Chocolat (DVD, 2001)

Juliette Binoche plays Vianne, the daughter of a legendary wandering family from Central America, who brings new life to a French village in 1959 with all of her chocolate recipes. The story is about change--both for Vianne and for the supposedly tranquil village symbolized by the Comte Reynaud (Alfred Molina), who challenges Vianne because she has an illegitimate daughter and because she does not go to Mass on Sunday. How dare she open a chocolate business right after Lent starts!

While Reynaud's accusations are true, there is plenty of scandal beneath the surface. Similar to "Peyton Place", this little village is full of scandal, gossip, and sadness. We have spousal abuse, war widows, desperate housewives, grandmothers not allowed to see their grandchildren and more. And the compte himself is hiding a secret: his wife has left him. He claims that she went on a vacation.

The catalyst for solution of all these problems is the mysterious chocolate prepared and sold by Vianne. Watching, we want cookies and candy bars too.

Enter Roux, a river pirate (not a bad guy) played by Johnny Depp, and now we have a change in store for Vianne. She is falling in love, and now the wind is blowing again, which tells her it is time to leave. But will she?

This movie is a real treat (excuse the pun) for us too. We get to see Judi Dench in a wonderful supporting role as the diabetic grandmother who is not allowed to see her grandson because of his overprotective mother. We get to see Leslie Caron (yes, Gigi) as the war widow who is still in mourning for her husband killed 40 years earlier. The music is fabulously written, the cinematography is great, and all of this is like an English teacher's dream. We could talk about symbolism, metaphors, and allegories until the cows come home.

Besides "Peyton Place," this movie also has a relative in "Like Water for Chocolate," an earlier movie where food changes everybody's attitudes. This movie was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture of 2000, Binoche as Best Actress, and Dench as Best Supporting Actress. It deserved all of its award nominations. Enjoy!

The movie earned over 150 million dollars when the profits from its European run are included, albeit despite Judi Dench being specifically honored in its American run, screnned primarily as a limited release in art movie theaters in America. Wonderfully photographed and especially rich and "deep" in allegory, you have the great Juliette Binoche playing scenes with Johnny Depp, Lena Olin, Alfred Moline and award-winning Judi Dench - who could ask for more? Thinking of Richard Wagner's PARSIFAL plot, Peter Stormare is the perfect troubled sinner Amfortas doing a lousy job of praying for forgiceness,while Judi Dench could not be more perfect as a female Klingsor, the epitome of indulging in worldly excess and living IBKT for the moment. Thinking of Wagner's LOHENGRIN plot, Leno Olin could not be the more perfect Elsa von Brabant, a blameless schmoo of woman hoping for a redeemer, nor could Johnny Depp be a more perfect Lohengrin floating down the river on a boat and giving no clue as to his origin, despite not being that specific character to rescue Lena Olin as in the opera. Juliette Binoche could not be the more perfect Ortrud, whose heritage to maintain the old ways has given her quite the home court edge, although her character's fate in the movie is nothing like that of Ortrud's fate in the opera. Alfred Molina could not be more a more perfect Frederick of Telramund, a honorable old soldier who had defended the status quo for years before the story opens and is willing to defend his honor and dignity even while the old ways are changing and his authority over the locals is diminishing. WOW! GLORIOUS!

Despite being a caricature of provincial France, the film succeeds in capturing some of the atmosphere of a feudal society in the 20th century. It commits all kinds of stereotyping but the overall commentary is positive and, in the event, rather charming.

Juliette Binoche plays a sympathetic and eccentric single mother, driven by the north wind to wander from village to village, bestowing her unique brand of human kindness. Chocolate becomes the metaphor for the gamut of human emotions, Binoche being able to divine character from an individual's preferred chocolate and vice versa.

This is a zany but not over-taxing role, and Juliette Binoche succeeds by being Juliette Binoche. She is ably supported by Judi Dench and Johnny Depp in cameo character roles.

It is not a great film and it errs by suggesting that it has anything but the simplest message: xenophobia and unquestioning obedience to tradition are bad; human kindness just needs to be brought out of everyone. Light and frothy, it is worth seeing but not worth too serious discussion.

Blown in by the north wind, an iconoclastic single mother and her young daughter move into a peaceful French village and open an uncommon chocolate shop during the height of Lent -- directly across the street from a church. At first, the shop's rich, sensuous desserts scandalize the town. But the villagers soon learn to savor the sweetness.

Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Lena Olin, Judi Dench

I know I'm not alone when I say that "Chocolat" is one of my all-time favorite movies. When I first mentioned to my guy that I wanted to watch it, he groaned and begged to do something - anything - else. He didn't want to watch a "chick flick". But within the first ten minutes of the film, the story had drawn us both in, he for the first time and me for the second.

There are many reasons to love this movie. The cast is world-class, the scenery is amazing, the music is haunting, and the story is enchanting. It is a modern fable, with a very important moral or lesson. The heroine, Vianne (Juliette Binoche), is a person with independent thoughts and room to grow. She has much to teach and much to learn, which makes her easy to identify with. Johnny Depp - okay, who doesn't like Johnny Depp? - plays a very different kind of pirate. His musical contribution is a hidden treasure within the film score. Each character comes with his or her own storyline, background and influence, and each was brilliantly cast. All characters, institutions and positions are susceptible to both error and praise. And, like real life, the plot advances quickly, calling upon a range of emotion and experience.

A final thought: I would not recommend watching this movie in a chocolate-free zone. For hard-core chocoholics, a $1 candy bar will not suffice. This is the time to gear up with the specialty chocolates. For an extra-special (and appropriate) treat, try adding a pinch of cayenne pepper & cinnamon to hot chocolate or mocha. Enjoy!