Luzon, Pauline Adrineth D.

| 112374 | 4-BS Health Sciences | 11 July 2014

COM 115.5 | Babettes Feast: Reflection Paper
Into Babettes Feast: A Ticket to European Cinema
Whenever a major deadline is met, or a certain exam is aced, I usually find myself
indulging in different types of films, depending on what my mood is or who I am with. Most of
the time, I watch Japanese animated classics together with my roommates, as if we are reliving
our high school memories filled with watching anime and reading manga. There are also times
when I join Friday movie hangouts in cinemas, wherein we often watch Hollywood films and
later talk about how amazing the action scenes are portrayed or how well-matched the main
characters are. Indeed, the usual types of films I subscribe to are those that can divert me away
from my heavy academic workload, and sometimes from my social problems - those films that
can entertain me without making much of my nerve cells work.
Precisely because I see films as past-time or diversion, I tend not to indulge in the
serious, quiet ones like European films. Topped with my lack of interest in European history and
culture, I made myself believe that I will not enjoy, let alone appreciate, what a film from this
continent can offer. However, watching the Danish film Babettes Feast, I was literally caught
off-guard by its overwhelmingly deep simplicity. Unlike most American films that rely on
graphics, special effects, star-studded casts, and flawless execution of scenes, Babetttes Feast
uses heavy dialogues that do not need any background music to keep my attention, and to even
keep me anticipating on what events will happen next. The realistic, episodic scenes that are
interspersed with symbols allowed me to think, to be engaged with the film in an intellectual,
interpretative, and reflective discourse. While American films, referred mostly as movies, are
merely meant to hit the box office, European films focuses more on crafting literary works in
action.
Babettes Feast tells the story of Philippa and Martina, pious Christian sisters who live in
a small village on Jutland, Denmark. Along with other devout members in the community, they
deprived themselves of worldly, sensual pleasures - in the belief that they will attain salvation by
leading a life of unhealthy simplicity and unreasonable meagerness. Such simple and puritan way
of living, a life full of dreariness and lifelessness, was symbolized by the dried fish in the
beginning of the film. Despite these two sisters crossing path with two men who could have
potentially shaken their world, Lorens Loewenhielm and Achille Papin, they still chose not to be
devoured by their earthly desires. As their father instilled in them, both did not marry as they
adhere to the belief that earthly love and marriage were just illusions.
Decades later, Babette, a widowed woman struck by the horrors of Civil War in Paris,
ended up in the sisters doorsteps. Even though it was Achille Papin who sent her to that place,
the sisters were at first reluctant to let her in, because they were financially incapable of
supporting another person. But upon Babettes proposal to work as a servant without any wage,
the sisters finally agreed. Such entry of Babette into the sisters lives, and even into the
community, marked the start of the collapse of their world of seclusion and of blind simplicity - a
collapse symbolized by the servants acts of buying fresh fish (in contrast to dried fish) and
putting flavour in their porridge. In addition, Babettes act of washing the windows from the
outside signified an attempt to let the light and beauty of the outside, the sensual world, to enter
the dark interior of their meager ways.

For around 14 years, Babette faithfully served the household of the elderly sisters,
through which she already became an indispensible part of their lives. However, upon winning
10 000 francs in a lottery, she had the means to return to her old, more luxurious life in Paris. As
her first and last request, she offered to prepare a real French dinner for the 100 th birthday
celebration of the sisters father, who was the founder of the Christian sect to which they
subscribe.
During the dinner itself, Lorens Loewenhielm, now a successful general married to a
high-ranking family, made his appearance again. He was a crucial component in the gathering, as
he was able to straddle both worlds: the pious, ascetical life in the village and the world beyond
it. Aside from Babette, Lorens was the only one who knew what exactly they were partaking
during the dinner. He was the only one who vocally expressed his enjoyment of the dinner, in
contrast to the others who still adhere to their ascetic principles, thus refusing to acknowledge the
pleasure brought upon by the luscious French meal. Signifying a man who had encountered both
the sensual and the meager lives, Lorens then triggered the surrender of the devout people to the
physical world long abandoned by the devout: righteousness and bliss will kiss. As he himself
changed, from immense dubiety to receptiveness and understanding of his past, the other people
in the dinner also transformed, from being skeptical and unappreciative to ones who embrace
their past mistakes and short-sightedness.
Babette, having used up all her winnings on the French dinner for 12, told the sisters that
she will remain as a servant in the sisters household. In addition, she also admitted that she was
the head chef of Caf Anglais. When Martina exclaimed that Babette is already poor, the servant
responded that an artist is never poor. Indeed, she was financially poor, but as she prepared the
meal that can be considered the peak of her pursuit of artistic excellence, she was already beyond
fulfillment that any amount of money can never grant her. Quoting from Achille Papin,
throughout the world sounds one long cry from the heart of the artist: give me the chance to do
my very best.
With the grand stage set up by all the mishaps and sentiments of the other characters in
the film, Babette had successfully created her masterpiece meal. Anyone can see how her art
wielded such transformative prowess: the faces enlightened, the hearts converted, the rancor
buried, the fellowship restored. Babettes feast catalyzed the end of their old ways. Such end was
symbolized by the candle being snuffed. From a lit candle that represents the pastors teachings
that they had lived up to and their refusal to embrace the worldly sensations, the film concluded
with a snuffed candle, leaving up to the audiences imagination what exactly start anew from an
ending that took place.
Indeed, Babettes art had a transformative power, evident in the change that took place
among the other characters. While at the same time, zooming out to my experience of partaking
Babettes Feast, I also felt the transformative power a European film possesses. Besides its
power to make a simple film into a literary masterpiece, Babettes Feast was successful as well in
changing me into a person who can actually enjoy films that weave mysteries, cinemas that draw
one to a cycle of thinking and reflecting.