This film, as well as the book it's based on, is a fairy tale with strong moral lessons. Vianne, a woman who is openly atheist moves into a strict Catholic village to open a chocolate shop. It would be too simplistic to say the villagers are hypocritical. They have a sincere desire to lead good lives. However, they are in a state of denial. Evil is in their midst, but since they can't deal with it they simply close their eyes and pretend it doesn't exist. The village's mayor, the Comte de Reynaud, has a genuine love for the villagers when he decries chocolate as sin to protect them. He is a good man, and his sadness is touching.
Five Academy Award nominations. This is obviously a good film, but I can't give it a higher rating. Somehow it doesn't speak to me, despite the excellent performances by the actors involved, especially Alfred Molina as the mayor. The village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, where it was filmed, is idyllic and beautiful. Maybe too beautiful. I guess I'm too old for fairy tales.
The film poster is uninspired. It should have shown Juliette Binoche offering Alfred Molina a chocolate. He is the one fighting to resist temptation throughout the film.
I like Alfred Molina, but the truth is he just isn't visually appealing like Depp. What made this movie for me is the pairing of Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp - who are both on my "get-to-do" list!
ReplyDeleteIt is a fairy tale. For me, I don't go out of my way to rewatch this film. It is good, but not outstanding.
I disagree with you about Johnny Depp's part making the film. And I'm saying that even though Depp is one of my favorite actors. What drives this film is the relationship between Juliette Binoche and Alfred Molina. If the river gypsies had never arrived in the village the film would have been just as interesting. They didn't really add to the plot.
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Don't get me wrong - Molina's role was critical while I agree Depp's was not. I'm simply saying that for me, I probably wouldn't have watched the film to begin with if it hadn't had Depp in it. Depp and Binoche drew me to the film. Which is perhaps unfair, given what a great actor Molina is -- then again, I don't give his character the favour you do. I see him simply as a small-minded hypocrite, who once he has lived down current shame (or run from it, just as Binoche's character has had to do), will continue along in his hypocritical ways.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Depp was the film's "big star", so his picture on the DVD box or film poster is what attracts people. I forgot to mention in my review that I was pleasantly surprised by his Irish accent. Compare it to Tom Cruise making a fool of himself in "Far and Away". Or Brad Pitt in "Snatch". Although I'll accept Brad's accent, because it was supposed to be comical.
ReplyDeleteI think you're being unfair to the Comte de Reynaud by calling him a hypocrite. A hypocrite is someone who strives to gain advantage for himself while presenting a picture of morality and selflessness to the world. In this film Alfred Molina is far from selfish, he wants the best for the villagers. He is a good but misguided man, inwardly suffering through his wife leaving him.
Ok, I'll grant that the Comte is not expecting something of others that he is not expecting of himself. He is genuinely seeking redemption for everyone and is insisting on rules that will lead to it.
ReplyDeleteI think for me the hypocrisy comes in with him not simply denying that the pleasures should be indulged in but also condemning the fact that people are even tempted to be indulged. The fact is that _he_ is tempted. I think that Alice Walker captures best what I think about condemnation like this that is based upon a religious perspective:
"When you're taught God loves you, but only if you're good, obedient, trusting, and so forth and you know you're that way only some of the time, there's a tendency to deny your shadow side." Alice Walker, "The Only Reason You Want to Go to Heaven is That You Have Been Driven Out of Your Mind", http://www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/1997spring/sp97walker.php
The Comte's condemnation is wholesale but the fact is we are all tempted, we all fall. I think it is that he is earnest and zealous without humility that he is human and therefore fallible. Perhaps his fall at the end will have taught him humility; based on my personal experience of life, cognitive dissonance being what it is, the Comte would do whatever he needed in order to rationalize what happened and put it behind him so he could repossess his previous position of power and moral superiority.