January 26th,
2001 -  -
Hear
Cathy Soussloff's review in Real Audio
Chocolat - Directed by Lasse halstrom
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The producers bill the film Chocolat as
"A
comic fable," the same genre of movie
as
Lasse Halstromís The Cider House
Rules and one familiar to lovers of late 1940's American cinematic comedies,
such as Pat and Mike or Adam's Rib. These films, starring Katherine
Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, used comedy and social satire to demonstrate
how a strong and resourceful woman, often in spite of her own best intentions,
could prevail over the confining gender norms of the day. Chocolat
attempts the same kind of casting - Juliette Binoche as Hepburn and Johnny
Depp as Tracy in order to challenge the stultifying social and religious
mores of a small village in France sometime after World War II.
On the other hand, the Tracy-Hepburn vehicles were completely contemporary
and this is what made and continues to make them appealing and meaningful
commentaries on middle class life. The historical time together with
the setting of Chocolat in a village small and faraway means that the bits
of moralizing about the hypocrisies of that time and place make about as
much difference to your present point of view as a nice bon bon does the
day after youíve eaten it. Melts in your mouth but not in
your mind. |
Don't get me wrong. I love chocolate
as much as the next woman and when Iím gazing on a delicious truffle
or savoring the silky texture of it on my tongue I am enthralled.
Under cover of the fable Chocolat the supporting cast delivers an ensemble
of superb performances: Victoire Thivisol as the little Anouk, child
of the chocolatierís diasporia; Alfred Molina as the rigid
aristocrat whose denial keeps alive whatever dramatic tension the movie
conveys. Finally, Carrie-Anne Moss, Judi Dench, and Lena Olin complete
a group of remarkable women, all of whose grittiness cannot be completely
displaced by the essential sweetness of female characters that Chocolat
proposes.
| As a film fable, the metaphor of Chocolat's
chocolate must appeal to the visual senses. The long takes of thick,
brown cocoa, luscious violet bon-bons, and copper bowls of beaten mousse
contrast with the chilly, blue exterior shots of the French village, establishing
the attraction of all that the heroine and her chocolate shop have to offer.
The appeal in Chocolat comes as it does in all culinary undertakings:
in the challenge of establishing desire through visual presentation versus
providing its fulfillment in the sensorial realm of taste. When sight and
taste find a balance, great cuisine results. When desire tips the
scales, as it must in the visual medium of film, then our taste buds are
unsatiated. |
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Left only to contemplate our needs, like
the food-deprived aristocrat in the film, the balance of the movie
Chocolat tips away from satisfaction towards the store-bought and pre-packaged
variety of your standard Hollywood fare. Oh, for the satisfaction
of watching Hepburn stride across the greens, or wing another wisecrack
back at Tracy. These were the fables that delivered on comedy and
commentary.
Chocolat plays at the Nickelodeon.
For KUSP and the Film Gang, this is Cathy Soussloff. After more than
a year away it is great to be back in Santa Cruz with the gang, having
fun at the movies.
Copyright Cathy Soussloff
2001
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