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".
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (Blu-ray) (1989)
7.7/10
Director: Peter Greenaway
Starring: Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Alan Howard, Tim Roth
A feast (in more ways than one) for followers of writer/director Peter Greenaway's work. Set around a high-class English restaurant, it involves the g... Read more
Somm (2012)
7/10
Director: Jason Wise
Four sommeliers attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world. Read more
Hunger for the Wild: Series 3 (2008)
Director: Peter Young
Starring: Al Brown, Steve Logan
The third series from amiable Kiwi characters Steve Logan and Al Brown sees them traverse our nation, from Ninety Mile Beach to Stewart Island, in sea... Read more
Blind Ambition (2021)
7.9/10
Director: Warwick Ross
Four Zimbabwean men form their country's first Wine Tasting Olympics team. 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
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
Kiwi Kitchen: Series 2 (2007)
Starring: Richard Till
In this second series of the hugely popular TVNZ show, Richard Till continues touring the country on his quest to seek out iconic New Zealand food. "I... Read more
Big Night (Blu-ray) (1996)
7.3/10
Director: Campbell Scott, Stanley Tucci
Starring: Ian Holm, Isabella Rossellini, Minnie Driver, Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub
An impeccably crafted, endearing story of Italian immigrant brothers trying to survive as restauranteurs in 1950's America. Isabella Rossellini, Ian H... Read more
Surfing the Menu - New Zealand (2006)
Director: Rob McLaughlin
Starring: Mark Gardner, Ben O'Donoghue
Surf-mad New Zealand chef Mark Gardner joins Surfing the Menu's regular, Aussie Ben O'Donoghue, on an eight-part food safari of New Zealand. Showcasin... Read more