In a remote 19th Danish century village two sisters lead a rigid life centered around their father, the local minister, and their church. Both had opportunities to leave the village: one could have married a young army officer and the other, a French opera singer.
Upon its release in 1987, "Babette's Feast" received overwhelmingly positive reviews. The film won the 1987 Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. It also received the BAFTA Film Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. In Denmark, it won both the Bodil and Robert awards for Best Danish Film of the Year. The film was nominated and/or won several other awards including a Golden Globe nomination, the Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association) award and a Cannes Film Festival special prize.
Pope Francis identified "Babette's Feast" as his favorite film. Of all the films out there, this is the one he picked. After the film's release, several restaurants offered recreations of the film's menu. In "The Archers", Jennifer Aldridge hosted a party to celebrate the installation of her new kitchen where the food was inspired by "Babette's Feast".
This really is the finest example of modern Danish cinema. We tend to think of Scandinavia as a dark, sad place... few directors are really known internationally from there, besides perhaps Bergman and Dreyer. Today, of course, we have von Trier, but it seems that "Babette's Feast" must have opened a few doors.
Upon its release in 1987, "Babette's Feast" received overwhelmingly positive reviews. The film won the 1987 Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. It also received the BAFTA Film Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. In Denmark, it won both the Bodil and Robert awards for Best Danish Film of the Year. The film was nominated and/or won several other awards including a Golden Globe nomination, the Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association) award and a Cannes Film Festival special prize.
Pope Francis identified "Babette's Feast" as his favorite film. Of all the films out there, this is the one he picked. After the film's release, several restaurants offered recreations of the film's menu. In "The Archers", Jennifer Aldridge hosted a party to celebrate the installation of her new kitchen where the food was inspired by "Babette's Feast".
This really is the finest example of modern Danish cinema. We tend to think of Scandinavia as a dark, sad place... few directors are really known internationally from there, besides perhaps Bergman and Dreyer. Today, of course, we have von Trier, but it seems that "Babette's Feast" must have opened a few doors.