Babettes gæstebud (1987)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Gabriel Axel

Writers:

Karen Blixen (novel)
Gabriel Axel (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Plot:

In 19th century Denmark, two adult sisters live in an isolated village with their father, who is the...

Plot Keywords:

Feast | Refugee | Orthodoxy | Based On Short Story | Paris France

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Stéphane Audran	...	Babette Hersant (as Stephane Audran)
Bodil Kjer	...	Filippa
Birgitte Federspiel	...	Martine
Jarl Kulle	...	General Lorens Löwenhielm
Jean-Philippe Lafont	...	Achille Papin (as Jean Philippe Lafont)
Bibi Andersson	...	Svensk hofdame
Ghita Nørby	...	Narrator
Asta Esper Hagen Andersen	...	Anna (as Asta Esper Andersen)
Thomas Antoni	...	Svensk Lieutenant
Gert Bastian	...	Poor Man
Viggo Bentzon	...	Fisherman in Rowboat
Vibeke Hastrup	...	Young Martine
Therese Hojgaard Christensen	...	Martha
Pouel Kern	...	The Minister
Cay Kristiansen	...	Poul

Also Known As:

Babette's Feast (USA)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish | Swedish | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Iceland:L | Peru:PT | Sweden:7 | USA:G | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Panorama Film A/S

Quotes:

Old Lorenz Lowenhielm: Could many years of victories result in defeat?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Zomergasten: (#20.5)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Don Giovanni

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, 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.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer