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".
"Titus Andronicus", Shakespeare's first tragedy, is given striking treatment by director Julie Taymor, who melds ancient settings with modern accoutre... Read more
"Toast" is the ultimate nostalgia trip through everything edible in 1960s Britain, based on the heart-wrenchingly bittersweet story of food writer Nig... Read more
A magnificent adaptation of Henry Fielding's novel about the bawdy exploits of a rustic playboy in 18th Century England. Spirited performances and ima... Read more
Delicious retelling of Ang Lee's "Eat Drink Man Woman" focusing on the love and shared meals of an Hispanic-American family. Widowed master chef Hect... Read more
A Jewish, Vietnamese, Latino and African-American family each assemble for their own version of the Thanksgiving holiday where conflicts quickly arise... Read more
One of the most memorably strange children's films ever made, equally influenced by the dark underpinnings of Roald Dahl's original book ("Charlie and... Read more
One of the most memorably strange children's films ever made, equally influenced by the dark underpinnings of Roald Dahl's original book ("Charlie and... Read more
Love, sex and food combine in this sensuous romantic comedy. Sizzling Penelope Cruz plays a chef who leaves her restauranteur husband in Brazil after... Read more
Aka "Zombie". A gory pulp zombie tale in true spaghetti style. A woman travels to a remote island from which her father's boat returned with only zomb... Read more