Babette's Feast

If the plot sounds thin, be assured it's anything but. The story is as rich and satisfying as the feast Babette prepares. We see the delicate romances that develop for each sister and understand their reasons for turning their suitors away. We see the lives the sisters, and their men, have led after making their decision. The feast comes at a time when the sisters are asking themselves questions that they never voice: Did they make the right decision all those years ago? Was it worth it? Reassurance comes in an unexpected and exquisitely romanitc way.

This film is such a wonderful example of what happens when filmmakers are interested in telling a good story and telling it well. It doesn't follow a 'formula' or cater to a demographic and is a perfect example of why independent and foreign films are so much more satisfying than Hollywood movies.


But this really *is* Caille en Sarcophage!   July 3, 2002
Sammy Jo (Midwest)
164 out of 173 found this review helpful

For years I had heard that this was a good movie, but I resisted seeing it. How could a Danish movie about a dinner be all that compelling? I finally broke down and rented it - and watched it, stunned. This is truly a great film.

The story is simple. Two pious Danish sisters hire a French maid, Babette, out of a sense of charity. Fourteen years later, Babette wins the lottery. Out of her winnings, she proposes to serve the sisters and their fellow religionists a meal.

The film is simple. And like all things that are truly simple, it is a very, very rich feast.

The film can be enjoyed on many levels, but it is an overtly Christian film; and the feast is the Lord's Supper. Babette's gift to the sisters and their community is the gift of grace. Unasked for, unearned, and of inestimable value.

The sisters were daughters of a stern Protestant who had formed a devout community. When the sisters were young and beautiful, they were each tempted by the chance to have great love and success outside their community. But they remained loyal to their father and their faith. After their father died, they carried on with their faith community. But as the years passed by, bickering and dissension set in.

One rainy day, there is a knock on the door and Babette appears in their doorway. She has a letter of introduction from one of the sister's old love, and they decide to take her in. Babette quietly makes herself indispensable to the sisters and the entire village. One day, she wins the lottery, and the sisters assume that she will now leave them. Before leaving them, however, she insists on serving them a proper French meal.

The meal itself is the center of the film, and during that meal all the threads of the film are richly woven together. The pious sisters and their community finally learn the true depths of faith - something which is more than just what we believe, but rather also reflects what we do and the love with which we do it. They are twelve to supper, and that number is no accident. Nor is the grace that flows through that meal. Any Christian can appreciate its significance. And anyone who loves the Eucharist can only smile in joy, when one of the guests identifies the main dish as "Caille en Sarcophage" (Quail in a sarcophagus.) He retails a story of the time he ate this extraordinary meal in a fine Parisian restaurant. The other guests smile, but miss his drift. And he exclaims, "But this really *is* Caille en Sarcophage!" They still do not understand, but the meal works its magic nonetheless.

This is a film of the sacramental vision - God's rich love reaching out to us body and soul.


AN EXQUISITE MOVIE THAT GREATLY BENEFITS FROM DVD!   February 1, 2001
Claude Bouchard Jr. (Frederick, MD)
50 out of 50 found this review helpful

I don't think I can add any more information about the wonderful story itself in light of all the superlative reviews found here. If you've seen it, you know it's a classic that is definitely worth owning, to be viewed and enjoyed repeatedly. If you've never seen Babette's Feast, you owe it to yourself to see it and find out what people mean when they say they experience a film. Yes, it's that good and that powerful. And the best part of it all: no guns, no explosions, no sex, no vulgarity.

The DVD is, without a doubt, THE format for this movie. The print has been considerably cleaned up and brightened. What a difference with my "old" fuzzy VHS copy! The widescreen format benefits this film tremendously. The sound is crisp and even, with no sudden drops or surges in volume. The DVD offers three language tracks: the original Danish/French, English, and Spanish. I personally recommend that you keep the Danish/French track with English subtitles. It's the only real way to convey the full meaning and emotions of the story. Avoid the English track at all costs: it's unbelievably bland and emotionless (thereby removing any and all subtleties and charm from this superb story) and it's muffled. I did not check out the Spanish track.

Worth much more than "just" 5 stars!


Splendid Film Can Leave You Ravenous!   April 1, 2001
carol irvin (chesterland, OH United States)
22 out of 27 found this review helpful

My friend Susan and I wanted to see this film when it premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival. However, we both kept reading that everyone left the film absolutely ravenous for food after visually feasting upon sublime course after course for 2 hours. Thus, when we saw that an excellent French restaurant would serve us the entire meal just prior to our seeing the film, we decided to go for it. The food was absolutely out of this world and we showed up for the film well stuffed. We were thus able to really enjoy the quiet pleasures of the film where Babette, taken in by two elderly sisters in a small village when in dire need, shows her gratitude and love for them by preparing this feast when she wins the lottery. We, of course, learn everything we need to know about the lives of the sisters and Babette as the feast progresses. This film deservedly won the foreign film Oscar. For those who complain that foreign films are too depressing with bleak endings, you will find this a powerful life-affirming film and contrary to any bleak expectations regarding foreign filmmaking.


Religion NOT required   July 24, 2002
Michael L Stephens (Richmond, CA United States)
21 out of 25 found this review helpful

Many of the other reviews here of BABETTE'S FEAST comment on its Christian content and powerful spiritual message. To potential viewers who might be put off for that very reason: DON'T BE! RENT OR BUY IT NOW! I am a confirmed, lifelong atheist who normally avoids anything even vaguely religious other than the great art it has inspired. And I've seen BABETTE'S FEAST at least a dozen times! I plan to watch it several times a year until the day I die.

I won't say too much, as other reviewers have spoken in detail about this unforgettable masterpiece. BABETTE'S FEAST is simply the most touching, moving and delicately nuanced film I know of, and the one Scandinavian film which I unhesitatingly urge upon all my acquaintances. With none of Bergman's icy pessimism, this movie is a triumph of the human spirit and of the spirit of selfless love. It is utterly beautiful from beginning to end. It is one of the very greatest of all movies.

If you haven't seen BABETTE'S FEAST yet, you are not a fully realized human being.