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Babette's Feast Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 40 Reviews)

Babette's Feast - a feast for the senses
Quite simply, this is the best movie I have ever seen. I have watched it at least a dozen times, and it never fails to move me. I finally purchased the DVD, but alas, my DVD player broke! Now to purchase a new DVD player so that I can begin the second dozen viewings.

I wish all films were this good!
What a wonderful movie!

I guess some would attack it as a movie for "foodies," but it is really much more complex than that.

At every step, the film deals with universal human qualities. There is a radical Protestant preacher, professing to love all mankind, who founds a new sect -- and also has two beautiful daughters. One theme of the film's tragedy is started right there -- the allegedly "pure" preacher refuses to give up his beautiful daughters. He dies, and they are already old maids.

Before the death of the preacher, each of the daughters has been psychologically forced to turn down husbands.

Do they resent this, as they grow older? The film certainly does not tell us, and here we find the touch of the master: we don't need to be told this.

Against this stark portrait of Danish Protestants, we suddenly have a refugee from France: Babette. She has been forced to flee France -- and, unknown to all, she was formerly the lead chef at the Cafe Anglais in Paris. At that restaurant, dinner for twelve cost about 10,000 francs. Babette is accustomed to good food -- no, strike that. Babette is accustomed to EXCELLENT food, the best food in the world.

As a refugee in Denmark, she learns all about boiled bread and salted flounder. (!) But even in the wilds of Jutland, she manages to buy unspeakable things: two onions, a bit of bacon, and so forth.

And suddenly, all the old folks receiving the charity of the two old maids begin smiling once again! The charity they give on a daily basis is food, and Babette is doing all she can to improve that daily ration. (Who among us does not enjoy tasty food?)

Well, I could go on, and tell you the whole story, but that would serve little purpose. Buy or rent this movie! It is one of the best I have ever seen!

Highest possible recommendation!

transcends time and place
I first saw this film about 10 years ago, and, no matter how many times I watch it, I am still amazed. It handles art, religion, love, lust, ambition, and yes, food. It skewers it's own characters as well as small town life for frequent giggles, but then stumbles unexpectedly into moments of extremely lonely, soul-searching seriousness. It is both harsh and tender. It is about religion and art, but never preaches either. It simply tries to answer the question all of its characters ask themselves at one point or another: Why am I here? What is my purpose in life?

This sort of weighty dialectic gives it it's scope, and the film answers this question with grace, humility and a sense of humor. The food doesn't come until late in the film (about 40 years into the onscreen story), and seems to posit an answer having something to do with humans needing to acknoledge that they are of the flesh in order to find spiritual grace.

Very rewarding - my highest recommendation.

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