Babette's Feast
1987
Directed by Gabriel Axel
It seems to be the era of Isak Dinesen as we come across another adaptation of her writing. I think I preferred Out of Africa, although this was still relatively decent. It does seem like her stories work better in literary form, so I might have to add her to my "to read" list.
Two elderly Protestant sisters live in a small village in Denmark. In their youth they received plenty of male attention but they decide they want to remain unmarried and stay with their father. Babette Hersant, a refugee from Paris, arrives to work for the sisters. They can't afford to pay her anything for her work, but hey, who wouldn't want to work as a cook for a stuffy conventicle for free? Babette then wins the lottery and decides to spend her money in an odd way.
The story actually reminded me of Like Water for Chocolate, in the way that food seems to have magical powers over people and their behavior. It was actually pretty fascinating to watch and strange to see what people consider to be holy devotion. Still, it could hardly be argued that the two sisters were compelling characters, in fact, their supreme dullness is what made them unique.
I had been looking forward to this one and was a tad disappointed, as it did drag on in bits. Still, worth a watch.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Pope Francis' favorite film. Well, isn't that something.
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