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".
Le Chef ( aka Comme un chef ) (2012)
6.7/10
Director: Daniel Cohen
Starring: Jean Reno, Julien Boisselier, Michael Youn, Raphaelle Agogue, Salome Stevenin
Alexandre Lagarde (Jean Reno) is the king of the kitchen at Cargo Lagarde. But his position at the top is threatened when scheming CEO Stanislas Matte... Read more
Like Water for Chocolate (1992)
7.2/10
Director: Alfonso Arau
Starring: Lumi Cavazos, Marco Leonardi, Regina Torne
A delicious love story with exquisite comedy adapted from Laura Esquivel's best selling novel. Young Tita is forced to nurse her sick mother and, unti... Read more
Macbeth - Shakespeare Retold (2005)
Director: Mark Brozel
Starring: James McAvoy, Keeley Hawes, Joseph Millson, Toby Kebbell, Vincent Regan, Richard...
Shakespeare's Scottish play is skilfully transferred to a modern day restaurant where chef Joe Macbeth (James McAvoy) has worked hard to make Duncan D... Read more
McLibel (1998)
6.8/10
Director: Ken Loach, Franny Armstrong
Starring: Dave Morris, Helen Steele, John Safran, Rob Newman
When McDonald's decided to sue two young English protestors for libel, they didn't expect to be in court for years on end. The true story of England's... Read more
Mondovino (2004)
7.1/10
Director: Jonathan Nossiter
An epic and fascinating documentary tracing the effects of globalisation on the world's wine regions, from France to Argentina to the Napa Valley. Fi... Read more
Mondovino: The Series (2004)
7.1/10
Director: Jonathan Nossiter
Filmmaker Jonathan Nossiter is a serious wine connoisseur as well as a practicing sommelier when he isn't busy behind the camera, and he's combined hi... Read more
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
Director: Terry Jones
Starring: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jone...
The Monty Python team embark on the holy grail of human understanding with a series of sketches aimed at discovering the meaning of life itself. Inclu... Read more
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life ( Blu-ray ) (1983)
Director: Terry Jones
Starring: Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jone...
The Monty Python team embark on the holy grail of human understanding with a series of sketches aimed at discovering the meaning of life itself. Inclu... Read more
Mostly Martha (2001)
7.3/10
Director: Sandra Nettelbeck
Starring: Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellitto, Maxime Foerste
Aka "Bella Martha". Martha is a single woman who lives for one passion: cooking. The head chef at a chic restaurant, Martha has no time for anything -... Read more
My Dinner with Andre (1981)
7.8/10
Director: Louis Malle
Starring: Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn
Nearly two hours of dinner conversation between New York avant-garde theatre director Andre Gregory and playwright Wallace Shawn becomes a fascinating... Read more