“Babette’s Feast” (1987)

Babette’s Feast

Grade: A-

Babette’s Feast is a visually sumptuous art film about piety in a remote village in 19^th century Denmark, depicting a rote way of life that is upended and uplifted by the simple act of cooking. As boring as it may sound initially, Babette’s Feast is exquisitely beautiful and consistently wondrous.

Directing:

The real treat of Babette’s Feast is the gorgeous visuals courtesy of director Gabriel Axel and cinematographer Henning Kristiansen. The simple story moves slow, but the natural scenery and elegant period details put us into a relaxed and awestruck trance.

Acting:

The titular Babette is played by Stéphane Audran (who starred in a few French hits in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, including The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie). Even though she was over 50 years old at the time of filming, Audran brings a youthful exuberance to the film as master-chef-turned-housemaid. The rest of the elderly cast does a fine job in a story where no one has to do too much acting. The true main characters are the harsh setting and spiritual atmosphere.

Writing

Based on a Karen Blixen short story, the film has the feel of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale despite its neorealism. We begin with a long flashback before gradually coming back to the present, and even though the story moves at a semi-glacial pace, you never really lose attention. The intricate drama is revealed via the casual dialogue round the dinner table and apprehensive interactions between ways of life.

Music:

The modernist orchestral score of Per Nørgård only appears sporadically, but it adds ambiguous drama and emotion whenever it does. Babette’s Feast also carries the feel of a Carl Theodor Dreyer silent film, and the occasional music (along with the omniscient narrator) is a good reminder to view the fable through a 20^th century lens.

Ending (SPOILERS):

Babette’s high-class French dinner (replete with turtle soup, cailles en sarcophage, wine, cognac, champagne and more) rekindles friendship, reignites old flames and resolves old feuds throughout the town. It’s a heart-warming metaphor for human connection — a Christlike figure doling out justice to a dinner table of old sinners. A beautiful film, even if I don’t really know what it means.

“An artist is never poor.” – Babette

Why Babette’s Feast gets an A-

The best film by Danish director Gabriel Axel. The best Danish film since Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Gertrud (1964). A slow-cinema character study nearly as minimal as Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman (1975).

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