Babette's Feast (1987)

During the late 19th century, a strict religious community in a Danish village takes in a French refugee from the Franco-Prussian War as a servant to the late pastor's daughters.

Director:

Gabriel Axel

Writers:

Karen Blixen (short story), 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	...	General Lorens Löwenhielm / Löwenhielm's Father
Jean-Philippe Lafont	...	Achille Papin (as Jean Philippe Lafont)
Bibi Andersson	...	Swedish Lady-in-Waiting
Ghita Nørby	...	Narrator (voice)
Asta Esper Hagen Andersen	...	Anna (as Asta Esper Andersen)
Thomas Antoni	...	Swedish Lieutenant
Gert Bastian	...	Poor Man
Viggo Bentzon	...	Fisherman in Rowboat
Vibeke Hastrup	...	Young Martine
Therese Højgaard Christensen	...	Martha - Father's Maid
Pouel Kern	...	Pastor
Cay Kristiansen	...	Poul

Storyline

In a remote 19th-century Danish 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. Their father objected in each case, and they spent their lives caring for him. Many years later - their father is now deceased - they take in French refugee, Babette Hersant, who agrees to work as their servant. After winning the lottery, Babette wants to repay the sisters for their kindness and offers to cook a French meal for them and their friends on the 100th anniversary of their father's birth. It proves to be an eye-opening experience for everyone.

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Plot Keywords:

cooking | feast | mother son relationship | piano | gourmet | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish Swedish French Italian English

Release Date:

4 March 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Babette's Feast

Filming Locations:

Vigsø, Thisted Kommune, Jylland, Denmark

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,398,938

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Favorite film of Pope Francis.

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Goofs

In the church, behind the pastor there is a crucifix on the wall. While many Calvinist Puritan churches have no such images, there is variance among Protestant churches; as the pastor named his daughters after famous Lutherans, his church may be more Lutheran in practice, thus allowing such images.

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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

Referenced in Cine Terapia: Cine Terapia - Juan Carlos Maneglia (2017)

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Soundtracks

Duet Là ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni
(uncredited)
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

A feast of cinema

Stephane Audran is the eponymous heroine of this beautifully measured study of a small Danish community towards the end of the last century. Two beautiful and musically talented sisters give-up their own prospects of happiness and marriage in order to look-after their ageing father. One day, a French woman, Babette, comes to work for them. After some years she wins the lottery and is determined to do something for the sisters who have taken her in. Her solution is to prepare an exquisite and sumptuous feast, which changes the lives of all those invited. This is a film about human and cultural interaction, reflected in the changing language of the dialogue from Danish to French, and especially between the dutiful sobriety of Protestant northern Europe and the sensuousness of the Catholic south. It is also about human needs, and how warmth and kindness can be expressed and stimulated through the cultivation of the senses. A profoundly uplifting film.