Chocolat (Miramax Collector's Series)

Amazon.com

With movies like Chocolat, it's always best to relax your intellectual faculties and absorb the abundant sensual pleasures, be it the heart-stopping smile of chocolatier Juliette Binoche as she greets a new customer, an intoxicating cup of spiced hot cocoa, or the soothing guitar of an Irish gypsy played by Johnny Depp. Adapted by Robert Nelson Jacobs from Joanne Harris's popular novel and lovingly directed by Lasse Hallström, the film covers familiar territory and deals in broad metaphors that even a child could comprehend, so it's no surprise that some critics panned it with killjoy fervor. Their objections miss the point. Familiarity can be comforting and so can easy metaphors when placed in a fable that's as warmly inviting as this one.

Driven by fate, Vianne (Binoche) drifts into a tranquil French village with her daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol, from Ponette) in the winter of 1959. Her newly opened chocolatier is a source of attraction and fear, since Vianne's ability to revive the villagers' passions threatens to disrupt their repressive traditions. The pious mayor (Alfred Molina) sees Vianne as the enemy, and his war against her peaks with the arrival of "river rats" led by Roux (Depp), whose attraction to Vianne is immediate and reciprocal. Splendid subplots involve a battered wife (Lena Olin), a village elder (Judi Dench), and her estranged daughter (Carrie-Anne Moss), and while the film's broader strokes may be regrettable (if not for Molina's rich performance, the mayor would be a caricature), its subtleties are often sublime. Chocolat reminds you of life's simple pleasures and invites you to enjoy them. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards(R) including Best Picture, Best Actress (Juliette Binoche -- THE ENGLISH PATIENT), and Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench -- SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE), CHOCOLAT is the beautiful and captivating comedy from the acclaimed director of THE CIDER HOUSE RULES! Nobody could have imagined the impact that the striking Vianne (Binoche) would make when she arrived in a tranquil, old-fashioned French town. In her very unusual chocolate shop, Vianne begins to create mouth-watering confections that almost magically inspire the straitlaced villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness! But it is not until another stranger, the handsome Roux (Johnny Depp -- SLEEPY HOLLOW), arrives in town that Vianne is finally able to recognize her own desires!

Customer Reviews:

SWEETLY ROMANTIC ADULT FAIRY TALE.......2007-09-04

Juliette Binoche (The English Patient) glows as Vianne Rocher, a free-spirited young woman that the wind blows into a small, morally obsessed and oppressed French town one day. Using an ancient Mayan recipe discovered by her father, she and her daughter have come there to open a chocolaterie. Her confections are out of this world, and she uses them to try to help mend the various broken people and relationships in the town. But the mayor (Alfred Molina - Spiderman 2), whose family has dominated the town for centuries and who fears she will lead the townspeople away from their traditional faith and mores, declares war on Mademoiselle Rocher and tries to turn the townspeople against her.

One by one she gains allies, first in the form of her landlady, Armande Voizin (Judi Dench - Shakespeare In Love, Pride And Prejudice) and her grandson Luc Clairmont (Aurelien Parent Koenig - debut), which infuriates Luc's mother, Caroline (Carrie-Anne Moss - The Matrix), who has forbidden him from seeing his grandmother. Then she gains a battered woman (Josephine Muscat - The Ninth Gate), whose husband (Peter Stormare - Fargo) the mayor tries to reform in order to prove that his way of changing people is better. It doesn't work. Johnny Depp doesn't appear until the second act to reinforce Vianne in her cause and to offer romantic interest. He and his river gypsy friends are also considered undesirables by the town.

What's interesting about this film is that the Christian townspeople are being held hostage by the self-righteous, morally oppressive mayor, and consequently Vianne acts more like a Christian than any of they, even though she is not a believer. She takes a genuine interest in people and tries to help them with her friendship and chocolates. The mood of the film is magical, though magic has nothing to do with it - it's really about love. The question is, will love win out before Vianne gives up and decides her cause is hopeless?

This film is rated PG-13, which is a shame because, if several scenes that are not critical to the story had been toned down or left out, it would have made a wonderful family film. It has a story-book setting and feel that would appeal to any age. Unfortunately, several scenes push it into the category of adult romance. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful story about love in the face of prejudice that all of us need to hear, as well as enough chocolate shown onscreen to satisfy any chocolate lover's craving.

Waitsel Smith

Chocolat is a Tasty Treat!.......2007-08-25

Johnny Depp, need I say more? Okay for those of you who arn't a fan of his, there is more, more indeed.

This movie is a recipe with all the right amounts. Suspense, romance, humor, depth, characters with layers.

This movie isn't simply about one of the most loved desserts of all time but what it represents. This movie is about prejudice, desire, temptation, religion, secrets, determination, and what happens when you are under the microscope.

Things are not what they always appear, are they? Well you'll have to watch to find out.

I found this movie very sensual. Johnny Depp I could devour him, he's so delicious and the chemistry with Juliet Binoche is on key. All of the elements add up to a treat sure to please, again and again.

a side note... I found the music enjoyable

Great Movie!.......2007-08-07

As a non "chick", 60 something year old geezer, I enjoyed this movie a lot. It's overrriding message seemed to be a plea for tolerance toward strangers as shown in the film using a close knit, clannish little town whose social and moral values are set and controlled by an religiously devout hereditary mayor. The movie gracefully depicts how easily the most ardent followers of a savior god who preached love & tolerance toward all can turn to outsiders with hate and intolerance using the same teachings. A situation that's all too familiar through history and especially valid today.

The movie was never boring, well acted, with a sweetness tempered by a dark undercurrent. My only quibble with the entire film was Johnny Depp's performance which seemed out of place, as though he were making another "Pirates" movie as Jack Sparrow. Really though, it's a minor issue with me since his role was very limitted; almost an aside to the actual story.

The movie held my attention throughout. I never felt the urge to check my watch or get up for a snack.

Yummy! Can't get enough of Johnny..........2007-08-04

He's just too delicious. There is so much to love about this movie. True entertainment and it leaves you feeling good. Now I'm craving chocolate and more Johnny Depp movies!

Extremely Entertaining!.......2007-07-25

This movie is very fun to watch. Probably more of a chick-flick, or maybe a date movie (if you have a tolerant guy), but very well acted, and the story is a lot of fun.

Average customer rating:

[3.5]--Your mine wonders a lot when you're bored.
Insomnia Cure
Chocolat: The delectable treat on the horizon
Mixed Feelings
One of a Kind

Chocolat
Starring: Isaach De Bankolé , Giulia Boschi , François Cluzet , Jean-Claude Adelin , and Laurent Arnal
Director: Claire Denis
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005J75R
Release Date: 2001-07-24

Description

"Erotic, sophisticated, and distinctive" (L.A. Weekly), this enthralling depiction of a family's struggle during the final years of French colonialism in Africa takes a profound look at the intricate nature of relationships in a racist society. A story of exclusions, betrayals and agonizing compromises, this "remarkable and quietly devastating" (The Boston Globe) film is truly "extraordinary" (Interview). Curious and observant seven-year-old France spends her days amidst the paradise of her family's estate. But behind the household's exterior beauty lies growing hostility brought on by France's always-traveling father, her bored, frustrated mother Â- and ProtÃ(c)e, the noble, intelligent house "boy" who suffers the indignities of his status in silence. But when a plane makes an emergency landing nearby, bringing a motley collection of characters to the house, the heavenly faÃ§ade soon begins to unravel. And a shocking explosion of rage, racism and forbidden passion threatens tear apart the family forever!

Customer Reviews:

[3.5]--Your mine wonders a lot when you're bored........2007-05-22

I have recently seen Claire Denis's film "Beau Travial" and thought to give her debut film, "Chocolat" a shot. I have to admit that I was about to give up on this film because it was horrendously slow but stuck it through because I understood her intentions of this film. Set in the Cameroons in West Africa in the 1950s this film is told from the perspective of an adult returning to her childhood home in a foreign country. France Dalens (Mireille Perrier), a young woman traveling through Cameroon, recalls her childhood when her father (Francois Cluzet) was a government official in the French Cameroons and she had a loving friendship with the brooding manservant, Protée (Isaach de Bankolé). The heart of the film, however, revolves around France's mother Aimée (Giulia Boschi) and her love/hate relationship with Protée that is seething with unspoken sexual tension.

The household is divided into public and private spaces. The white families rooms are private and off limits to all except Protée who works in the house while the servants are forced to eat and shower outdoors, exposing their naked bronze bodies to the white family's gazes. It becomes clear when her husband Marc (François Cluzet) goes away on business that Aimée and Protée are sexually attracted to each other but the rules of society prevent it from being openly acknowledged. In one telling sequence, she invites him into her bedroom to help her put on her dress and the two stare at each other's image in the mirror with a defiant longing in their eyes, knowing that any interaction is taboo.

"Chocolat" is loosely autobiographical, adapted from the childhood memories of the director, and is slowly paced and as mysterious as the brooding isolation of the land on which it is filmed. Denis makes her point about the effects of colonialism without preaching or romanticizing the characters. There are no victims or oppressors, no simplistic good guys. As you watch this you will see Protée as a servant but he is also a protector. It is a sad fact that Protée is treated as a boy and not as a man, but Bankolé imbues his character with such dignity and stature that it lessens the pain. Because of its pace, many viewers may have to work hard to fully appreciate the film and Denis does not, in Roger Ebert's phrase, "coach our emotions". The truth of "Chocolat" lies in the gestures and glances that touch the silent longing of our heart.

Insomnia Cure.......2006-10-11

I've ended up with this movie three times while trying to rent the Juliette Binoche/Johnny Depp movie by the same name. My wife and I tried to watch it twice and finally succeeded, but it was only with the help of the fast-forward button (which we used to speed through 80% of the thing).

I agree with others who've said that the cinematography is nice, but there is no plot, no character development, no continuity -- nothing to carry you from one occasionally pretty bit of scenery to the next.

If there was any tension to the film, anything that inspired your curiosity and made you keep viewing, it was the burning question of when something was actually going to happen.

It was not that it didn't have potential, either. The film was ripe for explorations of racial issues and of the inner landscape of the white girl who'd returned to the Africa of her youth, of all the things that could go along with returning home after a long time away even, but none of that happened. The film just blundered from one place to the next without saying or revealing anything.

Before I saw the 4- and 5-star reviews here, I suspected that the only way the movie managed to stay in stock at the local video store was because it kept getting confused with the other Chocolat movie. Maybe that's why it got the same name, so people would be forced to watch it?

If you want great cinematography and a story that will hold your attention, go for something like "Out From Africa".

If, however, you have been unable to sleep and need an insomnia cure, this is the one for you.

This one is uncontested in the #1 position on my "dud" list.

Chocolat: The delectable treat on the horizon.......2006-07-14

I have seen Chocolat about five times over the last seven years. Chocolat: A reference to skin-tone or the sweet delicacy which despite the oppressive African heat does not lose its form or melt? I find the flavor in the story of France Dalens' visit to her childhood Cameroon intimate and rich as enjoying and sharing a chocolate. The story overflows with subtext messages and countless subtleties about life and experience outside the safe confines of one's country and culture.

One could say, and rightfully so, the acting and distant camera shoots are poor. I am not persuaded this is not Denis's clever design to compel viewers to squint for a better view of the horizon, to see not only with their eyes, but with their minds, too. Denis has limited the instrusiveness of her actors and permitted the story to tell itself as viewers each relate to its many human tales of race, the subtle power of initiation, influence, dominance, sexual frustration, innocence and precociousness.

Director Claire Denis has blended an absolutely masterful movie; wonderful and warm, yet sometimes arresting, double-take wonderment: "What was that about?" Denis preserves the beauty in the mystery of the covert even as viewers' are accosted by the crassness of the overt. Chocolat is a movie about the irrepressible, undeniable wants and needs of the human spirit, and their attainment, even while the forces that would discourage, dishearten and destroy people rage about like hyenas in the night.

I can count (although I believe the number increases every time I see the movie) the abundant number of subtle suggestive messages which transpire between adult and child character relationships. Chocolate, in its pure form is bitter, _ and sweet once refined and blended with sugar, and unless the viewer catches these message glimpses Chocolat seems a blotch of disconnectedness of bits and pieces. That said, do not look for or wait for a plot to develop.

France's parents live out their lives as servants of their native land France to influence, form and fashion black colonial Cameroon according to white Europeans. Their daughter France lives her life under their sometimes oblique oblivion while she, unlike her frustrated mother, is taken in, participates and indulges the influences of the house boy, Protee, much like her native France would have the black natives of colonial Cameroon do, also. Watch for this switching influence message shoot: One moment the little girl sneaks away from her nap in the scorching noonday heat to watch Protee at his chores, next shoot is her father's entourage as he leaves his family back home to make his adminstrative rounds.

The central thesis of Chocolat is spelled out for viewers in the form of a bedtime muse for the daughter by her father when he ventures a brief intellectual dissertation on the illusiveness of the horizon for a sleepy child: The closer you get to it the further it moves away. One might get to where the line once was, but it has moved away so that the line is never crossed, _ or so, that is the illusion.

Denis does not pontificate race, politics or moral themes. She has left these to "come out" in the easy, crass, vulgar, ulgy speech from no less than a wayward seminarian. His sexually vulgar affront of Aimee in the presence of Protee and the other servants raises the question: Whose sexual desires are really at issue here? Denis allows us a wisp of a much more discreet exchange between like minds as we "walk in" on a little snicker between France's father and the seminarian.

Chocolat is my ignorant perception and celluloid indulgence in a wonderful, beautiful, lush, verdant Africa. The movie, with its airport scene at the close and the music, always make me a bit sad. I am surprised to feel that way every time. I feel I am leaving Africa. I also know I will return, again. I will see Chocolat my only experience of Africa, again.

I rate Chocolat, on a one to ten scale, a ten, not as having all those technical, artistic elements which make up a "perfect" film, but for taking to the nth degree what it brings to the screen for entertainment and amusement of movie viewers.

I love Chocolat.

Mixed Feelings.......2005-09-19

In reading the other reviews posted, I feel as though I missed something. Granted, the scenery is quite beautiful and the characters are interesting, but I failed to find any sort of plot. It took me over a week to watch the entire movie, as I would get bored and turn it off. I kept hoping that eventually the story would make sense, only to be disappointed.

One of a Kind.......2005-07-24

A one of a kind visionary film. What does it say? There are smaller statements about colonialism & white attitude. More to the heart of the film is when the houseboy lets the little girl burn her hand - a tremendously moving image of shared pain between two displaced people. What does it say? Maybe something about the oppressive structure of daily life - so distantly related to what is needed for the soul. Note the grownup little girl (Mireille Perrier) with the tumbleweed hair - for me, one of the most gorgeous women ever on the screen.

Average customer rating:

Walerian Borowczyk's erotic masterpiece!
softest-soft-core if that's possible
Those Were the Days...
Emanuelle the best of its kind
not enough sex- and I am a woman!

Emmanuelle 5
Starring: Monique Gabrielle , Crofton Hardester , Dana Burns Westburg , Bryan Shane , and Yaseen Khan
Director: Walerian Borowczyk , and Steve Barnett (IV)
Manufacturer: New Concorde
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: 6305731969
Release Date: 2000-12-03

Customer Reviews:

Walerian Borowczyk's erotic masterpiece!.......2006-06-17

Emmanuelle 5 is Polish surrealist Walerian Borowczyk's penultimate theatrical feature, a film who's merits are hotly debated among cult and artfilm lovers. Some see the movie as nothing more than a commercial sell-out, others as an interesting addition to his body of work. It's also the last quality entry of the official Emmanuelle franchise.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that there are at least three versions: the theatrical European version, the heavily edited US version (including new scenes produced by Roger Corman!), and a European home video version including extra hard-core scenes that feature none of the principal cast.

This time round Emmanuelle is portrayed by Monique Gabrielle, who is, in a jarring change, a bleach blonde American actress. Never mind that the character is supposed to be French, it kind of works, mainly because Ms. Gabrielle has the sense to play the role with just the right nod and wink. And while no actress came close to Sylvia Kristel's beauty, charm and class, Monique makes the role her own. Since the film dispenses with any previous character back story, here she portrays Emmanuelle as a single, free-spirited woman who makes erotic art-films and runs a dance studio out of her beloved loft in Paris.

The movie opens with a "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" style montage of Cannes, with a documentary-like narration giving us an overview of the famous film festival held there every year. It seems Emmanuelle is premiering her latest film, Love Express, in Cannes... causing a scandal in the process. In fact, we first see her in this film within a film, in a beautifully shot sequence on a set of craggy rocks overlooking the roaring ocean. At a press conference later, she must defend her film to close-minded reporters who accuse her of creating pornography. It's all obviously a reference to Borowczyk's own experiences at the very same festival.
After the Q&A, Emmanuelle's producer, a smarmy French type, introduces her to Prince Rajid, a wealthy sheik who own's the fictional Arab country of Benglagistan. He's apparently obsessed with Emmanuelle and wants to premiere the film in his homeland.

Outside, an adoring throng of male fans awaits Emmanuelle, all desperate for a touch of the famed beauty. Things quickly escalate and soon the mob is stripping her of every last article of clothing, sending her jumping onto a stranger's departing boat for safety. Her unwitting saviour is Charles D. Foster, a nerdy, but handsome young millionaire who disapproves of Emmanuelle's erotic films. Sparks fly, and before you know it, love is in the air. Is a happy ending in the works? Perhaps, but not before a journey back onto the Love Express and Prince Rajid kidnaps Emmanuelle, putting her in his harem.

The version most people know is the English language American edit (which in addition to the new Corman scenes also utilizes Borowczyk's outtakes), perhaps the reason Emmanuelle 5 is dismissed by some. The new scenes, while amusing, just don't gel with the traditional European style that people expect from Emmanuelle films. While the original release of Emmanuelle 5 certainly doesn't lack a sense of humor, Corman's New Horizon version goes over the top with campy 80s comedy, seeming more like a companion to Bachelor Party (also starring Ms. Gabrielle) and other films of that ilk. It's also clumsily edited - the transition between film quality is jarring. What they attempt is admirable (give the story more cohesion, tighten the pacing), but apparently they didn't even bother doing a final film print edit, it was all put together on 3/4 video with a series of bad fade-ins and bleeds. Apparently they opted for a quick home video release and couldn't be bothered to finish it off right. This version is also only available in a terrible full-screen DVD transfer.

If you can track down a copy of Borowczyk's original theatrical edit of Emmanuelle 5, do so. It's a smart, interesting film well worth owning, and has a lot more going for it than Monique Gabrielle's bare [...].

softest-soft-core if that's possible.......2004-02-12

the only thing that i liked about this film is the scene between the two women from the middle east behind the curtain that the Sheik ripped apart. a good 20-25 seconds of pure lesbian lust...before the camera pans back to the Sheik again! i have the tape at that spot at all times and i watch and re-watch it over and over...other than that i'm appalled at how mainstream the film tries to be. for me, part of the Emmanuelle success was showcasing a woman with a sexual appetite no matter who it was from: man or woman. yet, with the Emmanuelles that followed in Kristel's footsteps, somewhere along the way the series became nothing but a sophomoric, naughty movie one might expect to find late at night on the USA Network back in the early '90s with Gilbert Gotfreid with zero titilation and sexual overtones...but heavy on bikini clad bimbos. Laura Gemser has been the ONLY other woman to successfully play this role...and her films are MORE explicit than Kristel's. Emmanuelle 5 came along in 1987 as just another skin flick...showing hardly any skin except the scene i watch over and over. the mood for me is always interrupted by the so-called 'hero' of the film who's trying to break Emmanuelle out of the Sheik's harem! if it were me, i'd re-record the lesbian scene on a blank tape and throw Emmanuelle 5 out the window.

Those Were the Days..........2002-11-22

Hey, there. Remember those days of hormone-ridden adolescence when you snuck into the TV room in the middle of the night while the 'rents were asleep, and switched the cable box on to your fave premium channel in the hopes of seein' a few nudies and (hopefully) some other less-than-pure visuals? You probably had your special video tape ready to record those precious moments for future reference too, didn't ya? Boy, those were some fun times, weren't they? I know they were for me...

Emmanuelle 5 © was a particularly memorable naughty flick for me. The star, Monique Gabrielle, shows just about all she can-- in skin, that is, not acting ability-- as she cavorts through parts of mainland Europe and the Middle East in this little flesh-fest, and having her way with a few nerdy-yet-hunky guys (I've got the 'nerdy' part down, myself). Hey, you didn't think people watched this stuff for the Oscar-worthy performances, did'ja? Let's face it, the reason this baby was made is pretty plain: to grab the attention of the socially-inept heterosexual male demographic! Yep, it's all about the marketing, which I fell for just like that! I feel so dirty now...

Oh yeah, there's some silly excuse of a plot about a Middle Eastern Sheik who tries to make Emanuelle a prized addition to his harem, but that's neither here nor there...

''Late

Emanuelle the best of its kind.......2002-04-16

I can not say enough great things about this film. It's the best that I have ever seen in the movie theater or on VHS. Its got something for everyone, a great plot and believable characters. There is only one word of warning that I must say about this film, if you mind a bit of skin in your movies or are showing the film to your kids I would skip this one.

not enough sex- and I am a woman!.......2001-10-04

The Emanualle series is unique in that it is sensual and sexual. It reaches the ladies in the audience WITHOUT being offensive!

This one seemed far too concerned with the safe sex concerns of the actors. It was Emanuelle- almost- reimbraces- secondary viginity.

Description

This four-movie collectible set includes widescreen versions of AMELIE, CHOCOLAT, IL POSTINO, and LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE. CLICK ON INDIVIDUAL TITLES BELOW FOR PRODUCT DETAILS.

Customer Reviews:

Hours of European Classics.......2006-11-10

This is a great set of films that will have you watching them over and over.

...The ULTIMATE collectors pack..........2006-02-18

Amelie and Chocolat..together...in a box set!!!!! well thats a must buy if ever there was one!!! Amelie is my fave movie of all time, it touched me, it moved me and its just like its main star...beautiful, scrumptious and likable!!! Amelie is a little french waitress...who after finding a chldhood treasure of a man who once lived in her apartment, she seeks out on being a regula dogooder, making couples fall in love, finding ways to make those who mourn, be comforted, punishing hose who are mean...all whilst neglecting her own love life...Chocolate, Johnny Depp, and Judie Dench in a film...sounds good to me. Chocolat is about a wman and her child who move into a religious and spirtiual community and who dont fit in with the social order of the town..but you must always have faith in yourself even if ppl dont have faith in u!!! IlPostiniooooooooo...so poetic and touching...wow...like water for chocolate is beautiful definitely for those who appreciate sweet romance...

Chocolat and Like Water....like its name...sweet and fluffy and sugar coated fun for the whole family
Amelie and IlPostino...smart and touching, poetic and stunning

BUY IT NOW!!!!!! ps: hi alex!!! hermy...

Amelie.......2004-05-18

An amazingly refreshing work of art. This creature is not only tintillating due to her own sneaky intentions, however she is quite jovial in her pursuits of happiness for herself and others. An amazing movie, please send more over to America!

Eclectic collection of "Inspired Romance".......2004-05-07

Romantic movies somehow seem a lot sweeter when they don't fit the usual boy-meets-girl mold. Four such movies make up the Miramax Inspired Romance Collection, four romantic movies that will make you want to cuddle up under a blanket (even the somewhat silly "Chocolat").

"Amelie" is the charming tale of a young French woman (Audrey Tautou), secluded and shy. But when she returns a childhood toy to a man, changing his lonely life, Amelie decides to keep doing good for others to improve their lives. But one of her deeds leads her to a handsome young man who may be her soulmate.... if Amelie can learn to help herself out too.

Sensuous, passionate "Like Water For Chocolate" introduces us to Tita (Lumi Cavazos) and Pedro (Marco Leonardi), young Mexican lovers who desperately want to get married. But Tita's domineering mother is determined to keep Tita single because of a mindless tradition. Pedro ends up marrying Tita's sister, and the heartbroken Tita is lost in her grief... only to have some very unpredictable things happen.

"Il Postino" is the way to love, when an exiled Chilean poet (Philippe Noiret) settles on a small Italian island. He befriends a poorly-educated young fisherman, Mario (Massimo Troisi), who is given the duty of delivering the newly-enlarged mail inflow. When Mario falls in love with the beautiful Beatrice, he needs the poet's help -- and the power of poetry -- to win her heart.

"Chocolat" celebrates joie de vivre, with big sides of chocolate (warning: Do not watch on an empty stomach). Vianne (Juliette Binoche) and her young daughter move into a small French town and set up a chocolate shop just at the start of Lent. What's more, Vianne strikes up a romance with a local drifter (Johnny Depp). The mayor is deeply ticked off by this, but as Vianne starts to improve their lives, the townspeople start warming up to her.

This collection is a pretty wide-ranging one. Some have the happy endings you'd expect, some turn out in ways you would never dream of. Okay, "Chocolat" is a bit silly even for magical realism; what keeps it from being absurd are the wonderful performances of Depp and Binoche. But these films have all kinds of romance -- the sparkling surrealism of "Amelie," the stomach-tingling heaps of chocolate, the sweet lyricism of poetry, and the sexy, sensuous "Like Water."

Customer Reviews:

Very good French thriller with a somewhat rushed ending..........2007-01-13

"Merci pour le chocolat", directed by Claude Chabrol, is an interesting French thriller with an abrupt ending, that is nonetheless worth your time. The reasons for that are many, including a superb cast, an engaging story, and a director that manages to make the spectator part of the story. You are not in the movie, but you feel involved in what is happening...

The story begins when Jeanne (Anna Mouglalis), a young and talented pianist, learns that she might be the lost daughter of André Polonski (Jacques Dutronc). Jeanne is intrigued by the idea, specially due to the fact that André is a very famous pianist, and she wants to learn from him. Jeanne visits André's house, meeting him, his new wife Mika (Isabelle Huppert), and a son from a previous marriage, Guillaume. Even though André is certain that Jeanne is not his daughter, he is interested in her, inviting the young woman to his home. That kind gesture sets off a chain of events that are dangerous, specially for Jeanne, and that could be linked to the death of André's previous wife, Lisbeth.

What is going to happen? And can appearances be utterly deceiving? "Merci pour le chocolat" makes you ask yourself those questions more than once. On the whole, I think that this is a very good movie, and I recommended it to those who love good thrillers and don't mind a somewhat rushed ending.

Belen Alcat

A short analysis of the film.......2006-02-23

**Be forewarned that this review is in part an analysis of the movie "Merci pour le chocolat" and therefore contains several spoilers. So if you haven't seen the film and don't want to know anything about the plot development, please don't read this review.**

Part of the problem with this very interesting movie is carelessness or deliberate ambiguity on the part of director Claude Chabrol. The celebrated French master of cinema really is a bit like Alfred Hitchcock in the way he put this film together. He doesn't care so much about the consistency of detail or logic, instead what he strives for, as did Hitchcock, is effect. Begin with a tantalizing premise, build tension, and then come up with a striking ending.

The premise, that of a psychologically disturbed woman of high social and economic status (Mika Muller, played with her usual haunting skill by Isabelle Huppert), whose bizarre nature forces her to poison those around her, satisfies the formula nicely. The tension is maintained by our need to find out exactly what she is doing and why and how it will affect the husband André (Jacques Dutronc), the son Guillaume (Rodolphe Pauly), and the young pianist, Jeanne Pollet (Anna Mouglalis). The ending which is heavily symbolic and deeply psychological however may disappoint some viewers. Note that as the closing credits run down the screen, Mika cries and then curls up catatonically on the couch next to a black Afghan in the shape of a spider web. She is the spider at the side of the web waiting for something to fall into it. She can't help herself. That is her nature. And that is why she cries for herself. And notice that her husband does not hate her or rage against her. Instead he seems to have pity upon her as he plays a funereal piece on the piano.

Personally what disappointed me--although I still think this is an excellent film--is the way the ambiguity about Jeanne's paternity is handled. Obviously we can tell by the photos on the wall of the tragically deceased Lisbeth that Jeanne is indeed her daughter since she looks exactly like her. In fact in the next scene Jeanne unconsciously apes the pose in the photo by putting the palms of her hands to either side of her face as André watches. Another problem with the film is that nobody except the audience seems struck by the exact similarity.

Additionally, the truth of her paternity is obscured by Jeanne's mother saying that the mixup at the maternity ward was straightened out to everyone's satisfaction, and besides (almost as an afterthought) she reveals that her husband was not the father, that instead she was inseminated by an unknown donor. This silliness could easily be resolved by DNA testing since the movie, which was released in 2000, is set in contemporary France. Chabrol uses a lab to establish what drug Mika is putting in the chocolate. Why not use a lab to establish paternity? Part of the reason may simply be that the novel upon which the movie is based "The Chocolate Cobweb" was written by the American mystery writer Charlotte Armstrong in the 1950's, before the age of DNA testing.

The real answer however is that Chabrol didn't bother, just as he didn't bother cleaning up some other ambiguities, like why the son does not confront Mika after he is told by Jeanne that Mika is drugging him. Or why Mika deliberately spills the drugged chocolate intended for Guillaume onto the floor, allowing her to be surreptitiously observed by Jeanne through a reflection in the glass of one of the photos. The spilling seems purely a plot device to allow Jeanne a reason to get the chocolat analyzed. Furthermore, we presume that Mika, who is very rich, remarries André because she loves him or admires him or wants to be with him. And it can be seen that he would want to remarry her because of her wealth, her beauty, her elegance, etc. However, it is revealed near the end of the film that he had all along suspected her of causing Lisbeth's death since he says something like "You also washed the glasses the night Lisbeth died." He knew.

One can even go to the extent of analyzing this by saying that Mika is the black widow and André finds her irresistible. Note the scene in which he suggests they make love to have a daughter and she puts him off by saying that he would be ineffective since he has already taken his Rohypnol. She says, next time before he takes his sleep potion they will do it. Furthermore notice that EVERY night he falls into a drugged sleep since he is addicted to Rohypnol. Perhaps this nightly occurrence is pleasant to Mika, in a sense an acting out of the black widow's mating ritual again and again.

Nonetheless, this idea of a woman helpless against her own nature seems a bit unsatisfying. We want something more. And what she does to satisfy her urges leaves us a bit mystified. It seems hardly enough. She drugs the chocolate that she lovingly makes for Guillaume and Jeanne. Why only this? Why this at all? The logic is that she needs to excrete her poison, like a spider. The very act of doing it is what satisfies her need. The fact that somebody could take the drug and then fall asleep at the wheel of a car really is beside the point.

This tale of the dark psychology within the human soul is the sort of thing that attracts Isabelle Huppert as an actress. She has played in her distinguished career a number of roles that require evil in the human soul. This is one of the more subtle ones. For one of the more striking, see her in The Piano Teacher (2001).

A little spilled chocolate goes a long way........2006-02-14

So far, I've seen maybe 7 Chabrol films (older and recent ones) and this is easily the most enjoyable one yet. Actually, I wasn't expecting much, after some mixed reviews here, but found the DVD for a decent price used at a local store, and gave it a shot. While I think Chabrol films are all well above average, and in terms of Amazon ratings, you can always bank on a 4 star rating, but this one had a little more. I really enjoyed watching these characters, and this little plot they've become nestled into is very intriguing. I think it helps that all the actors, especially Huppert, play their parts to a tee.

Stunningly beautiful, but unknown to the US actress, Anna Mouglalis, serves as the centerpiece of the film, which revolves around the question of whether or not she was switched at birth with the Polonski's baby boy, who was born on the same day. Pianist Andre Polonski is initially told by nurses that he has a girl, only to find out they made a mistake and he has a son. Mouglalis's character, Jeanne, who also becomes a pianist, goes to meet the father that may have been hers, and sets off a jealousy issue with Andre's new wife, Mika, played by Huppert. This triggers emotions from the past, and poses a question about the death of Andre's first wife. It also sets up one of the best scenes in the film: a moving recollection by Andre's son, Guillame, about the night his mother died.

Upon Jeanne's first encounter with Mika, some suspense immediately builds, in a very stylish scene where Jeanne is looking at a picture of Andre's first wife, a near reflection of herself as she resembles her, and sees Mika purposely spill a thermos of chocolate on the floor. This gets Jeanne to purposely dip her sleeve into it and later have her forensic lab boyfriend analyze it and find that it contains a tranquilizer.

The direction of the film, building suspense, dry wit, and superb acting performances, all make for an extremely satisfying French film. It is much more lighter than other Chabrol films, and more dialogue driven, without much culmination in the suspense. The violence found in his other films is nowhere to be found. It's more on the black comedy side, then a true suspense thriller, and nothing points to this more than the subtle humor found in the ending. From the low key remarks by Andre (remember that he's just had some sleeping medicine as well), to what happens to Jeanne and Andre's son, to the revealing scene where Huppert gets up from the couch, only to find she was just resting her head in the center of a black afghan, knitted in the form of spider web.

I don't think the film is to be taken as seriously as other Chabrol thrillers, and thus, the somewhat abrupt ending shouldn't be frowned upon for coming up short. I thought it was satisfying enough, and ends the film quite nicely. Let's face it, French films don't EVER end like Amercian films do. I think it's a unique and tidy end to one delicious film! My only gripe was not how it ended, rather when it ended. I would have loved to see more interaction between the characters before it reached it's conclusion. I'll just have to watch it again!

Movie: Very Good. Huppert: Great........2004-10-23

Mika Muller, wealthy owner of a Swiss chocolate company (and played by Isabelle Huppert) has just married Andre Polonski (Jacques Dutronc). They were married briefly years before, but divorced and Polonsky married a woman he deeply loved and by whom he has a teen-age son. His second wife died in a car crash after enjoying a cup of hot chocolate with her husband and son at Mika's house. The movie proceeds with tensions, family complications and death -- with Mika calmly continuing the tradition each evening of making and serving her delicious cups of chocolate.

There's little mystery about what's going on, but the story drives with the question, "Why?" Why does Mika do what she does...and just what are all the things she's done? There's tension as it becomes clearer who should really be cautious about accepting Mika's hospitality. The pay-off is low key and, for me, just a little unsatisfying. It's still a movie I enjoy a lot.

The movie works because of Huppert's ability to seem imperturbable while you know deep and probably unpleasant things are bubbling away below the surface. Let me tell you...for those fans of Lindsay and Brittany and Angelina, Isabelle Huppert now 51 could chew you up and spit you out before you knew what was happpening. She's a first-rate actress and a great screen presence.

Wonderful, brilliant Huppert.......2004-02-19

I first encountered Isabelle Huppert in LE PIANISTE, and was excitedly anticipating this film. Her ability to communicate repressed rage and a rigid adherence to social convention is awe-inspiring. She never turns the facade into a cliche, even in this unsympathetic role. She is just as wonderful in this film as in THE PIANO TEACHER, although her characters are quite different.

This one, Mika, is not as fully developed and explored. Director Charbol merely gives you a taste of the morbid, paranoid, obsessive and ultimately violent character. Huppert delicately conceals the true Mika behind the practiced visage of the wealthy and socially-connected corporate executive. No overt smugness or irony reveals to you the true depth of her anti-social sentiment, self-loathing, and hatred.

The film notes only glibly discusses the character (as aflicted by "perversion"), and I think the film itself only approaches her, never exploring or embracing her. There is something more complex at work than the corruption or debasement perversion implies. The full-blown personality disorder on display gives us a glimpse of the "non-persons" lacking the ego, or sense of personhood, that makes their 'normal' (often perfectionist) behavior calculated mimicry. We catch only a glimpse of that her, I believe.

Product Description

Have you ever dreamed of being a superstar? AfroDite hasn't - not until she runs into CEO, the mogul's mogul of hip hop. Catapulted into the world of mega-stars with her best friend Isis in tow, AfroDite quickly becomes a top selling rapper and nothing can keep her down - not wardrobe malfunctions, not lip synching fiascos, nothing! Well, almost nothing. Finding herself a little socially challenged in the love department, her secret crush CEO only seems to see dollar signs on her forehead. Will AfroDite get her man? And will superstardom turn out to be everything she never wished for?

Average customer rating:

SWEETLY ROMANTIC ADULT FAIRY TALE
Chocolat is a Tasty Treat!
Great Movie!
Yummy! Can't get enough of Johnny...
Extremely Entertaining!

Chocolat
Starring: Juliette Binoche , Alfred Molina , Carrie-Anne Moss , Judi Dench , and Antonio Gil-Martinez
Director: Lasse Hallström
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000065KH4

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

SWEETLY ROMANTIC ADULT FAIRY TALE.......2007-09-04

Chocolat is a Tasty Treat!.......2007-08-25

Great Movie!.......2007-08-07

Yummy! Can't get enough of Johnny..........2007-08-04

He's just too delicious. There is so much to love about this movie. True entertainment and it leaves you feeling good. Now I'm craving chocolate and more Johnny Depp movies!

Extremely Entertaining!.......2007-07-25

This movie is very fun to watch. Probably more of a chick-flick, or maybe a date movie (if you have a tolerant guy), but very well acted, and the story is a lot of fun.

Creme Clacee, Chocolat et Autres Consolations (Original French Version)

Average customer rating:

Creme Clacee, Chocolat et Autres Consolations (Original French Version)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0007CHSK6

Average customer rating:

Very good French thriller with a somewhat rushed ending...
A short analysis of the film
A little spilled chocolate goes a long way.
Movie: Very Good. Huppert: Great.
Wonderful, brilliant Huppert

Merci pour le chocolat [Region 2]
Starring: Isabelle Huppert , Jacques Dutronc , Anna Mouglalis , Rodolphe Pauly , and Brigitte Catillon
Director: Claude Chabrol
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005QG0M

Customer Reviews:

Very good French thriller with a somewhat rushed ending..........2007-01-13

A short analysis of the film.......2006-02-23

A little spilled chocolate goes a long way........2006-02-14

Movie: Very Good. Huppert: Great........2004-10-23

Wonderful, brilliant Huppert.......2004-02-19

Customer Reviews:

Walerian Borowczyk's erotic masterpiece!.......2006-06-17