Babette's Feast DVD

Released in 1987, Babette's Feast is a film which depicts so little, yet says so much. Set in a rural Danish community, it centers around the twin sisters of the village pastor and the French women who serves them after fleeing the 1871 revolution. On winning the lottery she plans a feast to mark the centenary of the sisters' father, bringing a dimension of fine living into the lives of the God-fearing Lutherans and healing festering personal animosities in the process. Director Gabriel Axel captures the rugged timelessness of the Jutland landscape, and draws inspired performances from StTphane Audran as Babette, and Bodil Keyer and Birgitte Federspiel as the sisters Filippa and Martine. Per Norgard's sparse but affecting score captures the mood of the film perfectly. Altogether it's a heart-warming and affecting experience.