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Chocolat (DVD, 2001)
Price:
C $22.80
Approximately£12.65
+ $15.60 postage
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Very much a made for a European market movie, Chocolat, is sure to enjoy. A mysterious woman and her child literally "blow into town on a North wind. It could just as easily been 1850, but it is the 1950's instead. Juliette Binoche plays the lead as an unwed mother who opens a chocolat shoppe across from the church in a small French town at the height of Lent! All of the local "Holier than thou" and "Better than you" are horrified! Not just because the chocolat is so sweet and decadent, or even that it is Lent, but because the "all-seeing Miseur le Count" says it is sinful and bad, and nobody has the courage to go up against the Aristocrats who still rule in Europe. Heck, he even bullies the local priest as to what he preaches on Sunday in church. In reality, he is a bitter old man who's wife went on vacation to Italy long ago and has never come back. Not everyone is totally intimidated by the Count. Judy Dench is Juliette's landlord and they soon become fast friends. Her daughter and grandson don't have anything to do with her because she doesn't subscribe to their BS, which is the same as what is preached by the Count. Her grandson is a nice child, and he sneaks to the chocolat shop just to see her. With her strange knack of reading people, Juliette manages to select the right chocolat for each person, and they all secretly come and go avoiding that anyone else know. She is in many ways like a Pied-Piper leading the population into not being afraid to live their own lives without intimidation. Johnny Depp is the leader of a band of river people, like Gypsies, who come down the river one day. Just like Juliette, they are not the "Right Kind of People" either, you know, so-called pick-pockets, thieves, and fortune-tellers. Juliette and Johnny become an item. In their own ways, they both work miracles on the towns people leading them out of the "Dark Ages" and into the Twentieth Century. One of the people liberated by Juliette was Lena Olin who was the battered wife of a local man. Under the "Old" system of fear, she had for years lived under the dictatorship of her abusive husband, but with Juliette's confidence, she breaks free and is liberated. Having transformed everyone in the town in some singular way, the chocolat shop is now run by Lena Olin and seemingly, just like she arrived, one day she and her daughter are gone on another wind. This is an enjoyable film.Read full review
Juliette Binoche plays Vianne, the daughter of a legendary wandering family from Central America, who brings new life to a French village in 1959 with all of her chocolate recipes. The story is about change--both for Vianne and for the supposedly tranquil village symbolized by the Comte Reynaud (Alfred Molina), who challenges Vianne because she has an illegitimate daughter and because she does not go to Mass on Sunday. How dare she open a chocolate business right after Lent starts! While Reynaud's accusations are true, there is plenty of scandal beneath the surface. Similar to "Peyton Place", this little village is full of scandal, gossip, and sadness. We have spousal abuse, war widows, desperate housewives, grandmothers not allowed to see their grandchildren and more. And the compte himself is hiding a secret: his wife has left him. He claims that she went on a vacation. The catalyst for solution of all these problems is the mysterious chocolate prepared and sold by Vianne. Watching, we want cookies and candy bars too. Enter Roux, a river pirate (not a bad guy) played by Johnny Depp, and now we have a change in store for Vianne. She is falling in love, and now the wind is blowing again, which tells her it is time to leave. But will she? This movie is a real treat (excuse the pun) for us too. We get to see Judi Dench in a wonderful supporting role as the diabetic grandmother who is not allowed to see her grandson because of his overprotective mother. We get to see Leslie Caron (yes, Gigi) as the war widow who is still in mourning for her husband killed 40 years earlier. The music is fabulously written, the cinematography is great, and all of this is like an English teacher's dream. We could talk about symbolism, metaphors, and allegories until the cows come home. Besides "Peyton Place," this movie also has a relative in "Like Water for Chocolate," an earlier movie where food changes everybody's attitudes. This movie was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture of 2000, Binoche as Best Actress, and Dench as Best Supporting Actress. It deserved all of its award nominations. Enjoy!Read full review
Despite being a caricature of provincial France, the film succeeds in capturing some of the atmosphere of a feudal society in the 20th century. It commits all kinds of stereotyping but the overall commentary is positive and, in the event, rather charming. Juliette Binoche plays a sympathetic and eccentric single mother, driven by the north wind to wander from village to village, bestowing her unique brand of human kindness. Chocolate becomes the metaphor for the gamut of human emotions, Binoche being able to divine character from an individual's preferred chocolate and vice versa. This is a zany but not over-taxing role, and Juliette Binoche succeeds by being Juliette Binoche. She is ably supported by Judi Dench and Johnny Depp in cameo character roles. It is not a great film and it errs by suggesting that it has anything but the simplest message: xenophobia and unquestioning obedience to tradition are bad; human kindness just needs to be brought out of everyone. Light and frothy, it is worth seeing but not worth too serious discussion.Read full review
It is a charming romantic movie about accepting people's differences and tolerating those unable to do so in their pious and self-righteous moral views. Johnny is so flawlessly handsome in this movie that it is distracting. It is an excellent movie to watch with a hot cup of tea.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The movie is a great movie and the DVD sold was quite economical--a great value for the money. It arrived quickly and in great shape, just as described. It has bonus scenes and did not have the ikky preview ads that so many have. Thank you. I showed it to a group of elders, ages 70-100 and they found it entertaining, and some even detected the theological themes throughout--Christ, salvation, conversion, forgiveness, sin, evil, healing, miracles and being fed. Thank you for an excellent product.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
It was like listening to a fabulous poem with a few words stumbled over here and there. Depp is very very good as the Irish River Rat, but I had to wonder how he got that boat all the way from Ireland to France. There were a few British accents masquerading as French ... the priest in particular was interesting in that plus he was incredibly young. Brought to mind Doogie Howser, priest. But those small stumbles can not detract from the sheer beauty of this film. The awakening of this town from the self-denials of their lives (not all are related to the Church but that is the big allegorical tie-in) is an amazing thing. One person who was never asleep is Judi Dench's Armande. For me, she was one of the best characters in the film. The foreshadowing is done so very well in this. It wa a pure delight to watch.Read full review
I love JOhnny Depp in ANYTHING. But I just watched this for 1st time this weekend. To me it is very good, but wish he had a starring role. The movie itself is just plain good. I would consider it a classic and compare it to Gilbert Grape. It is just a GOOD movie -- really excellent. I will watch this one again and again. It is a good movie, but Johnny makes it a great one. Vianne was VERY good and the Judy Dench did great with her role as the grandmother landlord. Just loved it!!!!!!!!!!
Interesting story line. Loved all the characters and the actors that played them. My girlfriends and I have watched this many times. You get really involved in the story. One of my favorite films.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Chocolat was originally released to theaters in 2000, receiving rave reviews, and 5 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Starring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, and Johnny Depp, Chocolat will capture your heart and mind in a delicious romantic drama of acceptance, unconditional love, and living life to the fullest. A great story and superb acting makes this movie a feast for the soul!
Verified purchase: No
A must-have for Johnny Depp fans! This is a romantic-comedy with a bit of a dark side as Depp fans have come to learn and love. Although this movie is less dark than his other films, it still has elements of bad human behavior and Depp's character, of course, is an outsider. It's also very light-hearted and fun, especially between the two lead roles. It was a delight to watch!
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