Babette's Feast

G

Released Mar 4, 1987

1h 42m

Comedy

Drama

List

97%

34 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Beautiful but pious sisters Martine (Birgitte Federspiel) and Philippa (Bodil Kjer) grow to spinsterhood under the wrathful eye of their strict pastor father on the forbidding and desolate coast of Jutland, until one day, Philippa's former suitor sends a Parisian refugee named Babette (Stéphane Audran) to serve as the family cook. Babette's lavish celebratory banquet tempts the family's dwindling congregation, who abjure such fleshly pleasures as fine foods and wines.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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r96 s

Well, 'Babette's Feast' is exactly what it says on the tin, that's for sure. It is a film that I'd personally refer to as 'good', though my interest did ascend and descend interchangeably throughout. The religiously and sing-y scenes were the parts that kinda lost me if I'm honest, but there is still enough there that I had a fine time seeing unfold - the characters for one, and then the final feast itself is decent viewing. Stéphane Audran is the best performer onscreen, I enjoyed her showing. The actresses that play Filippa and Martine, both younger and older, are solid. Beyond them, the rest of the cast all kinda merge into one in my memory as being alright. It's very much all about Audran, I'd say. I do like how the film unfolds and what it has to end up saying, there is charm in there. I just personally would've had it move along at a slightly quicker pace because this does drag a tiny bit in parts; and that's despite it only being practically a 90 minute movie. Overall, though, it's a pass from me.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/15/24

Full Review

William D

Not a wasted second in this film which overflows with Beauty, Truth, and Goodness. There are very few things in life that are perfect, but Babette's Feast is one of them.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/26/23

Full Review

Radheshwari S

A truly gorgeous film, unique in several ways to all the rest! This very subtle movie rather mysteriously unravels a series of experiences for the audience in a rapture of connected scenes. Giving one amazing delights of the senses and the heart. It is a foreign film classic treasure!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Massoud H

Marvelous movie. Bursting with sorrow and life lessons. And beautiful music.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/30/22

Full Review

spencer p

With heart, humor and religious open-mindedness, Gabriel Axel's direction guides us through a quite a "feast" of an under-2-hours story about a lifetime of observance and recognizing blessings from kindness.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Zachary L

Yes! Theologically rich and wonderfully communicated. Puritanical dualism shatters and is shown vacant when the bliss of both body and soul are reintagrated, and the character's learn to live in light of the eternal. My only complaint is that I wish we could've dove even deeper into the profound themes that suffuse this film. Babette's Feast is a confrontation of the good.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/03/22

Full Review

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Gabriel Axel

Director

Stéphane Audran

Babette Hersant

Jean-Philippe Lafont

Achille Papin

Jarl Kulle

Gamle Lorenz Lowenhielm

Gudmar Klöving

Lorens Loewenhielm

Bibi Andersson

Svensk hofdame

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

It's a strangely moving film about talents and passions used and not used.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 6, 2018

Full Review

Tasha Robinson

The Dissolve

While Babette's Feast is bleak, and often ponderous and stony, it eventually resolves as a moving hymn to art.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 23, 2013

Full Review

David Jenkins

Little White Lies

Light, frothy and sweet on the tongue, but lacking nutrition.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 13, 2012

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Never has cinema presented such a chaste and tasty orgy. Director Gabriel Axel suggests something heterodox but logical: you can reach the soul through the palette. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 15, 2022

Full Review

Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

Babette's Feast makes us relax and feel good. We leave it happy.

Apr 19, 2022

Full Review

Ángel Fernández-Santos

El Pais (Spain)

There's love and elegance, delicacy even, in the way Axel narrates this story about friendship and gratitude. [Full Review in Spanish]

Mar 31, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Beautiful but pious sisters Martine (Birgitte Federspiel) and Philippa (Bodil Kjer) grow to spinsterhood under the wrathful eye of their strict pastor father on the forbidding and desolate coast of Jutland, until one day, Philippa's former suitor sends a Parisian refugee named Babette (Stéphane Audran) to serve as the family cook. Babette's lavish celebratory banquet tempts the family's dwindling congregation, who abjure such fleshly pleasures as fine foods and wines.

Director: Gabriel Axel
Screenwriter: Gabriel Axel, Karen Blixen
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Production Co: Nordisk Film
Rating: G
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Danish
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 4, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 2, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.8M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround

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