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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Theatrical Version, Trailers
Artistic, sensual and sacred passions unite in Babette's Feast. Written and directed by Gabriel Axel, from a short story by Out Of Africa's Isak Dinesen, this Oscar-winning film offers "an irrestible mixture of dry wit and robust humanity" (Newsweek). On the desolate coast of Denmark live Martina and Philippa, the beautiful daughters of a devout clergyman who preaches salvation through self-denial. Both girls sacrifice youthful passion to faith and duty, and even many years after their father's death, they keep his austere teachings alive among the townspeople. But with the arrival of Babette, a mysterious refugee from France's civil war, life for the sisters and their tiny hamlet begins to change. Soon, Babette has convinced them to try something truly outrageous--a gourmet French meal! Her feast, of course, scandalizes the local elders. Just who is this strangely talented Babette, who has terrified this pious town with the prospect of losing their souls for enjoying too much earthly pleasure?
"Delectable! A fable told with passion, intelligence and sumptuousness." Los Angeles Times
Editor's Note
This Academy Award-winner for Best Foreign Language Film was a big art house hit, spawning a whole international subgenre, "foodie" (films about the liberating effects of good food). It's adapted from a story by Isak Dinesen about two sisters in a 19th century Calvinist settlement in Denmark who, under their late father's rigorous spiritual dictates, pass up their chances for romance and worldly success. Years pass; they grow into charitable old spinsters and one day a French war refugee, Babette (Stéphane Audran), comes to work for them. Life goes quietly one for years until one day Babette decides to prepare a lavish gourmet dinner for the elders of the town, even though the thought of such decadence makes the sisters fear for their Christian souls. This all may sound rather dull to some viewers, but rest assured, no one who has seen this film has ever regretted it. Even with its measured pacing and austere emotional palette this remains a riveting experience from the first frame to the last. The acting is marvelously naturalistic, and the cinematography evokes the dark beauty of 19th century Scandinavian paintings, rendering the ancient, white-whiskered faces of the villagers, the windswept coastline, the wood-hewn interiors, and of course the incredible food, with a vital, deeply felt reverence that lingers in the mind long after the film is over.
| Features | French Subtitles | | Spanish Subtitles | | French Stereo Surround | | Spanish Stereo Surround | | English Subtitles | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | English Mono | | Danish Stereo Surround |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: MGM |
| Release Date: 9/7/2004 |
| Running Time: 103 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1987 | | Catalog ID: 1001475 | | UPC: 00027616857958 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: French | | Available Audio Tracks: Danish, English [CC], English Dubbed, French, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1988) |  | Winner, Best Foreign Language Film | |
Golden Globe (1989) | | | Nominee, Best Foreign Language Film |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...A very handsome, very literary movie that does justice to the precision of [Dinesen]....Audran dominates..." 10/01/1987 p.C22Variety
"...Axel succeeds where it really counts. On the screen he serves up the famous dinner with vigor and in enough juicy detail to send audiences away longing to partake in similar haute cuisine..." 05/06/1987 Film Comment
"...This is a movie to be savored with a hungry mind and a clear palate..." 07/01/1987 p.60-5 Los Angeles Times
"...The delectable BABETTE'S FEAST is a fable told with passion, intelligence and sumptuousness....It's a deep reverence to all great artists..." 03/25/1988 p.C1 Chicago Bulletin
"...Stephane Audran, a staple of French films two decades ago, plays the title culinary artist. Sublime..." 03/31/1989 p.3D Sight and Sound
"Axel's elegant film, based on a novella by Isak Dinesen, is a subtle exploration of self-denial..." 10/01/2002 p.62 Entertainment Weekly
"...A lottery ticket to culinary paradise..." 11/28/2003 p.106 Washington Post 10 of 10
...a precise and elegant piece... a tour de force for the taste buds... The deceptively modest story, with its quiet colors and contemplative characters, actually teems with contrasts and subtle dynamics. The eternal burn of the artist view with the cold fire of the puritan's denial... Axel and his fine cast interpret Dinesen's ironic original with great charm and gentle comedy. - Rita Kempley
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