Part of Sunday Supper
At once a rousing paean to artistic creation, a delicate evocation of divine grace, and the ultimate film about food, the Oscar-winning BABETTE’S FEAST is a deeply beloved treasure of cinema. Directed by Gabriel Axel and adapted from a story by Isak Dinesen, it is the lovingly layered tale of a French housekeeper with a mysterious past who brings quiet revolution in the form of one exquisite meal to a circle of starkly pious villagers in late 19th-century Denmark. BABETTE’S FEAST combines earthiness and reverence in an indescribably moving depiction of sensual pleasure that goes to your head like fine champagne. (Synopsis courtesy of the Criterion Collection)
“A fable told with passion, intelligence and sumptuousness. Although it certainly has a feast at its center, it would be a mistake to think that its tribute is intended only for great cooks. No, it’s a deep reverence to all great artists — whether they make books, bowls or ballets, baskets, quilts, songs, poems, paintings . . . or films.” —Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times (Mar 25, 1988)
“The meal is more than mouthwatering — it's [Isak] Dinesen's metaphor for the transcendent power of art. This bountiful movie, like the feast itself, can turn your heart.” —David Ansen, Newsweek (Mar 14, 1988)