When I first saw the trailer for this film, I knew I had to see it. I know, one shouldn't "judge a book by its cover", but a movie where chocolate is practically the central character was totally irresistible for someone who is known in certain Internet circles as "The Chocolate Lady". That, and an amazing cast, was what pulled me into the movie theater. But the charm of this film - despite some critics calling it contrived - was what made me purchase the DVD.
The Story: "Once upon a time there was a quiet little village in the French countryside - whose people believed in Tranquilite - Tranquility."
Simply stated, this is a film about change and simple pleasures, and how the latter effects the former. Into a sleepy, conservative, devoutly religious French town come two strangers - Vianne Rocher (played by Juilette Binoche) and her daughter Anouk (as well as Pantoufle, Anouk's imaginary kangaroo), arriving at the exact same time as the holy season of Lent. Vianne boldly opens a chocolate shop, of all things - the epitome of temptation, at just a time when the town's residents are supposed to be denying themselves the pleasures of the flesh. But is this really so sinful an act? Or could it be that there's something actually saintly about the effect of chocolate, as well as these strangers on this quiet town. Something in the nature of both the chocolate and its maker seems to lower the inhibitions of the town-folk. And as the town gets to know the new shop and its owner, it seems as if they are also getting to know themselves better. Add to that the arrival of a troupe of river gypsies (well known for their thievery and wild sexual ways) led by the charming Roux (Johnny Depp), and you know that there will be trouble on the horizon. There's more to the story than this, but as always, I'd rather people see the film and be surprised than give it all away here.
The Direction: This film was directed by Lasse Hallstrom, who also directed such films as "Cider House Rules", "Shipping News" and "What's eating Gilbert Grape". A quick look at this list of achievements, and you'll notice that Hallstrom seems to go for films that are slightly out of the ordinary - something with a twist - and this film is no exception. Of course, the essential quality needed for such films is a careful touch, and this is Hallstrom's specialty. Hallstrom moves easily between the worlds he portrays in the film - that of the opulent chocolate shop, the mysterious charm of the newcomer, the stern religious community, the colourful river life of the gypsies and the varied lives of the villagers themselves. Together he concocts a mixture that's smooth as a ganache that's flavoured with an exotic liqueur.
Moreover, Hallstrom seems to know just how to get the right amount of humour and drama out of each and every scene. This is something that he achieved in spades with "Cider House Rules" and I feel he repeated this success here as well. Mind you, I don't actually think that he was working with the same type of material, and yet, there's a feel about this movie that is very special indeed. Sort of like that unusual feeling you get when you go someplace for the first time and you suddenly feel like you're home, you fit in, even though everything is totally new and strange for you. That's the feeling that I get when I watch this film, and I've watched it several times already, and that feeling has yet to fade. Totally unique. But direction alone isn't what makes this movie so special. No, it's a real combination of so many other things as well - the acting, the script, the music, and even the scenery contribute no less to the success of this film than Hallstrom's excellent direction.
The Script: As you probably know, this movie was based on the novel by the same name written by Joanne Harris. The screenplay was written by Robert Nelson Jacobs, who is probably as unknown to you as he was to me. Prior to this movie, his credits were sketchy at best - the story for "Dinosaur" and the screenplay for something called "Out to Sea". It is unfortunate that his only other credit was for the flop adaptation of the marvelous book "Shipping News". But for this movie, he certainly was in top form. He pulled together all of the essential elements of the book (and yes, I'll review that as well) and made it into something very charming and magical. If you see the DVD version there is a feature with the scenes that were cut from the movie. Watching those, you'll notice that not a one of them would have been an asset for the film, and in fact might have detracted from it. But there are only a very few of those scenes - thus proving that Jacobs' writing was tight and concise.
The dialogue here was masterful. Every character was given an unique voice and individuality and I felt that no one ever acted out of character, nor predictably. There was always a feeling that you were getting to know these people with all of their faults and quarks, and you even begin to feel sympathy for those characters that you don't even like. That's no easy feat to achieve, and it heavily depends on the script to get that. Why Jacobs didn't get an Oscar nomination for this script is totally beyond me - apparently the Academy didn't read the book, for if they had, they would have understood just what a great job he did on this film.
The Music: It isn't very often that I feel that I enjoyed the music in a film as much as I did the film itself. This is one of those times. And what makes this film slightly different than many others is that they've gathered here a large selection of pieces especially for this film, by a slew of artists. All of this has been artfully pulled together by the artistry of Rachel Portman who composed the score. But we never feel that the music overwhelms the movie, nor do we ignore it. I find it's the perfect balance. And while there's not a single "hit" song that you'll come away humming after you see this film, it does seem to me that the soundtrack for this film would be a welcome addition to your music library.
The Scenery: Most of this film was shot on location in rural France, what part, I'm not totally sure. Its hard to imagine that there's some town that's near a river and yet also on a hill, but I don't know France very well, so I could be wrong in thinking that this is a touch of an oxymoron. But who cares, really? Part of the charm of this film is the look and feel of the town where the action takes place. And since the atmosphere of the setting is so endearing, it makes you feel like the film is welcoming you into its opened arms. Of course, its only when we get up close that the armor beneath the surface is revealed. But that's the conflict in the film, and any film without conflict just wouldn't be interesting, now would it?
The Special Effects, Stunts, Cinematography, Costumes & Make-Up: Yes, in some films this would be a huge category to write about, but I think in this case a passing word of "subtle" will do. There is nothing that seems out of place or obviously fake. In fact, this seems quite a realistic film, with only a few exceptions (like a statue that goes from frowning to smiling, for instance), and since the story takes place in the 1950s, we wouldn't want anything to pull us out of a comfortable, nostalgic realism. I should mention, however, that there are some noteworthy parts. For instance, the fire on the river boats was masterfully done. And making Dame Judi look mean and nasty was no mean feat! Plus there are some really lovely bits of the making of the chocolates that are totally mouth-watering. All-in-all, it's the little bits and pieces that were not forgotten in this recipe which make it so delicious.
The DVD Extras: While I love this film, I must admit that the DVD does not have your richest assortments of bonus materials, despite being touted as a "Miramax Collector's Series, Deluxe Edition that takes you inside the movie". There is the usual "Making of" piece, which is very interesting and worth a look.
This disk also gives you the ability to watch the whole film with the voice-over commentary by the director and producers - something that's become quite popular on these disks, but I find annoying.
We are also given a special part on the costume design for the film, which I though a tad strange since it certainly wasn't like this was some fancy period piece or fantastical science fiction bit, but its still nice.
You can also watch this all in French or with Spanish subtitles - so French and Spanish speakers take note!
What was truly interesting was the Production Design "Featurette" which showed how they built the sets and shot the scenes - well worth the watch. What I liked best about this was that they showed how they took real places and built like or around them - very cool.
Finally, as in most films, there are the deleted scenes. I'm not sure exactly why these seem to get onto almost every DVD these days, but it is fascinating to me to see these, since I can then assess the true worth of the director and editors. In this case, I found that there wasn't a single deleted scene that would have added to the film in the least. Well done that they all ended on the cutting room floor.
But if you ask me, I would have really appreciated some special feature about chocolate itself - I mean the Food of the Gods certainly deserves a bit of credit, don't you think? Shame on them for forgetting this detail. This is why I've given this only four stars and not five - because while the film itself is a five star one for me, the DVD (and that is the category where this is being posted) leaves a touch to be desired in the bonus materials. Sorry, but that's the way it goes - fair is fair.
The Acting: I've left this part for last, and I'm sure you'll understand why. In the technical stuff below you'll see a list of the cast. And what a cast it is, isn't it? What makes it particularly interesting is that there's a exceptional mix here of well known and unknown names. This combination can easily work just as much to a film's disadvantage as it can to its advantage. The trick is not allowing the ‘stars' to overshadow the ‘newcomers', while also not allowing the ‘newcomers' to trip up the ‘stars'. In this film, I think they got it right. The ‘stars' here are Binoche, Depp, Dench and Molina, with a special guest appearance by the aging, but still lovely Leslie Caron. Most of the ‘newcomers' are actually French and while those French Film Buffs among us may know them well, these are mostly new faces to the rest of us. The thing is, I really cannot find one particular performance which out shown any of the others here. To me, what made this film particularly enjoyable was that each and every actor and each and every character seemed so three dimensional and real, that its hard to pick and choose. It was if, instead of watching filmed fiction, we were actually witnessing real events. Some may think this is a tad disappointing, but I found it refreshing.
The Bottom Line: This film, for me, was simply first rate in every category I can think of. The realistic feel, eye-candy and pure enjoyment that imbued this film was a wonder to behold. This film is a credit to all who were involved. To the director, for achieving the feat of making everything seem alive and believable. To the screenwriter who built the story and characters so carefully. To the composer and music editor who enhanced the action so lovingly. To the other crew who kept an eye on every detail. To all of the actors involved who gave consistent and believable performances - both as individuals and as a team. In short - all of the ingredients in this confection were grade A+, and the result was a delectable gourmet masterpiece. So go on, indulge in this movie (but I recommend you buy this DVD only if you're as totally addicted to this film, as I am, since there's not much in the way of special features included on the disk). And remember, there's no fat, no cholesterol, no carbohydrates and no calories when you're watching a film - even this one!
Thanks for reading.
~~~~~ Technical Stuff: Available on DVD from Amazon for Ł18.99, Classification 12 Runtime: 121 min, Region 2 encoding (Europe, Middle East & Japan only), Widescreen, PAL, ASIN: B00005LDBH, Catalogue Number: D888331. On Video from Amazon for Ł13.49, PAL format, ASIN: B00005LDBB, Catalogue Number: D61152.
Soundtrack available also from Amazon for Ł13.99, Composer: Rachel Portman (Cider House Rules, Benny and Joon, Sirens), Conductor: David Snell (Cider House Rules, Much Ado About Nothing), Label: Sony Classical, Catalogue Number: SK89472, Released: 1 February, 2001, ASIN: B000056ULX.
Director: Lasse Hallstrom (My Life as a Dog, Shipping News, Cider House Rules)Writing credits: Joanne Harris (novel), Robert Nelson Jacobs (screenplay).
Cast overview, first billed only: Juliette Binoche .... Vianne Judi Dench .... Armande Voizin Alfred Molina .... Comte de Reynaud Lena Olin .... Josephine Muscat Johnny Depp .... Roux Carrie-Anne Moss .... Caroline Clairmont Antonio Gil-Martinez .... Jean-Marc Drou Hugh O'Conor .... Pere Henri, (Young Priest) Helene Cardona .... Francoise 'Fuffi' Drou, Beauty Shop Proprietor John Wood (I) .... Guillaume Blerot Harrison Pratt .... Dedou Drou Peter Stormare .... Serge Muscat, Cafe Owner Gaelan Connell .... Didi Drou Victoire Thivisol .... Anouk Aurelien Parent-Koenig .... Luc Clairmont
Special appearance by Leslie Caron in the part of Madame Audel Victoire Thivisol plays the part of Anouk ~~~~~
Chocolat [2001]
Chocolat is an enchanting, moving and heart-warming tale of love and temptation, a
... more
big-budget movie with its roots in European art house cinema. Magical and almost fairytale-like in theme, it's the story of the mysterious Vianne and her arrival in a qu...
Chocolat [2001]
Chocolatis an enchanting, moving and heart-warming tale of love and temptation, a
... more
big-budget movie with its roots in European art house cinema. Magical and almost fairytale-like in theme, it's the story of the mysterious Vianne and her arrival in a qui...
Drama - Director: Steve Shill, David Nutter, Danny Leiner, Tim Van Patten, Alan Taylor, Steve Buscemi, Jack Bender - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over
very helpful![Chocolat [2001]](http://picnic.ciao.com/uk/65511164.jpg)
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