Recently, we watched a film called 'Babette's Feast'. The story is focused around two Christian sisters living in the coast of west Jutland . Their lifestyle is incredibly simple. On a regular basis, they "dine" on bread and some sort of flat beer. Sometimes, they even mix the two creating mush that is to absolutely die for! No, in all seriousness, it didn't look like a fun time. Even the architecture of the region is simple - nothing but small white houses and their thatched roofs.
Nothing during this portion of the movie really drew my attention until a little ways in. Enter Babette. When large scale bloodshed breaks out, she arrives as a Parisian refugee to serve as the sisters' housemaid. Little do they know, she had once been a well-renowned chef in her city. Never once did she complain about the conditions; in fact, she bore great gratitude towards the sisters for taking her in. So when news arrived from France that Babette had won the lottery, she insisted on cashing it all in for a grand thank-you. In the end, Babette was able to pull together a dining experience, the likes of which would never had seemed possible the townsfolk before. She imported all the supplies from her old connections in Paris; only the best would do.
When the time of the feast came, I was honestly taken aback by the huge turnaround that was their dining space. Until now, we had become accustomed to seeing meager environments with wood bowls and tin silverware, not to mention splintering tables to match. They way Babette's dining space was set up was truly beautiful. All the lights in the room were doused, save four or five candles along the length of the table. This seemed to bring all the focus to the table itself as a symbol of union. That being said I believe that the true purpose of the movie is to understand the potential of any space. That's how you inspire design! Comprehend potential and you initiate progress.
No comments:
Post a Comment