Film (2012)
Directed by Christian Vincent
Kendall Square Cinema
Cambridge, MA
Screenplay: Etienne Comar and Christian Vincent
Story: Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch
Original Music: Gabriel Yared
Cinematography: Laurent Dailland
Film Editing: Monica Coleman
Casting: Aurélie Guichard; Production Design: Patrick Durand;
With Catherine Frot (Hortense Laborie), Arthur Dupont (Nicolas Bauvois), Jean d’Ormesson (Le Président), Hippolyte Girardot (David Azoulay), Jean-Marc Roulot (Jean-Marc Luchet), Philippe Uchan (Coche-Dury), Laurent Poitrenaux (Jean-Michel Salomé), Hervé Pierre (Perrières), Brice Fournier (Pascal Lepiq), Roch Leibovici (Olivier Moncoulon), Thomas Chabrol (Le directeur de cabinet du préfet)
in “Haute Cuisine”
Photo: Anouchka de Williencourt
Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Based loosely on the career of Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch, the first woman to serve as a chef at the Élysée Palace (the residence of the French president), this film depicts the period when she cooked there for then President Mitterand (1988-1990), and afterwards, at a research camp in Antarctica.
This is a great food movie, really full of tasty treats and wonderful depictions of the creation of various dishes. It is beautifully photographed, acted, directed, edited and has wonderful music. It is a pleasure to watch.
The amazing thing is that the film has virtually no plot. A chef is selected for the president and she cooks for him until she stops doing so and goes off to Antarctica. There is a little mystery about the relationship between the chef and Mitterand, but that hardly plays into the story.
Catherine Frot as Hortense Laborie
in “Haute Cuisine”
Photo: Thibault Grabherr
Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
In addition to the fabulous portrayals of food, the acting by Catherine Frot is so good that it really does not matter that there is virtually nothing to hang her performance on.
Even when the drama is simply about whether the main kitchen and its haughty chef will accept a tray of oysters to be refrigerated, Frot’s passionate and determined presence makes it seem like a major plot point. This handsome, middle-aged actress somehow conveys great appeal through quiet assurance, self-possession and a matured sensuousness.
The music is engaging and keeps one moving along even when there is nothing else really happening. Selecting ingredients, making stuffed cabbage, or going to get some cheesecloth become adventures of spirit under the sway of Frot’s seductive portrayal and Gabriel Yared’s energetically thematic soundtrack.
The editing by Monica Coleman is also very well done, which accounts for why the transitions, though mostly amounting to changes from soup to main course to dessert, are dramatic.
Put this on your list of food movies, enjoy the ride, and forget about the story that isn’t there.
– BADMan
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