Babette’s Feast

It’s that time of year again to celebrate my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. A time to convene with the ones you love be it family, friends, or a mix of both. For some, today is an introduction to new people. Whether they’ll be in your lives just for today or well into the future, welcoming new people to the table is a valued tradition of Thanksgiving. While I love and value Thanksgiving as a time to commiserate with loved ones, the centerpiece is of course the food. The seemingly never ending dishes, passed around the table, the next one as good as the last. Today’s subject is a celebration of community and the joys of good food and company of a shared dinner…likely the greatest of its kind in cinematic history. 

So if you’re like me and you enjoy film and the impact and emotion and impact they convey, then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me, that’s a glass of pinot noir from our friends at Beringer Winery. So sit back, relax, and let’s talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed Cinema.

Our subject today begins with the view of a grassy rocky shore as the salt touched wind rolls in from the ocean. With a piano playing the camera zooms out we see a town begin to form, home by home, revealing a small village, warm air escaping chimney stacks. Next we see fish drying out on wooden drying racks outdoors as two women approach. A female voice begins to narrate:

"In this remote village once lived two sisters who were both past the first flush of youth. They had been christened Martine and Filippa after Martin Luther and his friend Philipp Melanchthon. They spent all their time and almost all their small income on good works...the two sisters had a French maid. Her name was Babette. This might sound strange for two Puritan ladies living in such a remote and desolate place and it calls for an explanation."

Babette’s Feast takes place in the late 1800s and follows a French woman named Babette Hersant who is a refugee of the Franco-Prussian War. Babette has no family left from the conflict and no occupation. Fearing for her safety, she's fled to Denmark, seeking refuge in the neutral territory thanks to the help of a friend who knew the sisters from long ago. The community she’s landed in is an austere village that is devout and does not deal in excess. They are a protestant community and for a long time were led by the town’s pastor, Father . Here in America they might be akin to the Puritans of New England. While temptation exists, they look to faith to find their way. The houses and clothing are all neutral in color and inoffensive, they support each other and attend church every Sunday as a community. Babette is taken in by two daughters of a recently deceased town pastor as their servant.

The film is based on a short story of the same name, written by Isek Dinesen and published in 1958. The film adaptation was written by Gabriel Axel and Karen Blicen and directed by Gabriel Axel. The film is told very well through both present day and flashback sequences to highlight who our characters are, were, and the ties that connect them. The film deals with themes of community, nostalgia, faith, rekindled romance, and the transcendent power of food.

The film includes three main characters, including Babette and the two sisters, Filippa, played by Bodil Kjer and Martine, played by Birgitte Federspiel. Together they are kind, gentle, caring, and compassionate women who have a place of leadership in the town. They spend their income on good works, which include providing their home knitted hats and gloves and home cooked food to those without around town. They have been together all their lives, forbidden to marry by their father, but each had chances of love in their own right. Then there is of course Babette, played by Stéphane Audran. Babette is a French refuge who has been a servant of the sisters for fourteen years and through flashback sequences we come to learn more about how she came to the town and why along with her relationship with the sisters. The town you might consider a fourth character as it too plays an important role in the movie, serving as the fabric that holds everything together.

The Danish town is a religious community and welcomes in the French woman as one of their own. One day Babette learns that she has won the lottery and decides to show the sisters and the community her thanks by sharing what she loves…cooking. She offers and organizes a communal dinner, comprised entirely of French meals to celebrate the late pastor’s 100th birthday. The moment this is revealed to the sisters is really very sweet when they each repeat Babette’s word in polite hesitation, “Oh a French dinner? A French dinner.” We can tell that they are unfamiliar with this concept, but through their care for Babette they agree nonetheless as they know this is important to her.

In truth though the sisters are quite conflicted with the idea of this feast. The town is semi-repressed and are not accustomed to outside forces arriving in their town let alone luxury and excess. During a meeting with other town members Martine expresses that she merely wanted to grant Babette’s wish, but fear it might bring dangerous forces or evil upon them. To protect themselves they decide to not make any remarks about the food as they fear doing so might open themselves up to danger.

For us and Babette though, we understand the meal to be an innocent and caring gesture of thanks. When it comes time to create the multiple course meal, Babette alone cooks her feast, served by some helpful town members. The feast itself is comprised of seven decadent dishes, all served with an accompanying spirit. The seven courses include Portage a la Tortue or turtle soup served with a Sherry, Blinis Demidoff served with champagne, Cailles en Sarcophage served with Pinot Noir, Une salade endive, Savarin au Rhum avec des Figues et Fruit Glacée or Rum Sponge Cake with figs and candied cherries served with Champagne, Fromages et fruits or Assorted Cheeses and Fruits served with a deseet wine, and finally coffee and cognac.

The community in the film is a very faithful and modest group of Catholics and don’t usually dabble in excess. So the idea of this dinner is very different from their usual routine and lifestyle. Now they are about to enjoy a meal made for them in the spirit of indulgence. Politely they arrive and sit around the set table and eat the food made by Babette. There’s a great moment in the film that highlights this discomfort in indulgence perfectly during Babette’s dinner. The table is served a very elegant and thus expensive champagne to accompany their current dish. The General, a worldly traveler turns to the man next to him and says, “and this most certainly is Veuve Cliquot 1860!” The man thinks for a moment, nods, and returns, “Yes, yes. I’m quite sure we shall have snow all day tomorrow.” Before turning back to his plate to enjoy his meal, leaving the general stunned.

The first time I saw Babette’s Feast I had a sort of transformative experience. It was one that defied all expectations and left me satisfied and whole, like the feast does for Babette’s dinner guests. This movie is an incredible gesture of humanity and the beauty of community. Each time I’ve watched this film I’ve come away feeling warm, happy, and optimistic.

When Babette’s Feast was released it garnered a lot of attention and praise and did very well on the award circuit. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Picture and was a special mention for the Ecumenical Prize at Cannes. That prize is given to films that express spirituality, human, and ethical values through the artistry of cinema.

Babette’s Feast is perhaps one of the finest encapsulations of the ideals of Thanksgiving. It’s an ode to the joy, love, and wonder of food and the power it has to heal, satisfy, and connect us. It also highlights the idea of giving thanks to those who we love and connect with. In Babette’s Feast these two concepts come together in beautiful harmony in possibly the best way in cinematic history.

So if you’re looking for a movie to watch with those you break bread with this Thanksgiving, look no further than Babette’s Feast. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

If you’d like to watch Babette’s Feast for yourself you can find it on a variety of streaming services. At the time of this recording you can find it on the Criterion Channel. The Criterion Channel is a streaming service from our friends at the Criterion Collection and offers a tremendous catalog for seasoned and bourgeoning film fans alike. All the wonderfully curated content can be enjoyed for $10.99 per month or $99 per year, which is what I chose to do.

You can also find Babette’s Beast on Max. Max is a steaming service from HBO and includes TV and movie offerings from under and beyond the HBO umbrella. Pricing options include with ads for $9.99 per month, ad-free for $16.99 per month, and ultimate ad-free for $20.99 per month. You can also enjoy this film on Hulu if you have the Max add-on.

Lastly, you can find it on Prime Video and Apple TV for $3.99 to rent.

If you like this podcast tell your friends and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Each week there will be nee content including hints about episodes before they air. If you’d like to learn more about the podcast visit our website at glazedcinema.com. There you’ll find more info about the show and a place to submit ideas for future episodes. For film fans who are hearing impaired the blog page on our website features each episode in written form as well. For those listening who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful day filled with love and good food. As always, thanks for listening and I hope to see you next time with another beverage and another film on Glazed Cinema.