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".
Titus (1999)
7.2/10
Director: Julie Taymor
Starring: Alan Cumming, Colm Feore, Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Harry Lennix
"Titus Andronicus", Shakespeare's first tragedy, is given striking treatment by director Julie Taymor, who melds ancient settings with modern accoutre... Read more
The Green Butchers (2003)
7.3/10
Director: Anders Thomas Jensen
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Line Kruse, Bodil Jorgensen, Ole Thestrup, Nic...
A dark cannibal comedy from Denmark where two affable losers have opened a butcher's shop. Considering their lack of business know-how, the venture se... 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
The Lunchbox (2013)
7.8/10
Director: Ritesh Batra
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur
A good old-fashioned romance that has charmed cinema audiences worldwide, "The Lunchbox" sees a mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunch... Read more
Au Petit Marguery (1997)
7/10
Director: Laurent Benegui
Starring: Stephane Audran, Michel Aumont, Alain Beigel
The restaurant Au Petit Marguery is a haven of friendship, a small paradise in Paris. Tonight a certain nostalgia fills the air. Tonight is closing ni... Read more
The Spitfire Grill (1996)
6.9/10
Director: Lee David Zlotoff
Starring: Alison Elliott, Ellen Burstyn, Marcia Gay Harden
An ex-con tries to restart her life in a small marine town where she raises a few suspicions but more importantly, helps the women who run the local d... Read more
Chef (2014)
7.3/10
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, John Leguizamo, Jon Favreau, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey Jr, Sca...
A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged fam... Read more
I Served The King of England (2007)
7.4/10
Director: Jiri Menzel
Starring: Ivan Barnev, Oldrich Kaiser
While serving the cream of Prague society, humble waiter, Jan Dite (Ivan Barnev) dreams of owning his own hotel and becoming a millionaire. Full of de... Read more
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
Toast (2010)
6.7/10
Director: SJ Clarkson
Starring: Helena Bonham Carter, Ken Stott, Victoria Hamilton, Freddie Highmore
"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