Babette's Feast
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Features
• PAL
In Theaters : 04 March, 1988 |
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Babette's Feast Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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The Evil Power of a French Dinner (Who Can Resist?)
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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 when the main characters are elderly ...It is great story of faith and giving.
Taking place in the 19th century, Martina and Phillipa are the beautiful daughters of a Lutheran pastor in a fishing village in northern Denmark. Their father started a religious sect which is very austere and pious. It emphasizes the "world to come" and preaches controlling the passions and appetites of this world. The two lovely daughters never attend balls or parties so the young men who wish to make their acquaintance must attend her father's church to eye the two beauties and speak to them. Two young men in particular fall in love with these ladies but it is not within their destinies to fulfull their desires. Officer Lorens Lowenhielm enters the scene when he is sent back by the Army to live in the palace with his wealthy Aunt for a time. He falls in love with Martina when he first sees her while riding on the hillside of the village when she is drawing water from the well. She chooses to live with her father rather than marry this handsome officer. Phillipa's soprano voice is heard by a French visitor to the village, Achilles Papin who performs opera on the stage in Paris. He approachers her father to offer Phillipa private voice lessons. Achilles Papin is convinced Phillipa will "wow" the Parisians where she would become a diva ... Phillipa also declines to pursue this worldy temptation and remains living in the village with her father instead.
As the years pass, the beauty of the two sisters fades but never disappears. They perform works of charity for the poor, carrying on the devoted life to which they became accustomed after their father died. There remains a small flock of true believers who meet on Sundays to worship and recall the teachings of this pious man of the cloth. The two sisters receive a letter from Achilles Papin from Paris, asking the sisters to receive Babette into their home. She is a French lady who survived the French Revolution but lost all her family and possesions. She becomes their maid and servant ... making herself indespensible to their lives. The two sisters are able to carry out more of their charitable works and notice Babette has a way of helping them increase their income and livlihood as well.
Good fortune shines on Babette, after many years of servitude, she won the French lottery, a princely sum of 10,000 francs. On the 100th birthday of their father, Babette offers to cook a dinner for the sisters and the congregation. Despite some misgivings, the sisters agree. Everyone who attends promises not to eat but "just as if we never had a sense of taste" for to enjoy would surely be viewed as a sin. They determine not to mention anything about the food when partaking of it.
It is a sensuos delight to watch Babette prepare the various courses ... The camera does a superb job of capturing the parishioner's faces who do their damndest to look sullen and neutral while eating this gourmet feast. The special dinner guest is ... the officer who had loved Martina when she was in her twenties. It so happens he did *not* promise to not discuss his enjoyement of the food. It is highly amusing to watch the dining guests respond with remarks about the weather as General Lorens Lowenhielms expresses his appreciation for each French delicacy. He does an extra special job of describing a superb Spanish wine and champagne ordered for the guests, none of whom refuse any of the alcoholic beverages served. It is quite funny, watching the parishioners imitate the General as he eats each course. The film has a most impressive ending which symbolizes how Babette essentially became the widow who gave of herself selflessly ... (as in the Bible story about the widow's mite). Erika Borsos (pepper flower) |
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