A meal that changes a life--Babette's Feat

 

 

     Babette's feast depicts the transformation of an oppressed and overly religious sect provoked by a luxurious feast that costs £10,000. During the feast, they start learning to embrace their emotions and to enjoy pleasures, which they regard as sinful crime before.
     While reading the short story, I picture in my mind the image of the dinner table and the luxurious dishes. I can't even remember all those fancies names now, but the descriptions from the story rise and weave to form a lively three dimensional dinner. It's like you can sense the words and lines from the paper. The movie, in terms of this, helps a lot by providing a detailed close-up at the food. A large portion of the movie is given to the feast and the preparation in the kitchen. Looking at General Loweinhelm enjoying the food, I feel as if I tasted the food myself. Unfortunately, General Loweinhelm is the only one who knows how to enjoy at the table. 
     The driver who helps in the kitchen is a foil to the believers. Even he is from a lower class and probably not as educated as the believers, he, however, knows how to enjoy pleasures. 

 

 

     I like the whole plot of the story because I like to see people going through emotional realization and epiphanies. Ironically, the one thing I don't like about the movie is the transformation part. I expect huge transformation and epiphany from the religious believers. After all, it's a life change. All they do at the end is just engaging in conversations, signings, and kissing, the most prominent change of all.
     Babette's feast reminds me of a movie I like better with a similar plot, Chocolat starred by Johhny Depp and Juliette Binoche. If you've never seen this movie, I highly recommend it if you want to learn about the magical power if food, or chocolate.
     On the surface, Babette's feast seems like a story all about food. But it's actually pretty deep and there are a few illusions in the novel. For example, the dinner is aattended by 12 people, which refers to the Last Dinner. Their old overly oppressed days is over. Since now on, people are embracing a new  life with pleasure and hope, and I'm sure that the whole point of the story.