BABETTE'S FEAST
DVD. Artificial Eye.

There's a certain irony in the fact that, for some time, I had no time for Babette's Feast, so thoroughly was I put off the film by the hysterical gushing of the likes of Barry Norman (rule of thumb: if Bazza loved it in the 1980s, it was probably awful) when it was first released. After all, this is a story all about pleasure – more to the point, the denial of pleasure and the eventual discovery and acceptance of it. And I'm glad that I finally opened up to the film, which is a lovely, bittersweet tale of love, religion and food.

Set in the harsh coastal area of Jutland in the 19th Century, the plot is simple – sisters Martine (Birgitte Federspeil) and Filippa (Bodil Kjer) have grown up in a pious, severe Christian sect, giving up opportunities for love and freedom. By the time French refugee Babette (Stephane Audran) arrives in their lives – literally turning up at their door in the middle of the night – their lives have passed them by and their congregation is a dwindling band of old, increasingly fractious miserablists. They accept Babette into their home as a servant, but when she wins the French lottery, she insists on making a celebratory dinner for the worshippers – who are so terrified of the idea of pleasure that they decide not to speak of the sumptuous food and drink they are about to be served. But the heart, of course, can override the head, and the food begins to open them up to feelings they had long denied.

Windswept and austere, the film has a quiet, minimalist feel to it, Gabriel Axel's studied direction and restrained adaptation of Karen Blixen's story allowing the slow development of the characters, with extensive flashbacks within flashbacks handled deftly, giving flow where there could have easily been confusion. Thing begin to come to life in the last half hour, which is pretty much entirely devoted to the titular feast, as the colours of the food and the setting sweep away the monochrome feel of the spartan lives led by these people. There is something sensual about the meal, Babette's fastidious preparations and the slowly unfolding pleasures – rarely has a film captured the joy that food and drink can bring so well (I imagine that even now, the British Medical Council are lobbying for it to be banned lest it encourages anyone to think of eating as anything more than a necessary evil).

Babette's Feast is a genuinely charming film – a slight one, perhaps, but full of moments that are remarkable, performances that are flawless and topped with Per Nørgård's simple but perfect score, it is a thing of genuine beauty. This new edition should, hopefully, return to it a degree of the attention it once had.

DAVID FLINT

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