''Babette's Feast'' () is a 1987 Danish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Gabriel Axel Axel Gabriel Erik Mørch better known as Gabriel Axel (18 April 1918 – 9 February 2014) Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Gabriel Axel ''The Guardian'', 10 February 2014 was a Danish film director, actor, writer and producer, best known for ''Bab ...

. The screenplay, written by Axel, was based on the 1958 story by Isak Dinesen (

Karen Blixen Baroness Karen Christentze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countries; Ta ...

). It was produced by

Just Betzer Just Betzer (11 June 1944 – 6 November 2003), was a Danish Oscar-winning film producer, born in Åbyhøj, Denmark. Betzer began his career managing the candy concession and as an alternate projectionist at his father's theater in Aarhus, Den ...

, Bo Christensen and

Benni Korzen Benni Korzen (born April 1, 1938) is a Danish film producer, best known for producing ''Babette's Feast'' (1987). Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Korzen won the Best Foreign Film Oscar for ''Babette's Feast'' in 1988. The producer also won the BAFTA ...

, with funding from the

Danish Film Institute The Danish Film Institute (; DFI) is the national Danish institution, agency responsible for supporting and encouraging film and cinema culture, and for conserving these in the national interest. It is the successor organisation to the Danish Fil ...

. It stars

Stéphane Audran Stéphane Audran (born Colette Suzanne Jeannine Dacheville; 8 November 1932 – 27 March 2018) was a French film actress. She was known for her performances in the films of her husband Claude Chabrol, including '' Les Biches'' (1968) and '' Le Bou ...

Birgitte Federspiel Birgitte Federspiel (6 September 1925 –February 2, 2005) was a Danish film, theater and TV actress. She won two Bodil Awards for best actress in 1955 (''Ordet'') and 1959 (''En fremmed banker på'').Bodil Kjer. ''Babette's Feast'' was met with widespread critical acclaim and became the first Danish film to win the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also the first Danish cinema film of a Blixen story. The film premiered in the ''

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

'' section of the

1987 Cannes Film Festival The 40th Cannes Film Festival took place from 7 to 19 May 1987. French-Italian actor Yves Montand served as jury president for the main competition. French filmmaker Maurice Pialat won the ''Palme d'Or'', the festival's top prize, for the drama ...

Plot

The elderly and pious

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

sisters Martine and Filippa live in a small village on the remote western coast of

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

in 19th-century Denmark. Their late father was a pastor who founded his own

Pietistic Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life. Although the movement is aligned with Luth ...

conventicle A conventicle originally meant "an assembly" and was frequently used by ancient writers to mean "a church." At a semantic level, ''conventicle'' is a Latinized synonym of the Greek word for ''church'', and references Jesus' promise in Matthew 18: ...

. Lacking new converts, the aging sisters preside over a dwindling, elderly congregation. Forty-nine years before, the sisters had many suitors, but their father rejected them, to retain the women’s assistance with his pastoral mission. Martine was courted by a young

Swedish cavalry This is a list of Swedish cavalry regiments, battalions, corps and companies that have existed in the Swedish Army. They are listed in three ways, first by the actual units that have existed, then by the various names these units have had, and l ...

officer, Lorens Löwenhielm, who was visiting Jutland. Filippa was courted by the famous

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

Achille Papin, on hiatus from the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

. Both sisters spurned their suitors and stayed with their father. Thirty-five years later, Babette Hersant appears at their door. She carries a letter from Papin which explains that she is a refugee from counter-revolutionary bloodshed in Paris and recommends her as a housekeeper. The sisters cannot afford to employ Babette, but she begs to work for free. Babette serves as their cook for the next fourteen years, producing improved versions of the bland meals typical of the abstemious nature of the congregation and gaining their respect, and that of the other locals. As the years go by, the sisters are deeply distressed by the increasing number of disputes between the congregants. Babette is also troubled, and at one point, interrupts the arguments with a stern rebuke. Babette's only link to her former life is a

lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...

ticket. A Parisian friend annually renews the ticket. One day, she wins the lottery and receives 10,000 francs. After her win she decides to prepare a dinner for the sisters and their small congregation on the occasion of the founding pastor's hundredth birthday. More than just a feast, the meal is an outpouring of Babette's appreciation, an act of self-sacrifice. The sisters accept both Babette's meal and her offer to pay for the creation of a "real French dinner." Babette arranges for her nephew to go to Paris and gather the supplies for the feast. The ingredients are plentiful, sumptuous and exotic, and their arrival causes much consternation and discussion among the villagers. As the various never-before-seen ingredients arrive and preparations commence, the sisters begin to worry that the meal will become a sin of sensual luxury, if not some form of devilry. In a hasty conference, the sisters and the congregation agree to eat the meal, but to forgo speaking of any pleasure in it and to make no mention of the food during the dinner. Martine's former suitor, Lorens, now a famous general married to a member of the Queen's court, comes as the guest of his aunt, the local lady of the manor and a member of the old pastor's congregation. He is unaware of the other guests' austere plans and as a man of the world and former

attaché In diplomacy, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified ac ...

in Paris, he is the only person at the table qualified to comment on the meal. He regales the guests with abundant information about the extraordinary food and drink, comparing it to a meal he enjoyed years earlier at the famous Café Anglais in Paris. Although the other celebrants refuse to comment on the earthly pleasures of their meal, Babette's gifts break down their distrust and superstitions, elevating them physically and spiritually. Old wrongs are forgiven, ancient loves are rekindled and a mystical redemption of the human spirit settles over the table. Bereft, the sisters assume that Babette will return to Paris. However, when she says that all of her money is gone and that she is not going anywhere, the sisters are aghast. Babette then reveals that she was formerly the head chef of the Café Anglais, where a dinner for twelve cost 10,000 francs. Martine tearfully says, "Now you will be poor the rest of your life", to which Babette replies, "An artist is never poor." Filippa then says: "But this is not the end, Babette. In paradise you will be the great artist God meant you to be" and then embraces her with tears in her eyes saying: "Oh, how you will enchant the angels!"

Cast

as Babette Hersant * Bodil Kjer as Filippa (old) *

Birgitte Federspiel Birgitte Federspiel (6 September 1925 –February 2, 2005) was a Danish film, theater and TV actress. She won two Bodil Awards for best actress in 1955 (''Ordet'') and 1959 (''En fremmed banker på'').Jarl Kulle Jarl Lage Kulle (28 February 1927 – 3 October 1997) was a Swedish film and stage actor and director, and father of Maria Kulle. Kulle was born in the village of Truedstorp, outside Ekeby, Sweden, and was the son of the merchant Nils Kull ...

as General Lorens Löwenhielm (old) * Jean-Philippe Lafont as Achille Papin * Vibeke Hastrup as Martine (young) * Hanne Stensgaard as Filippa (young) * Tina Kiberg as Filippa (singing voice) * Gudmar Wivesson as Lorens (young) *

Bibi Andersson Berit Elisabet Andersson (11 November 1935 – 14 April 2019), known professionally as Bibi Andersson (), was a Swedish actress who was best known for her frequent collaborations with filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. Early life and career Andersson ...

as Swedish courtier * Pouel Kern as the pastor, the father * Bendt Rothe as Nielsen, parishioner * Cay Kristiansen as Poul, parishioner * Lisbeth Movin as the Widow, parishioner *

Preben Lerdorff Rye Preben Lerdorff Rye (23 May 1917 – 15 June 1995) was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 92 films between 1941 and 1989. He was born and died in Denmark. Selected filmography * '' The Child'' (1940) – Jurastuderende * '' En ganske almind ...

as the Captain, parishioner * Ebbe Rode as Christopher, parishioner *

Else Petersen Else Petersen (26 April 1910 – 28 August 2002) was a Danish film and stage actress. She appeared in 44 films between 1936 and 1993. Partial filmography * ''Maria the Maid'' (1936) - Alice's friend * ''Flådens blå matroser'' (1937) - E ...

as Solveig, parishioner * Asta Esper Andersen as Anna, parishioner * Holger Perfort as Karlsen, parishioner * Ebba With as Löwenhielm's aunt *

Axel Strøbye Axel Strøby Jacobsen (22 February 1928 – 12 July 2005), known as Axel Strøbye was a Danish stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1951 and 2000. He was born in the Copenhagen borough Frederiksberg and died in Char ...

as Löwenhielm's coachman * Finn Nielsen as grocery store owner *

Ghita Nørby Ghita Nørby (born 11 January 1935) is a Danish actress with 117 film credits to her name from 1956 to 2005, making her one of the most active Danish actresses ever. Early life Nørby was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the daughter of opera singer ...

as Narrator (voice)

Production

Blixen's original story takes place in a Norwegian village called Berlevåg, which coincidentally shares its name with the port village of Berlevåg, which has multi-coloured wooden houses on a long fjord. However, when Axel researched locations in Norway, he found the settings were too idyllic and resembled a "beautiful tourist brochure".Mørch, Karin, ''Gabriel's Gæstebud: Portrait af en Filmmager'', Copenhagen: Gyldendal, (2008) p.403 He shifted the location to the flat windswept coast of western

and asked his set designer, Sven Wichmann, to build a small grey village offering very few or no attractions.

Mårup Church Mårup Church (Danish: ''Mårup Kirke'') was a Romanesque church in Vendsyssel in Denmark's northern Jutland. The church was built on Lønstrup Klint, a cliff on the North Sea near the town of Lønstrup in the Hjørring municipality. The area is ...

, a plain Romanesque church built around 1250 on a remote seaside cliff near the village of Lønstrup, was used as a backdrop. Somewhat ironically, the actual village of Berlevåg is not on a fjord, but directly on the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; , ; ) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territorial waters.World Wildlife Fund, 2008. It was known earlier among Russi ...

, and is subject to strong winds—very much similar to Axel's vision. Axel altered the setting from a ship-filled harbor to fishermen's rowboats on a beach. He said the changes would highlight Blixen's vision of Babette's life in near complete exile. translated from "Der er meget, der fungerer på skrift, men når det blive overført til billeder, giver det slet ikke samme indtryk eller følelse. Alle de ændringer, jeg foretog, gjorde jeg faktisk for at være tro mod Karen Blixens." The

Nordisk Film Nordisk Film A/S () is a Danish entertainment company involved in film production and distribution and a subsidiary of Egmont Group. The multimedia entertainment company is also involved in television production, cinemas, computer games and ...

production company suggested the cast of ''Babette's Feast'' should include only Danish actors to reduce production costs. However, Axel wanted Danish, Swedish and French actors to play the roles for the sake of authenticity. Axel was supported by the

's consultant, Claes Kastholm Hansen, who also agreed the cast should include international stars. The title character of Babette was initially offered to

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress. She is considered one of the greatest European actresses on film. In 2020, ''The New York Times'' ranked her as one of th ...

. Deneuve was interested in the part but was concerned because she had been criticized in her past attempts to depart from her usual ‘sophisticated woman’ roles. While Deneuve deliberated for a day, Axel met with French actress

. Axel remembered Audran from her roles in

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

's films ''

Violette Nozière ''Violette Nozière'', also titled ''Violette'', is a 1978 crime drama film directed by Claude Chabrol starring Isabelle Huppert and Stéphane Audran. It tells the true story of teenage prostitute and murderer Violette Nozière, who poisoned h ...

'' (1978) and ''

Cop au Vin ''Cop au Vin'' () is a 1985 French crime film directed by Claude Chabrol. It was entered into the 1985 Cannes Film Festival. The original French title is a pun: it literally means "vinegar chicken," but "poulet" is also French slang for "cop." Th ...

'' (1985). When Axel asked Chabrol (her former husband) about Audran's suitability, Chabrol said Audran was the archetype of Babette. Axel gave the script to Audran, told her that Deneuve was contemplating the role, and asked her if she might be able to respond before the next day. Audran called two hours later and said she wanted the role. The following day, Deneuve declined and Audran was officially cast. Two other major parts were the characters of the elderly maiden sisters, Phillipa and Martine. Phillipa, the once-promising singer, was portrayed by Bodil Kjer, considered the first lady of Danish theater and namesake of the

Bodil Award The Bodil Awards are the major Danish film awards given by the Danish Film Critics Association. The awards are presented annually at a ceremony in Copenhagen. Established in 1948, it is one of the oldest film awards in Europe. The awards are gi ...

Birgitte Federspiel Birgitte Federspiel (6 September 1925 –February 2, 2005) was a Danish film, theater and TV actress. She won two Bodil Awards for best actress in 1955 (''Ordet'') and 1959 (''En fremmed banker på'').Ordet ''Ordet'' (, meaning " The Word" and originally released as ''The Word'' in English) is a 1955 Danish drama film, written and directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It is based on a play by Kaj Munk, a Danish Lutheran priest, first performed in 1932. ...

'', was cast as the staid, lovelorn Martine. The role of the Swedish General Lorens Löwenhielm, the former suitor of Martine, was accepted by

Jarl Kulle Jarl Lage Kulle (28 February 1927 – 3 October 1997) was a Swedish film and stage actor and director, and father of Maria Kulle. Kulle was born in the village of Truedstorp, outside Ekeby, Sweden, and was the son of the merchant Nils Kull ...

and the Swedish Court Lady by

. Both had achieved international recognition as two of

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

's favorite actors, appearing in many of his films. The group of elderly villagers was composed of Danish actors, many of whom were well known for their roles in the films of

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history, his movies are noted for emotional austerity ...

. These included Lisbeth Movin as the Old Widow,

as the Captain,

as the Driver, Bendt Rothe as Old Nielsen and Ebbe Rode as Christopher. The popular Danish actress

was cast as the film's narrator. Although production consultants complained to Axel that the use of a narrator was too old-fashioned, Axel was adamant about using one. He said it was not about being old-fashioned but only about the need: "If there is need for a narrator, then one uses one."

Release

Reception

Upon its release in 1987, ''Babette's Feast'' received positive reviews. The film won the 1987 Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. It also received the

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Film Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In Denmark, it won both the Bodil and

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

awards for Best Danish Film of the Year. The film was nominated and/or won several other awards including a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

nomination, the

Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association) The Grand Prix is an annual award presented by the Belgian Film Critics Association (, UCC). It was introduced in 1954 by the organizing committee to honor the film of the year "that contributed the most to the enrichment and influence of cinema" ...

award and a

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

special prize. The film maintained a 97% "Fresh" rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

based on 34 reviews, and an average score of 8.5/10. The site's consensus is; "Charming and melancholy, ''Babette's Feast'' is a timeless Scandinavian treat that explores the complex relationships between people, beliefs, and what it means to be an artist." The film also has a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score of 78 out of 100 at

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

based on reviews from 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". After the film's release, several restaurants offered recreations of the film's menu. The movie is a favorite of

Alton Brown Alton Crawford Brown Jr. (born July 30, 1962) is an American television personality, food show presenter, food scientist, author, voice actor, and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show '' Good Eats'' th ...

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

Rowan Williams Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet, who served as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012. Previously the Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of W ...

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began appearing in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film), Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Hea ...

, and

Stanley Tucci Stanley Tucci Jr. ( ; born November 11, 1960) is an American actor. Known as a character actor, he has played a wide variety of roles ranging from menacing to sophisticated, earning numerous accolades, including six Emmy Awards and two Golden ...

. The film was included by the Vatican in a list of important films compiled in 1995, under the category of "Religion".

Home video

''Babette's Feast'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

on January 23, 2001, presented in its original 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The only special feature was the original theatrical trailer. On July 23, 2013, the film was released by

The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of art film, arth ...

on DVD and

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

. The Blu-ray has a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, and features new video interviews with star Stéphane Audran, sociologist Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson, and a 1995 documentary about author Karen Blixen, as well as a booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Mark Le Fanu and Dinesen's 1950 story.

American remake

In December 2019, it was announced that

Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is noted for his satire, satirical depictions of contemporary American society. Payne has received List of awards and nominations rec ...

had been asked to direct an American remake of the film. Payne's version was planned to be set in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

References

Sources

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of arthouse film distributo ...

{{Authority control 1987 films 1987 multilingual films 1987 romantic drama films 1980s Danish-language films 1980s French-language films 1980s Swedish-language films Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award winners Cooking films Danish Culture Canon Danish multilingual films Danish romantic drama films Films about Christianity Films about food and drink Films about old age Films about sisters Films based on Danish novels Films based on works by Karen Blixen Films directed by Gabriel Axel Films set in the 19th century Films set in Denmark Films shot in Denmark Films scored by Per Nørgård

Plot

Cast

Production

Menu

Release

Reception

Home video

American remake

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links