Babette's Feast

Babettes gæstebud

Denmark

1987

102 Min

Color

1.66:1

French, Swedish, Danish

Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
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PROD Just Betzer, Bo Christensen, Benni Korzen, Pernille Siesbye

SCR Karen Blixen, Gabriel Axel

CAST Stéphane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel, Jarl Kulle, Bibi Andersson, Ghita Nørby, Asta Esper Hagen Andersen, Thomas Antoni, Gert Bastian, Viggo Bentzon, Vibeke Hastrup

SOUND Michael Dela, Carl Aage Hansen, John Nielsen, Bjarne Risbjerg

Cannes (Un Certain Regard): Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention, New York, Toronto, Telluride, London, San Francisco, Nordic, Miami (Retrospective)

Synopsis

Cook Babette Hersant had to flee France after the Paris Commune of 1871 and ends up as a housekeeper for two unmarried sisters (whose strict father was a priest) in western Jutland, Denmark. When Babette wins the lottery, she decides to spend the money on a sumptuous meal for these melancholic and frugal people. A Swedish officer who turns out to be able to appreciate the culinary specialties is invited also, and the dinner will have a liberating effect on all participants. –DFI

Director

Gabriel Axel

Gabriel Axel (born 18 April 1918) is an Oscar winning Danish film director, actor, writer and producer, best known for the Oscar-winning Babette’s Feast (1987), which he wrote and directed.

Born in Århus, Denmark, on April 18, 1918, Axel spent most of his childhood in France, and returned to Denmark to train as an actor at the Royal Danish Theatre. After spending some years in Paris, working with the Louis Jouvet theatre ensemble, Axel concentrated his efforts on directing for the theatre, television and cinema in Denmark.

With some 16 feature films to his credits Axel returned to France where he directed several large projects for television, which brought him a number of distinguished honours.

In 1988, Gabriel Axel won an Academy Award for his Danish feature film Babette’s Feast, an adaptation of Isak Dinesen’s novel of the same name.

His other notable films include the popular comedy Familien Gyldenkål (1975) and its sequel; a series of sexually oriented… read more