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

Director:

Gabriel Axel

Writers:

Karen Blixen (novel)
Gabriel Axel (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Plot:

In 19th century Denmark, two adult sisters live in an isolated village with their father, who is the...

Plot Keywords:

Feast | Denmark | Refugee | Father Daughter Relationship | Quail

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Stéphane Audran	...	Babette Hersant (as Stephane Audran)
Bodil Kjer	...	Filippa
Birgitte Federspiel	...	Martine
Jarl Kulle	...	General 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
Lars Lohmann	...	Fisherman
Tine Miehe-Renard	...	Löwenhielm's Wife
Lisbeth Movin	...	The Widow
Finn Nielsen	...	Kobmand
Holger Perfort	...	Karlsen
Else Petersen	...	Solveig
Erik Petersén	...	Erik (as Erik Petersen)
Ebbe Rode	...	Christopher
Bendt Rothe	...	Old Nielsen
Preben Lerdorff Rye	...	The Captain
Hanne Stensgaard	...	Young Filippa
Axel Strøbye	...	The Coach
Ebba With	...	Löwenhielm's Aunt
Gudmar Klöving	...	Young Lorens Löwenhielm (as Gudmar Wivesson)
Tina Kiberg	...	Filippa (singing voice)

Directed by
Gabriel Axel

Writing credits
Karen Blixen		(novel "Skaebne-Anekdoter")
Gabriel Axel		(screenplay)

Produced by
Just Betzer	....	producer
Bo Christensen	....	producer
Benni Korzen	....	producer (uncredited)
Pernille Siesbye	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Per Nørgaard		(as Per Nørgård)

Cinematography by
Henning Kristiansen

Film Editing by
Finn Henriksen

Production Design by
Sven Wichmann

Set Decoration by
Peter Obeling Johannsen

Costume Design by
Annelise Hauberg
Karl Lagerfeld		(costume designer: Miss Audran)
Pia Myrdal

Makeup Department
Elisabeth Bukkehave	....	makeup artist
Sanne Dandanell	....	makeup artist
Grethe Holleufer	....	makeup artist
Birthe Lyngsøe	....	makeup artist
Bente Møller	....	makeup artist
Lydia Pujols	....	makeup artist
Aase Tarp	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Lene Nielsen	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tom Hedegaard	....	assistant director

Art Department
Arvid Berg	....	assistant property master
Ena Eisel	....	property master
Gary Møller	....	assistant property master
Torben Bækmark Pedersen	....	property master
Rikke Raben	....	assistant property master
Leif Stoltze	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Hans-Eric Ahrn	....	sound mixer
Karen Bentzon	....	production sound recordist
Michael Dela	....	sound
Carl Aage Hansen	....	sound
John Nielsen	....	sound
Bjarne Risbjerg	....	sound
Sonja Vesterholt	....	production sound recordist

Special Effects by
Henning Bahs	....	special effects coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Wils Jensen	....	lighting technician
Jacob Marlow	....	lighting technician
Peter Gabriel Mørch	....	still photographer
Gunnar Nielsen	....	grip
Michael Sørensen	....	lighting technician

Editorial Department
Liselotte Havmøller	....	assistant editor
Mette Schramm	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Finn Graunbøl	....	musician: Klaver/Orgel (as Finn Gravnbol)

Other crew
Annemarie Aaes	....	script
Claes Kastholm Hansen	....	consultant
Niels Bjørn Larsen	....	choreographer
Paulette Tavormina	....	food stylist

Production Companies

• Panorama Film A/S
• Det Danske Filminstitut
• Nordisk Film
• Rungstedlundfonden

Distributors

• Orion Classics (1988) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Impuls Verleih (1988) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Classic (19??) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Astrablu Media (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Homescreen (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Look Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Orion Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1992) (USA) (TV)

Also Known As:

"Babettes gæstebud" - Denmark (original title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish | Swedish | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Japan:G (2009) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | UK:U (DVD) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Iceland:L | Peru:PT | Sweden:7 | USA:G | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Panorama Film A/S

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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Zomergasten: Episode #20.5" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Don Giovanni

Consuming passion?

"Babette's Feast" proves that not all film theories and formulas are true 100% of the time. Here's a story where there is no life-or-death conflict, no raging anger, no violent outbursts. Nothing blowed up real good, and there is nothing resembling a chase scene. The conflict is about the ways in which people can be nice to each other. Their personal differences of passion or conviction are not as important as the ways in which they can connect with each other.

How shockingly refreshing.

There is an undercurrent to this film that gives it the feel of a Garrison Keillor monologue, in that it is built around people's personal foibles and quirks.

Even more refreshing is how "Babette's Feast" manages to be nice without becoming cloying, saccharine, facile, superficial or insincere. People's personal passions are portrayed not only from their own perspective, but from the perspective of the people they affect, with more realism than you usually get in film, yet also with sincere and infectious optimism.

If you don't come away from "Babette's Feast" smiling and feeling better, then you must have been distracted from giving it your full attention. This is one of those very rare films that you can recommend to everyone you know. It is truly in a class by itself. Like Mary Poppins, "Practically perfect in every way."

Utterly charming and subtly stunning.