Babette's Feast Reflection Paper

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However, the film did not only revolve around the religious disposition of those in the sisters’ group, but also on Babette’s journey as a chef and an artist. We see her as a woman who had suffered through the death of her loved ones but also received great fortune in winning 10,000 Francs. What might seem most peculiar in her narrative is how she decided to spend all her winnings on just one dinner for the sisters in commemoration of their departed father. While this might seem utterly insane to a typical person, I would argue that this decision makes perfect sense for Babette, whom we ultimately understand to be an artist at heart. This is perfectly encapsulated in the line “an artist is never poor.” Despite not having any more money, Babette remains content and even fulfilled knowing that she had masterfully changed the lives of all those who had eaten her authentically French cuisine. With this, I believe the film truly exemplifies the transformative power and innate value of art, that it is something that can outweigh even the largest sums of money. All in all, I believe that Babette’s Feast is able to drive that point home through its narrative and the subtle devices it uses as a European film. While it does have much less production cost than a typical blockbuster, it still remains to be effective in fulfilling its cinematic role by making use of discrete symbolisms and a subdued narrative. With artistry and subtlety, Babette’s Feast depicts the ability of European film to stand toe to toe against the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.