Babette's Feast
rated G 102 minutes released in 1987 by Orion Classics starring Stephane Audran, Birgitte Federspiel, Bodil Kjer, and Jean-Philippe Lafont written by Gabriel Axel from the novel by Isak Dinesen directed by Gabriel Axel
A Video Review by Frankie Paiva
This is not an unseen movie. Thousands, even millions have watched it. Feast grossed just under 4.4 million dollars in the United States alone. Most of this revenue comes from its theatrical run, not its video release because Babe tte's Feast is something most screenwriters avoid. It's a tough sell, and there's no hook to go along with it. Unlike the theater, if you rented the movie, and wanted to turn it off, you could. There's nothing unique you could convey to your friends about the story in under two sentences either. Despite this, Babette's Feast is an elegant, simple film. A wonderful and heartwarming experience awaits those who are patient enough for it to find its footing and unfold.
Martina (Birgitte Federspiel) and Philippa (Bodil Kjer) are the daughters of a long dead minister (Pouel Kern). They carry on their father's religious sect even though they've had several opportunities to leave their remote village. Through flashbacks we learn that young Martina (Vibeke Hastrup) and young Philippa (Hanne Stensgaard) were beautiful and kind young women who drove all the young men in town wild. They drove old ones, including French opera singer Achille Papin (Jean-Philippe Lafont), crazy too. Years later, Papin has aged even more, but remembers the women and their generosity. He sends Babette (Stephane Audran), a French refugee and cook, to them. Babette beseeches the two to let her stay, and eventually the sisters agree. It's back to the present. Martina and Philippa want to honor their father's 100th birthday. Since she has recently come into good fortune, Babette offers to cook a real French dinner for the celebration. The feast of a lifetime conflicts with the guest's conservative beliefs, and by the end they will all be changed.
The only major problem with the movie is one common to older foreign films. The subtitles are the traditional yellow, but they're in a large and difficult to read font. If a character says more than two lines of dialogue, it ends up filling the bottom third of the screen. To compensate, the words move very quickly, often too fast to read. This is really a shame because there is some beautiful framing. Parts of the movie, especially the beginning, are just gorgeous. The scenery is constantly changing and we get a good view of the character surroundings every time. There's also some very enjoyable singing.
The flashback format works for the movie, and it never gets confusing. Gabriel Axel wisely takes the background information from Isak Dinesen's novel and uses it to his advantage. He makes sure we know the people onscreen before they get put into an awkward situation. The performances are excellent, and I particularly like Audran and Lafont. Audran makes Babette an almost mysterious individual who always seems like she knows something or has something to say that she's not divulging. Lafont portrays a tender Achille Papin, a famous man who doesn't seem like he wants celebrity. While it languishes a bit, Babette's Feast is never boring. There's always something going on that's entertaining regardless of what it sounds like from the video box.
B+
Frankie Paiva SwpStke@aol.com http://homestead.com/cinemaparadise/mainpage.html
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