Babette's Feast (1987)
"Babettes gæstebud" (original title)

In 19th century Denmark, two adult sisters live in an isolated village with their father, who is the honored pastor of a small Protestant church that is almost a sect unto itself. Although ... See full summary »

Director:

Gabriel Axel

Writers:

Karen Blixen (novel), Gabriel Axel (screenplay)

Stars:

Stéphane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel

Won 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stéphane Audran	...	Babette Hersant (as Stephane Audran)
Bodil Kjer	...	Filippa
Birgitte Federspiel	...	Martine
Jarl Kulle	...	Gen. Lorens Löwenhielm
Jean-Philippe Lafont	...	Achille Papin (as Jean Philippe Lafont)
Bibi Andersson	...	Svensk hofdame
Ghita Nørby	...	Narrator
Asta Esper Hagen Andersen	...	Anna (as Asta Esper Andersen)
Thomas Antoni	...	Svensk Lieutenant
Gert Bastian	...	Poor Man
Viggo Bentzon	...	Fisherman in Rowboat
Vibeke Hastrup	...	Young Martine
Therese Hojgaard Christensen	...	Martha
Pouel Kern	...	The Minister
Cay Kristiansen	...	Poul

Storyline

In 19th century Denmark, two adult sisters live in an isolated village with their father, who is the honored pastor of a small Protestant church that is almost a sect unto itself. Although they each are presented with a real opportunity to leave the village, the sisters choose to stay with their father, to serve to him and their church. After some years, a French woman refugee, Babette, arrives at their door, begs them to take her in, and commits herself to work for them as maid/housekeeper/cook. Sometime after their father dies, the sisters decide to hold a dinner to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth. Babette experiences unexpected good fortune and implores the sisters to allow her to take charge of the preparation of the meal. Although they are secretly concerned about what Babette, a Catholic and a foreigner, might do, the sisters allow her to go ahead. Babette then prepares the feast of a lifetime for the members of the tiny church and an important gentleman related ...

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Plot Keywords:

feast | denmark | refugee | father daughter relationship | quail | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish Swedish French

Release Date:

4 March 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Babette's Feast

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Box Office

Gross:

$4,398,938 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Panorama Film A/S, Det Danske Filminstitut, Nordisk Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Ebba With, Gert Bastian, Lisbeth Movin, Bendt Rothe and Pouel Kern.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[in Danish, using English subtitles]
Narrator: In this remote spot there once lived two sisters who were both past the first flush of youth. They had been christened Martina and Philippa after Martin Luther and his friend Philipp Melanchton. They spent all their time and almost all their small income on good works.

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Connections

Featured in Cinema Goes to Dinner (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Don Giovanni"
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

A French cook/housekeeper is sent to aid a pair of religious Danish sisters who have devoted their lives to the service of God and their small town.

This delicately told and moving story about the two devout daughters of a Danish Lutheran minister and their French servant is one of the finest European films of the 1980s. Set in a small, remote, austere Danish seaside town in the mid-19th century, the daughters devote their lives to continuing the work of their father in service of God, and in care for their needy townspeople. One of the daughters had turned down a promising opera career -- and the love of her French voice coach (a famous opera singer himself) -- to remain with her father and the town. Many years later the French singer sends a woman (Babette) -- who had lost her family in an outbreak of civil war -- to live with the sisters. She turns out to be an excellent cook, housekeeper and a shrewd shopper. The story culminates in a sumptuous feast prepared by Babette coinciding with a memorial to the reverend minister's 100th birthday. This delicious screenplay was adapted from the Isak Denisson (pen name for Karen Blixen) short story originally published in the Ladies Home Journal.