Babette's Feast

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Babette's Feast

G,

1987,

1h 42m,

Comedy/

Drama

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Watchlist

97%

34 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

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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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

Dec 6, 2018

3/4

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

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Tasha Robinson

The Dissolve

Jul 23, 2013

3.5/5

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

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David Jenkins

Little White Lies

Dec 13, 2012

3/5

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

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Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez

Tom & Lorenzo

Jul 21, 2026

Disappointment, the film seems to be saying, comes for us all in the end, like death. It’s up to us how we’re going to weather it. At the same time, however, it’s a film practically dense with kindness.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Jun 15, 2022

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]

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

Apr 19, 2022

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

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Hagrid W

Mar 24, 2019

So many layers of meaning, as I grow up and rewatch.

Han M

Jul 26, 2018

Babette's Feast is a glorious treat for the eyes with accomplished cinematography, many amazing shots and beautiful costumes. The film also features terrific acting performances and it's just a really cozy, very charming historical drama. However, it relies too much on food leading to a limited in appeal film. It's also very slow and badly structured, seriously affecting the character development. It's also a film that is overly simplistic and I personally found it thematically void and sorely uneventful. In the end, it's perfectly solid and rather sweet, but otherwise highly overrated.

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Luke G

May 28, 2018

Perfectly crafted movie

Ron R

Feb 16, 2018

Beyond Human Compassion for our fellow human beings...what a lovely thought

Harry R

Feb 5, 2018

wtf 4.2 averege viewer rating? this movie suck so bad. since when did old grandmas get on rotten?

Albus M

Oct 26, 2017

One of my favorite films. An all-time classic.

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Gabriel Axel

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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
Producer: Just Betzer, Bo Christensen, Benni Korzen
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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