haute cuisine 高級菜餚 - the movie

There are not a whole lot of good movies about food and food preparation. By these I don't mean to include food related documentaries. One that I really like is Eat Drink Man Woman, which inspired the name of my blog. I just finished watching this French movie Haute Cuisine.



eat drink man woman is the best food and food preparation movie until now

I came across Haute Cuisine quite awhile ago while browsing the movies and TV shows on Netflix's streaming. I have both Netflix streaming as well as DVD by mail. I placed Haute Cuisine in my ever growing "my list" watch queue. This weekend I was in the mood for foreign films and I watched it. It is by far the best movie about food and food preparation based on real stories.

like a lot of movies and tv shows the still shot that is chosen to represent the film can often be - WTF; for the life of me I cannot recall seeing this stupid shot in the entire movie; with a every frame is perfect movie, you wonder who on earth they managed to decide on this as a static preview

Yes. It is the still photo in the thumbnail of this movie on Netflix that I have waited so long to watch the movie. Never judge a movie by its thumbnail, or better yet, the promotional poster. In movies and advertising video spots, very often the production employs a still photographer for the purpose of documentation for posterior and advertising. In the above still graphics for the movie promotion, my take is the person in charge of the overall artistic did not see to it the still photography is in keeping with that of the artistic visions of the movie. It is not surprising because often the promotion of the movie is done by the sales and marketing entities.

Unlike all too common with what come out of Hollywood, this is a very well made foreign film without CG, fancy made-believe bells and whittles, and over the top exaggerations disguised under the "creative license". There are ample presentations of classic dishes from the French cuisine, impeccably choregraphed, prepared, lit, and shot. It is always low key, no distracting drama but faithful portraits of human emotions, passions for food, and relationships. Beautifully lit and shot, about a real life story of a woman who refused being called a chef. She preferred to be addressed as Hortense Laborie. If you watch this movie intensely, said upon the second or third viewing, you will be hard pressed to find one single frame with sub par composition, lighting, or camera shoot.

Danièle Delpeuch was sought out by the French president, who is tired of pretentious and overly embellished  dishes, to become his chef of the royal private kitchen (not to be confused with the much larger palace kitchen that serves thousands of meals daily). It is a story about food, passions for food, human bonding though food, fame, honesty, integrity, politics, and personal triumphant. Most important, the viewers is never left to feel that their intelligence is under assault.

I am very surprised to see the movie is rated a lowly 6.5/10 on IMDB, but hay this is a foreign film, and a French one at that. For reference, Julia & Julia is rated 7/10, and I am not surprised. Americans hate reading subtitles. It is worth noting that the movie is rated rather high of 4/5 stars on Netflix. It gets a five from me. I gave Julia & Julia a 3/5 on Netflix.

i cannot but to wonder if the director and crew "stole" this shot opportunistically - i walked by many similar government buildings while visiting Paris

The movie progresses with the past and present of Hortense Laborie time in the French palace and her 1-year stint cooking for a group of scientists and researchers in an Antarctica outpost.

the Austrian reporter and her cameraman dogging Hortense Laborie to cover her life in the Antarctica

who is this woman, and what is she doing in here?

copper cookwares galore, as you would expect in the most coveted kitchen; and yes, the most excellent french stoves that cost more than most new cars

the head chef of the palace main kitchen - naturally the antagonist in the film

countless number of beautifully prepared and shot french classic dishes; truth be told, filming food dish is a highly specialized profession in itself; there is a lot more than what meets the eyes in the final seconds of footage

yes! these are cockles fit for a head of state

excellent composition - tension, juxtaposition of classes, and the poignant human relationship

she is well loved (who wouldn't if she cooks all your meals) in the research outpost

the French president

this and he next shots of the French kitchen looks awfully familiar - I must have seen it in one of the architecture or design books

the charming and talented pastries turned protege

a real woman with real emotions

rarely a food preparation staff get to see the president, let alone sitting down with the head of state

the president's private kitchen - not to be confused with the much larger palace kitchen

palace kitchen politics

yes, this homey seafood soup has cuttlefish

it is most unusual for a kitchen staff to be asked to a presidential party, let alone to enjoy a few minutes of undivided attention of the head of nation

hurry! the president suddenly have a fancy on oysters on the half shell

i swear i have seen this kitchen in design publications or movies; and it is definitely not a purpose built movie set

it is a male chef's world, lady

a corner of the huge palace kitchen

one of most poignant scenes

everyone want a piece of action in the president's daily menus - even the court's physician and nutritionist

the farewell scene in the Antarctica

a bitter sweet moment

If you like food, food preparation, food cultures, and especially if you are intrigued by the French cuisine and its sophistication, this movie is a must-see. If you like the latest Hollywood block buster, don't waste your time.