Yar, you be here: Babette's Feast > Customer Reviews

Babette's Feast Customer Reviews (31 - 33 of 40 Reviews)

Food for body and soul
Flawlessly directed, written, performed, and filmed, this quiet and unpretentious Danish film is an example of cinema at its best, and if a person exists who can watch BABETTE'S FEAST without being touched at a very fundamental level, they are a person I do not care to know.

The story is quite simple. In the 1800s, two elderly maiden ladies (Birgitte Federspiel and Bodil Kjer) reside in remote Jutland, where they have sacrificed their lives, romantic possibilities, and personal happiness in order to continue their long-dead father's religious ministry to the small flock he served. One of the women's youthful admirers sends to them a Frenchwoman, Babette (Stéphane Audran), whose husband and son have been killed in France and who has fled her homeland lest she meet the same fate. Although they do not really require her services, the sisters engage her as maid and cook--and as the years pass her cleverness and tireless efforts on their behalf enables the aging congregation to remain together and the sisters to live in more comfort than they had imagined; indeed, the entire village admires and depends upon her. One day, however, Babette receives a letter: she has won a lottery and is now, by village standards, a wealthy woman. Knowing that her new wealth will mean her return to France, the sisters grant her wish that she be allowed to prepare a truly French meal for them and the members of their tiny congregation.

The meal and the evening it is served is indeed a night to remember--but not for reasons that might be expected, for Babette's feast proves to be food for both body and soul, and is ultimately her gift of love to the women who took her in and the villagers who have been so kind to her. The film is extraordinary in every way, meticulous in detail yet not overpowering in its presentation of them. As the film progresses, we come to love the characters in both their simple devotion to God and their all-too-human frailties, and the scenes in which Babette prepares her feast and in which the meal is consumed are powerful, beautiful, and incredibly memorable. There have been several films that have used food as a metaphor for love, including WATER FOR CHOCOLATE and CHOCOLATE, but none approach the simple artistry and beauty of BABETTE'S FEAST, which reminds us of all the good things about humanity and which proves food for both body and soul. Highly, highly recommended.

A beautiful story of spiritual love
This is truly a spiritually uplifting film. The woman, Babette, becomes maid and cook for two older women in a Danish village. By the time she comes into the tale, you know the story of the two women. She becomes one of the family, and then a miracle happens and she wins the lottery. Her thought then is to cook a feast in honor of their deceased minister father, a feast which these people have never dreamed of, something completely different from the plain simple cooking they're used to.

There is much more than that in the film. The two women are such that it seems sinful to have a lavish gourmet dinner. The feast sequence is a long, lovingly developed treat for the eyes. And of course, we realize that Babette is up to a bit more than just providing a sumptious feast.

Underneath, the film is telling of a joyous spirit who responds to good fortune by using it to show her love, to do something that will actually endure long after the food is gone.

Much has been said by others about this film, so I content myself with pointing out the deep spiritual feel here, the contrast of the love that Babette shows with the piety of the village, and the example she is of the love for others and for life.

This is a film not just to see, but to experience. And you will find it a glorious experience.

Splendid Film Can Leave You Ravenous!
My friend Susan and I wanted to see this film when it premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival. However, we both kept reading that everyone left the film absolutely ravenous for food after visually feasting upon sublime course after course for 2 hours. Thus, when we saw that an excellent French restaurant would serve us the entire meal just prior to our seeing the film, we decided to go for it. The food was absolutely out of this world and we showed up for the film well stuffed. We were thus able to really enjoy the quiet pleasures of the film where Babette, taken in by two elderly sisters in a small village when in dire need, shows her gratitude and love for them by preparing this feast when she wins the lottery. We, of course, learn everything we need to know about the lives of the sisters and Babette as the feast progresses. This film deservedly won the foreign film Oscar. For those who complain that foreign films are too depressing with bleak endings, you will find this a powerful life-affirming film and contrary to any bleak expectations regarding foreign filmmaking.

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Next Page