Babette's Feast
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Movie Reviews of Babette's Feast
Movie Review: The cooking is fine, but the movie is about love, wisdom and friendship...without sentimentality
Summary: 5 Stars
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 the values of grace and love. All we need to know is that Babette Harsant (Stephane Audran) was a French refugee who was given shelter by two aging sisters in a tiny community on the coast of Jutland. The sisters lead what remains of their father's flock. He was a pastor of conviction who taught that salvation comes through self-denial. The sisters made their sacrifices to duty and faith. Those who still remain honor the now long dead pastor's teachings and his spiritual guidance. Still, as they have grown older the tiny community has become querulous and argumentative. The sisters do what they can. For the pastor's 100th birthday, Babette wishes to cook the dinner for the small group the sisters will invite. The sisters reluctantly agree, but when they see the supplies Babette has ordered, they and their guests become uneasy. They are used to the community's usual fare of dried cod, boiled, and a soup made of bread, water and a little ale. Even though Babette over time has made improvements, what they are seeing now seems close to godlessness. At the dinner also will be a visitor, General Lorens Lowenhielm, who years earlier had chosen ambition over his love for one of the sisters.
What do we experience? There is the austerity of the aging community's faith and the stone, wind-swept cottages they live in. There is the warmth by candlelight of the sisters' small, crowded dining room. And then there is the transforming power of Babette's artistry as we watch her cook, watch Erik, a young boy helping her, serve and pour, and watch the old parishioners, with the help of fine wine and exquisite cooking, gradually rediscover their community and love and friendship. The General serves as our unexpected guide because he is the only one who knows what extraordinary dishes they are eating. The General tells a story to his uncomprehending dinner companions, a story about a famed woman who was the exemplary chef at the famed Café Anglais in Paris. "...this woman, this head chef, had the ability to transform a dinner into a kind of love affair...a love affair that made no distinction between bodily appetite and spiritual appetite." He, too, is being transformed into a man who will accept what he has become and yet will always know the value and the love of what long ago he chose not to accept. An old couple kiss. Two old men remember past friendships. And Babette, who spent all that she had won in a lottery on this dinner, has had an opportunity to be the artist she once was in France, an opportunity she accepted with love and friendship.
Babette, now as poor as she was when she arrived penniless years earlier, will continue with the sisters. The general in a carriage with his aunt returns to her estate. And the elderly guests leave the sisters' home to return to their own cottages. They pause and look at the clear night sky and the stars overhead. They spontaneously hold hands in a circle and dance and sing this hymn...
"The clock strikes and time goes by
Eternity is nigh.
Let us use this time to try
To serve the Lord with heart and mind.
So that our true home we shall find.
So that our true home we shall find."
They smile at each other. All has been reconciled.
Babette's Feast is a wonderful movie, full of restrained emotion, unspoken understandings, wisdom...and, of course, a meal that will leave you with a growling stomach as you exit the theater. If you win a lottery so you could afford what Babette created and have her skill and artistry, here's what she served:
Potage a la Tortue (a rich turtle soup), served with amontillado sherry
Blinis Demidoff au Caviar (small buckwheat pancakes with sour cream and caviar), served with Veuve Clicquot champagne
Cailles en Sarcophage with Sauce Perigourdine (boned quail stuffed with foie gras and truffle in puff pastry with truffle sauce enriched with Madeira), served with Clos de Vougeot, a fine burgundy
Salade
Cheese and fresh fruit
Baba au Rhum with glacee fruit and fresh figs
Coffee and a fine brandy
The DVD is bare bones and looks fine.
Movie Review: Wow. Just... wow.
Summary: 5 Stars
All I can say is "wow". Others have recounted the story here, and it is a rather simple one, but the way that the movie comes together is much more than the sum of its parts.
The elderly sisters, Phillipe and Martina, iconically named after the Protestant reformers Martin Luther and Phillip Melchthon, are two pious spinsters who have tried to do everything they can to remain faithful to the legacy of their preacher-father, and that of their deep faith. In doing so, they have rejected the riches of the world, have chosen to consider romantic love as nothing more than of 'slight importance', and subsist on a thin, nasty 'ale bread' gruel. Not unlike their namesakes, they represent everything that is, for lack of a better expression, 'puritan'-- I would say even, 'anti-sacramental'.
Into their lives, seemingly randomly, a mysterious refugee from France (in the time of the Revolution), arrives at the ladies' house and serves as a domestic worker for little more, it seems, than room and board. She comes into 10,000F from the lottery, and in thanksgiving to the ladies who sheltered her for some 14 years after her arrival, she desires to serve them a real French feast. The women, who do not know anything other than their modest village accede to her proposal, and almost instantly come to fear what they are about to encounter as they see the foreign produce and wine and the big, scary turtle which are brought in... not to mention their fear in having an encounter with the romantic 'ghosts' of their past. The ladies and the townspeople, in fear of offending the austere sensibilies of the old, long-gone pastor in whose honor the meal is served, form a pious compact among themselves that, in their lack of concern for the splendors of the world, they will politely eat, but not 'taste' what they are eating.
The preparation and serving of the feast becomes the focus of the last half of the movie, where the villagers and the women come to 'see' their worlds differently by way of this 'otherworldly' meal... loves left behind, old sins pardoned, fulfillment of the words of scripture and of the ladies' father. The Eucharistic overtones of the banquet are unmistakable, bringing a new and different life to a poor and perhaps even undeserving people who did not and perhaps still do not know any better. They cannot help but 'taste' the meal and be drawn into its power to resolve the past fears such a meal represents (such as the inevitable encounter with old loves, the worldly splendor of the meal itself, or perhaps an encounter with the 'turtle from hell').
In serving the meal and exhausting her fortune, Babette herself finds fulfillment-or perhaps redemption-as a frustrated artist who has for one final time in her life fulfilled her ("priestly"?) calling, not simply to make people happy or to entertain them, but to come to the full self-realization of who she is as a world-class French chef. It is a moment of 'transfiguration' if you will, not just for her, but for her guests within the confines of this particular time and place and situation when the meal is served. The spinster sisters--even in their world which no doubt will return to austere puritanism and mean gruel the next day--are forever changed. At the same time they are touched and even affirmed in their faith by this encounter. Again, the sacrificial, Eucharistic, and sacramental overtones are unmistakable and an essential part of understanding this movie's message and depth.
On the technical side, the DVD is decent for what it is. No, it's not 1080p with digital surround, but it is a decent transfer for an older foreign film which is subtitled and has an English dub-track. I don't know Danish at all, but I can tell that the French translations, both in the subs and the dubs impoverish the story somewhat... but what can one do? To appreciate this movie, one needs to put the first half hour in perspective and not get lost in it. It is slow, but it is important development to understand the providence of Babette's arrival. At moments the story seems slow, but there is plenty of room to take in what is going on and consider it on multiple levels... to savor it like the character of the general sipping the fine wine... rather than gulp it down like some of the townspeople who may never even appreciate what they are enjoying.
I came across this movie thanks to a brief gloss on it in a recent talk by Fr. Robert Barron... he has a number of books on Amazon. I don't know if he has commented on this movie or not in anything he as published, as I am way behind in my reading at the moment.
Movie Review: The Evil Power of a French Dinner (Who Can Resist?)
Summary: 5 Stars
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 show any pleasure in what they eat but to act "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 sensuous 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. There is a special dinner guest from the past ... It so happens he did *not* promise to deny his pleasure in dining on this feast. It is highly amusing to watch the guests respond with remarks about the weather as this special guest describes each succulent and delectable dish. His expressions of appreciation for each French delicacy is priceless. He especially appreciates the superb Spanish wine and champagne, which it is noted none of the parishioners refuse. It is quite funny, watching them imitate the guest as he eats each course. The film has a most impressive ending which symbolizes how Babette essentially became the widow who gave totally and selflessly *all* that she had (as in the Bible story about the widow's mite). Erika Borsos (pepper flower)
Movie Review: Who is that mysterious French maid?
Summary: 5 Stars
The film revolves around a simple, god-fearing, rural community. They can remind you a lot of Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter village. Given the right circumstances-famine, epidemic, or natural disaster-you can easily imagine them looking around for witches to burn. What keeps this lot in line is the steadying influence of two sisters who commit their lives to caring for their community and keeping the flame of their tiny puritanical sect. See them making ale soup, carting it over to their elderly neighbors, and serving it up out of a tureen. See them leading the hymns around the dining room table where they conduct their bible studies.
Their commitment comes with a steep personal price tag. One of them has given up the love of a wealthy and powerful man. The other renounced a brilliant career in the opera. The members of their fellowship repay them, not with gratitude and right living, but by bickering among themselves over petty slights, some commited decades ago.
This is where a lesser film would invite the viewer to conclude, "What a waste. What a train wreck."
But Babette's Feast doesn't let you dismiss the self sacrifice of these two gentle women that easily. Yes, they could have made more of a splash, they could have had a lot more fun, they could have been written up, they could have had bigger funerals.
But, in the vast spectrum, is what they achieve really less important? Death is the great equalizer, and, in old age, we mystically repossess both what we affirmed and what we rejected, this film would have you believe, reminding viewers of some of Bergman's more baffling religious hypotheses.
That said, the story of these two dedicated sisters would be virtually unbearable without the curveball thrown into their lives by their maid, Babette, a refugee from the French revolution. One of the Danish sisters' scorned lovers sends Babette their way because he knows their kindness and sincere Christianity will not allow them to abandon her.
Babette blends seamlessly into this strict Danish household, serving endless pots of tea to the fellowship and learning to make ale soup without grimacing. In fact, she is so stoical about all the household's petty economies that we know at once there's more to Babette than meets the eye. No ordinary person could ask for so little or display so little ego.
After 20 years of haggling over the price of locally caught fish and sorting through the market potatoes, Babette wins the lottery. She takes a brisk stroll down to the beach and looks out over the water, presumably in the direction of France. There she makes her decision. She will cook a good French dinner for the people who, in all ignorance and kindness, took her in so many years ago. Whether they like it or not.
The caravan of excellent wines and exotic foods-including live quail in cages-that starts arriving at their house throws the sisters into a religious tizzy. Will they lose their souls to all this worldliness?
One of the guests recognizes Babette from an escargot dish she serves, and the secret of her identity is revealed.
The tug of war in this film between self-sacrifice and self-indulgence, simplicity and luxury, is so intense, we keep expecting someone to be badly hurt. But the beauty is, no one does. And director Gabriel Axel leads us to an unexpectedly sweet and slightly comical ending while making a statement along the way about the strength and independence of the true artist.
Movie Review: A Classic Foreign Film by Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw BABETTE'S FEAST many years ago at a foreign film festival in Washington DC. This classic film, which was based on a short story written by Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen will always remain indelibly memorable. I've seen the movie several times, and each time I come away with a deeper philosophical appreciation for the absolute beauty and poignancy of the storyline. Indeed, BABETTE'S FEAST is actually a repertoire of sorts; offering a powerful message about charity and selflessness, duty and honor, pride and humility, regret and sorrow, faith and forgiveness, and love and redemption.
Two humble spinster sisters who live in a small coastal town in Denmark take in a woman who flees France to escape peril during the French Revolution. The sisters, Martina and Philippa were beautiful young women in their youth, and each gave up the chance for love from suitors - one a young cavalry officer, and one a famous French singer - and chose to remain loyal to their father. They lived the remainder of their lives in quiet surrender, servitude and sacrifice to carry on the deeply religious teachings of their deceased father who was considered the leader of their devout small religious sect. However, many decades later when Babette becomes part of the sisters household, subtle changes take place, which causes ambivalent feelings for Martina and Philippa.
Sixteen years past quickly, when Babette wins a lottery and asks the sisters if she can prepare a genuine French meal for the 100th anniversary celebration dinner honoring the birth of their late father. After giving their permission, Martina and Philippa are perplexed by Babette's extravagance and the items she has shipped from France to use in preparation for the meal. Now horrified, the sisters become haunted by fears that decadence will descend upon them and their small religious sect. Yet, they can not go back on their promise to allow Babette to prepare this important meal. All the followers of the sister's religious sect are invited, and all have feelings of deep apprehension.
The evening finally arrives, and the small sect join hands in prayer and vow that they will resist whatever beguiling temptations might seduce them to sin. The announcement for dinner is called. But instead of fear, as the meal is served the mood is soon changed to that of suspended awe. Indeed, the grand 'feast' that Babette prepares, becomes both a startling revelation and a powerful redemption for all who attend ... including the high ranking officer who was once the suitor of Martina.
I disagree with those who categorize this movie as a Christian message. Rather, it's a story with a philosophical message that examines timeless issues about man's search for meaning, purpose, and ... salvation.
If you've not done so already, I recommend that you include BABETTE'S FEAST in your DVD collection.
Maizie Lucille James
July 12, 2010