Babette’s Feast-1987

Director Gabriel Axel

Starring Stéphane Audran

Scott’s Review #796

Reviewed July 27, 2018

Grade: A

Babette’s Feast (1987) is a pure delight for any viewer who is a foodie, particularly one who enjoys stylish French cuisine.

In fact, during the final thirty minutes or so, I was salivating with pleasure as a final multiple-course meal was presented before me.

The film is rich with “flavor” and tells a wonderful tale of self-sacrifice, benevolence, and good human nature.

The film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film- the very first Danish film to do so.

Adapted from a 1958 short story, Babette’s Feast tells the story of two elderly, deeply religious Protestant sisters, Martine (Birgitte Federspiel) and Phillipa (Bodil Kjer), who live in a small village in Denmark.

The sisters have lived there all their lives, and flashbacks reveal that each had a chance at romance with men decades earlier, as young, fresh ladies.

Each resisted the temptation because of their disapproving father’s deeply religious beliefs.

When a delightful Frenchwoman, Babette (Stéphane Audran), appears at their doorstep with a note from Phillipa’s potential beau, the kindly women take her in.

Babette, a refugee fleeing Paris, offers to serve as the sisters’ housekeeper. Babette is full of life and a passion for cooking and art, largely in contrast to the townspeople, who often shun pleasures and harbor reserved, repressed feelings about joy.

When Babette wins the lottery and is assumed to be returning to Paris, she instead offers to prepare a lavish, classic French meal for the town.

The film is a pure treat, especially in the final act when Babette decides to prepare an exquisite meal. This is the film’s true highlight, and you’ll want to list the menu below to appreciate it fully.

As each course is served, the film shows the cooking process, featuring spices, salts, wines, and reductions, so much so that we wonder who made such a gorgeous meal while filming.

Audran, known as a gourmet, must have adored this fabulous, creative role!

In order, Babette’s delicious feast consists of turtle soup served with Amontillado sherry, buckwheat pancakes with caviar and sour cream served with Veuve Clicquot Champagne, quail in a puff pastry shell with foie gras and truffle sauce served with Clos de Vougeot Pinot Noir, an endive salad, rum sponge cake with figs and candied cherries served with Champagne, assorted cheeses and fruits served with Sauternes, coffee with Vieux Marc Grande Champagne Cognac.

My mouth is watering and my stomach growling as I write this!

Wisely and poignantly, the film heralds the return of Martine’s longtime admirer, Swedish officer Lorens, who escorts his elderly aunt to the dinner.

The other dozen or so dinner guests agree not to fuss or voice any reactions to the meal, but Lorens is different.

With each serving, he comments in explicit detail on the pleasures of the tastes and fondly recollects an experience with each course. He speaks for the rest of the guests as we see their reactions and the pleasures they exhibit non-verbally.

Tenderly, Lorens confessed that he had never forgotten Martine, and she the same for him.

Despite not seeing or hearing from each other for decades, their connection has never wavered, and they have spent their lives as one.

What a lovely, powerful scene this is, and it adds romance and elegance to the film overall.

The lighting is effective, with many scenes bathed in an illuminating glow. The whimsical village is well lit, with many soft or muted scenes that exude elegance and grace throughout the tiny community.

The costumes and styles are meaningful and make the 1800s period realistic. This adds a tremendous amount to the look and texture of Babette’s Feast.

The overall themes of Babette’s Feast (1987) are ones of kindness, forgiveness, enjoyment, and honesty. The film’s characters bring these characteristics to life, rich in flavor and taste, all experienced through the importance and pleasures of food.

What a magnificent piece of filmmaking, and what a wealth of riches lies in good dining.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Foreign Language Film (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Foreign Language Film