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From Amazon.co.uk
Released in 1987, Babette's Feast is a film which depicts so little, yet says so much. Set in a rural Danish community, it centres around the twin sisters of the village pastor and the French women who serves them after fleeing the 1871 revolution. On winning the lottery she plans a feast to mark the centenary of the sisters' father, bringing a dimension of fine living into the lives of the God-fearing Lutherans and healing festering personal animosities in the process.
Director Gabriel Axel captures the rugged timelessness of the Jutland landscape, and draws inspired performances from Stéphane Audran as Babette, and Bodil Keyer and Birgitte Federspiel as the sisters Filippa and Martine. Per Norgard's sparse but affecting score captures the mood of the film perfectly. Altogether it's a heart-warming and affecting experience.
On the DVD: Babette's Feast on disc reproduces the vivid colour photography well in widescreen. There’s dubbing and subtitles in English, French and Italian. Both the trailers for the English- and Danish-speaking markets are included, the latter an effective summary of the film.--Richard Whitehouse
Product Description
Fully restored and available on Blu-ray for the very first time, Gabriel Axel s celebrated Oscar-winning classic remains as charming, entertaining and mouth-watering as ever.
Adapted from a story by Out of Africa author Isak Dinesen, it tells the story of a 19th Century religious community on Denmark s remote and windswept coast. Into this austere environment comes Babette, a mysterious refugee from France s civil war.
When she mounts a French gourmet feast to mark the community s anniversary, the local elders are scandalized. Just who is the strangely talented Babette, who has terrified this pious town with the prospect of losing their souls for enjoying too much earthly pleasure?
Winner of the 1988 Oscar for best Foreign Language Film
Winner of the 1989 BAFTA for Best Foreign Language Film
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
74 of 76 people found the following review helpful
By Oliver Kroll
Format:DVD
This is my favourite film. It oozes humanity and love, but not to overflowing: there is no glossing-over of life's injustices and problems. Most importantly, it never loses its sense of humour. In fact the major success of the film is to let us laugh at the characters but not to undermine them. It is delightfully funny to see characters being their usual selves - conceited, puritan or over-romantic - but the funniness isn't malicious.
In some ways the least interesting character is Babette herself. Her character is certainly the least developed, and her last scene verges on soupiness - but just keeps to the right side. The general, on the other hand, is marvellously written and acted. His scene with Martine (whom he has loved, but never visited, for many decades) is deeply touching, and just captures the feeling of warmth after a sublime banquet.
The speech that he makes while the 'cailles en sarcophage' are served is the crux of the film: physical pleasure (eating, he means), when the food is good enough, is just like spiritual pleasure, or love. This shocks his puritan fellow diners, who were initially worried about the sin of a gluttonous banquet. But the banquet is art, not gluttony, and they feel the truth of what he says: the schisms and discord in the congregation vanish, and in the last sight we have of the villagers they are in a circle around the village well, under the stars, singing the same hymn they sung with the old pastor earlier in the film.
The cinematography is very good, and the Danish setting is as beautiful as they come. As for the sound, I think this film is much better in the original soundtrack with subtitles: the English dubbing has an unpleasant Disney quality. (The DVD has this feature, as well as notably better picture and sound quality). By the way there is a beautiful song near the end, just after the banquet.
This film's gentle beauty amply makes up for a few rough edges and less successful scenes here and there. 5 stars is the only rating possible.
44 of 48 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
I agree with the reviewer from London who laments the fact that this version is dubbed - and doesn't warn the buyer. This is one of my all-time favourite films in the Danish language original with English sub-titles. In English it loses so much of its atmosphere and appeal.
52 of 58 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
Absolutely disgraceful that this version does not come with a warning that it has been dubbed from its original Danish into American English. The film loses so much because of this.
I would have much prefered a subtitled version and am still looking (in vain) for one.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm feeling peckish now.
In 19th Century Denmark, there is a strict Protestant community, living a hard life, with Puritan ideals. One day, a French Catholic refugee arrives, asking to be taken in. Read more
Published 27 days ago by Mr. P. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful film
A film which you can watch over and over again and which stays in ones memory. A beautiful, rich, complex film.
Published 1 month ago by Gillian Vaux
5.0 out of 5 stars
A thought provoking experience.
A gently told atmospheric tale which provoked much thought and discussion. We quite forgot we were watching with subtitles.Highly recommended!
Published 1 month ago by Max
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful film
Having not seen this film since it first came out, I had been searching for the original version. My husband watched it and found it to be exactly how we remembered it - quite... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Finlandia
5.0 out of 5 stars
Evening's entertainment
For an appreciative daughter and family. Thjey had never seen this film and were grateful when it was bought for them.
Published 2 months ago by My fault!
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed
Babette's Feast [DVD] [1987]I bought this as the reviews claimed it was dubbed in English. However I found that far from having the English, French and Danish Dubbing the Amazon... Read more
Published 2 months ago by LRF
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still waiting
I enjoyed this film enormously in the cinema soma years ago but I'm still waiting for my trip down memory late. I seem to be up the Amazon without a paddle.
Published 3 months ago by David Christopher Blair
4.0 out of 5 stars
well worth revisiting
Having just seen this film again in the cinema, for the first time since its VHS incarnation, it strikes me as still being the ultimate film about food. Read more
Published 4 months ago by schumann_bg
2.0 out of 5 stars
Yawn!
Was asked to view it on advice from another..... good if you like mind numbingly boring films. This is a movie that's suits a home for the elderly.
Published 13 months ago by Mr. Dp Nel
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely, literate, gentle film-making
A tale of passions and art thwarted and brought to life, with lovely photography, and solid performances. Read more
Published 22 months ago by K. Gordon
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