes, this is a feel-good movie, but without a speck of mawkishness or facile sentimentality. Please note that elements of the plot are discussed. Babette's Feast tells its story with restraint and care, and it lets us discover for ourselves... more info

• a beautiful film about food and religion that leaves a nice taste in the mouth
  This is a film which,if someone had showed you a script,you would have thought was going to be boring as hell.But the acting is of such a high standard,and the cinematography and editing too,that the end result is a beautiful and unforgettable piece of storytelling.The characters portrayed are deeply religious and whether you're an atheist or a believer you should find this movie deeply moving.

• Who Can Resist the Evil Power of a French Dinner?
  This is an elegant film which tells a story filled with symbolism and meaning. The cinematography is outstanding. It is a highly focused story where dialogue is minimal but used to maximum effect. It is about committment, family loyalty, devotion to religion, love, charity, and worldly temptations. The film is based on a short book by Isak Dinesen titled "Anecdotes of Destiny". Most interesting is how much of the story and filming occurs within the small village in Denmark. Also, much of the story occurs... more info

• A masterpiece
  One of my all-time favourite films. The acting, script, cinematography, directing - everything is spot on. The story of the passionate yet wonderfully restrained Babette bringing unexpected surprises to a small, conservative and impossibly religious community on the bleak Jutland peninsula is brilliant. A masterpiece.

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