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The classic BABETTE’S FEAST (1h45 mins)
September 2, 2025 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
On Tuesday 2nd September at 5pm: the classic BABETTE’S FEAST (1h45 mins) based on the 1958 story by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen).
It was met with widespread critical acclaim and became the first Danish film to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also the first Danish cinema film of a Blixen story. The film holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 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 movie is a favourite of Alton Brown, Pope Francis, Rowan Williams, Richard Gere, and Stanley Tucci. The film was included by the Vatican in a list of important films compiled in 1995, under the category of “Religion”.
In a remote 19th-century Danish village, two sisters lead a rigid life centered around their father, the local minister, and their church. Both had opportunities to leave the village: one could have married a young army officer and the other, a French opera singer. Their father objected in each case, and they spent their lives caring for him. Many years later – their father is now deceased – they take in French refugee, Babette Hersant, who agrees to work as their servant. After winning the lottery, Babette wants to repay the sisters for their kindness and offers to cook a French meal for them and their friends on the 100th anniversary of their father’s birth. It proves to be an eye-opening experience for everyone.
“Food For Body and Soul
Flawlessly directed, written, performed, and filmed, this quiet and unpretentious Danish film is an example of cinema at its best, and if a person exists who can watch BABETTE’S FEAST without being touched at a very fundamental level, they are a person I do not care to know.
The film is extraordinary in every way, meticulous in detail yet not overpowering in its presentation of them. As the film progresses, we come to love the characters in both their simple devotion to God and their all-too-human frailties, and the scenes in which Babette prepares her feast and in which the meal is consumed are powerful, beautiful, and incredibly memorable. There have been several films that have used food as a metaphor for love, but none approach the simple artistry and beauty of BABETTE’S FEAST, which reminds us of all the good things about humanity and which proves food for both body and soul. Highly, highly recommended.” IMDb reviewer