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At once a rousing paean to artistic creation, a delicate evocation of divine grace, and the ultimate film about food, the Oscar-winning Babette's Feast is a deeply beloved treasure of cinema. Directed by Gabriel Axel and adapted from a story by Isak Dinesen, it is the lovingly layered tale of a French housekeeper with a mysterious past who brings quiet revolution in the form of one exquisite meal to a circle of starkly pious villagers in late nineteenth-century Denmark. Babette's Feast combines earthiness and reverence in an indescribably moving depiction of sensual pleasure that goes to your head like fine champagne. (Criterion) Extras: Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Babette's Feast from Orion Classics. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p). Gabriel Axel - in this new interview, director Gabriel Axel recalls his first impressions of Karen Blixen's story which inspired him to shoot Babette's Feast, how he approached the Danish Film Institute and the reactions the screenplay he proposed received, etc. The Danish director also talks about Claude Chabrol's desire to adapt the popular story and discusses the use of light and color in the film, its style and atmosphere, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion at the Karen Blixen Museum in Rungsted, Denmark, in May 2013. In French, with optional English subtitles. (9 min, 1080p). Stephane Audran - in this video interview, French actress Stephane Audran, who appeared in many of Claude Chabrol's best films, discusses her contribution to Gabriel Axel's Oscar winning film. The interview was conducted by Gael Golhen for Allerton Films in 2012. In French, with optional English subtitles. (25 min, 1080p). Table Scraps - in this visual essay, filmmaker Michael Almereyda (Nadja, Hamlet) discusses the life and legacy of Karen Blixen (pen name Isak Dinesen), whose story inspired inspired director Gabriel Ael to shoot Babette's Feast, and the film's production history and style. Also included is some excellent information about Orson Welles' admiration for the Danish writer. The essay is narrated by actor Lori Singer. In English and Danish, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (26 min, 1080p). Karen Blixen - Storyteller - a wonderful documentary film focusing on the life and legacy of Karen Blixen. The documentary contains various interviews with friends and students who knew well the Danish writer and archival TV footage. It was directed by Christian Braad Thomsen in 1995. In English and Danish, with printed Danish subtitles for the small portions of English and optional English subtitles for the Danish narration/interviews. (91 min, 1080p). An Artist of the Everyday - in this new video interview, sociology professor Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson, author of Accounting for Taste: The Triumph of French Cuisine, discusses the importance of cuisine in French culture, its professionalization in France, its significance in Babette's Feast, and the emotional response to the film in France and the United States. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in April 2013. In English and French, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (17 min, 1080p). Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Mark Le Fanu and Karen Blixen's 1950 story. (Blu-ray.com)
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