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Babette's Feast

Play trailer Poster for Babette's Feast G Released Mar 4, 1987 1h 42m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 33 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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Babette's Feast

Babette's Feast

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dusk L. A hugely entertaining drama with a unique story structure that says a lot about many things with a captivating narrative. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/16/25 Full Review Leaburn O Strangely enjoyable even though little happens. I think it’s the food, it’s like enjoying Masterchef. You can’t help but enjoy the diner’s own enjoyment of the feast. It’s a treat you can’t taste but you can dream about. Watched on DVD. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/25/24 Full Review Lanfranco C The pursuit of happyness: ethic, but pleasure too. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/24/24 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
Babette's Feast

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Cast & Crew

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Gabriel Axel

Director

Stéphane Audran

Babette Hersant

Jean-Philippe Lafont

Achille Papin

Jarl Kulle

Gamle Lorens Lowenhielm

Gudmar Klöving

Lorens Loewenhielm

Bibi Andersson

Svensk hofdame
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Babette's Feast

Babette's Feast (1987) Babette's Feast (1987) Babette's Feast (1987) Babette's Feast (1987) Babette's Feast (1987) View more photos

Movie Info

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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