Food in Film
Food has often been essential to cinema. A catalyst which brings people together, it can be used for dramatic confrontation, as a comic device or even a metaphor for the meaning of life. Preparing, presenting and consuming food can evoke a mood that is sumptuous, homely, seductive, disgusting or just plain funny. Eloquent in conveying complex messages, food is a perfect vehicle for expressing the subtext in drama and comedy and for revealing intricate aspects about class, emotional states or gender. Sometimes, as in the movies "Babette's Feast" and "Tampopo", it is the real star. In this compilation below, we take the high ground and take a wide view of the social and symbolic meaning of food in film..
Right: Scene from Gabriel Axel's triumphant "Babette's Feast".
Eat the Rich (1987)
6/10
Director: Peter Richardson
Starring: Lanah Pellay, Nosher Powell, Fiona Richmond, Kathy Burke, Robbie Coltrane, Katri...
In direct opposition to the advice of Jonathan Swift, (whose 'Modest Proposal' of 1729, suggested the Irish poor sell their children as livestock to e... Read more
Eating Raoul (1982)
6.8/10
Director: Paul Bartel
Starring: Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, Robert Beltran
Characterized as a 'dextrous, beautifully timed, macabre comedy of manners which tackles kinky sex, economics, gourmet cooking, modern marriage, and e... Read more
Eden (2006)
7.2/10
Director: Michael Hofmann
Starring: Josef Ostendorf, Charlotte Roche, Devid Striesow, Max Rudlinger
A curious and piognant romantic drama that sensitively unfurls the relationship between Eden, a married but lonely waitress, and her hulking and socia... Read more
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (2010)
6.4/10
Director: Gereon Wetzel
For six months of the year, renowned Spanish chef Ferran Adrià closes his restaurant El Bulli and works with his culinary team to prepare the menu for... Read more
GoodFellas (1990)
8.7/10
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, Lorraine Bracco, Joe Pesci
Martin Scorsese's electrifying gangster saga chronicles three decades in the Mafia with Irish-Sicilian mobster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and his "wisegu... Read more
Goodfellas ( Blu-ray ) (1990)
8.7/10
Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco
Martin Scorsese's violent true-life gangster epic which follows Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he rises through the ranks of the Mafia. Upon turning FBI i... Read more
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967)
7.8/10
Director: Stanley Kramer
Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn are unforgettable as perplexed parents in this landmark 1967 movie about mixed marriage. Joanna (Katharine Houghto... Read more
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? (Blu-Ray) (1967)
7.8/10
Director: Stanley Kramer
Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy
When Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton), a free-thinking white woman, and black doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) become engaged, they travel to... Read more
Haute Cuisine (2012)
6.4/10
Director: Christian Vincent
Starring: Hippolyte Girardot, Catherine Frot, Jean d'Ormesson
French comedy drama based on the extraordinary true story of President Francois Mitterand's private cook. Hortense Laborie, a renowned chef from the... Read more
Hunger for the Wild: Series 1 (2006)
Director: Peter Young
Starring: Steve Logan, Alister Brown
Steve Logan and Al Brown share a love for fishing, hunting and the great outdoors. They also run one of New Zealand's best fine-dining restaurants, Lo... Read more