Extra Credit Assignment

Babettes Feast: Movie Reflection

Babettes Feast movie portraits the life of two pious sisters Martine and Philippa. The story takes place in the small town located in the western coast of Jutland, Denmark. Two sisters are the daughters of a long dead Christian priest who once formed his own Christian sect. Now, in their old age two sisters are still trying to live by the religious direction set out by their father. Babettes feast also presents the story of the maid, a refugee from France, who is a master in cooking skills.

Movie opens up with the two pious sisters, then very beautiful, living their life with their father. They have a small congregation in their village. They are presented as a strict Christians who live by the path of god. Both sisters are approached respectively by the two different male figures. One being, a charming young Lieutenant, Lorens, who courts with Martine, and the other, Achilles Papin, a distinguished singer from Paris, who approaches Philippa. Both of these male figures are shown getting rejected by two sisters.

Movie, then, graduates onto the scene where Babette Hersant shows up at the house of two sisters. All sick and weak, she brings with her a letter from Paris, written by the Suitor of Philippa, Achile Papin. He explains of her victimized situation because of the bloodshed revolution back in France. Looking at her situation, the two sisters, accepts her as her servants. The sisters teach her the way to cook ale-bread. Slowly she learns their lifestyle and also helps sisters save more money than before because she bargains while buying groceries for home. After fourteen years of serving as a cook, Babettes, who constantly play lottery helped by her friend back in France, wins a lottery of 10,000 francs. This event makes the two sisters feel like she would leave the house and go back to France, but instead she stays there and decides to spend all of her money on a feast for the people of the congregation on the occasion of 100^th birthday anniversary of sister’s father. In the mean time, it is shown that the devotees of the congregation have grown intolerance and disagreements among themselves. In the table, they babble about their jealousy, anger and betrayal.

On the other scene, Babette goes on to take some day off to give her nephew the list of goods that she wants from France for the dinner. The sister feels that the giving into the gluttony of such dinner was a sin, and goes on to tell the people of congregation that no matter what happens, no one will pass any comment about the food in the dinner. Then comes the letter from Mrs. Lowenhielm writing about the unexpected visit from her Nephew, now General Loren, and for the permission to bring him at the dinner. After this scene, Babette starts preparing food and table for the evening with the help of her Nephew. Everyone gather for the dinner and enchant the pray to god. General Loren becomes one of the first to start praising Babette’s delicious food, starting from amontillado to cailles en sarcophage. On the table, the people of congregation talks about the great deeds of the founding Pastor, and the grandeur of god. At the mean time, General Loren puts a speech about the choices taken in life being of no importance and only the mercy is the one that is infinite. When they are done with the dinner, they are directed to the sitting room where the people of congregation one more time grow love for each other; forgetting all the bitterness of the past.

At the end of the movie, the two sisters comes to know that Babettes was not going back to France as there was nobody waiting for her, and also because she had spend all of her lottery money in the dinner. She also tells the sisters that the dinner was a chance for her to show her artistry that she once had when she used to work as a head chef in café Anglais. At last, movie wraps up with the scene where sisters appreciate Babette’s work, and praise her for doing all that she did.