Moral Rating:	Good
	Moviemaking Quality:
	Primary Audience:	All Ages
	Style:	Drama
	Length:	102 min.
	MPAA Rating:

A memorable church hymn and Psalm asks the Lord to "make me an instrument of your peace." A stunning illustration of this psalm is Babette's Feast, a wonderful Danish film that is ultimately about overcoming anti-religious prejudice with simple acts of kindness. An Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film in 1987, it is without a doubt one of the finest foreign films ever made.

As directed by Gabriel Axel in the style of Bergman and Dreyer, it feels like a somber, more serious episode of Touched By An Angel. Here, the "angel" is Babette (Stephane Audran), a cook from Paris who arrives in a small Danish village to work for Martina (Brigitte Federspiel) and Philippa (Bodil Kjer), two twin daughters of a preacher. Babette was actually sent by an opera singer from Philippa's past - the first half-hour is a well-crafted piece of storytelling, told in flashback, that sets up the plot clearly and coherently.

Food. How can I forget to mention the food? Yes, as the title indicates, Babette prepares a feast for Martina and Philippa and some villagers. I won't spoil this part of the plot, but oh, what a feast it is. I'm reminded of another, more recent movie about food - Mexico's Like Water For Chocolate - but, the comparisons end there. There's a memorable scene in Babette's Feast that drives home its point about spiritual nourishment as well as material nourishment.

Year of Release — 1987

[ If our reviews have been helpful to you, please prayerfully consider a donation to help pay the expenses for making this service available to you and your family! Donations are tax-deductible. ]