A Chef in Love (1996)
The story of Pascal Ichak, a larger-than-life French traveller, bon vivant, and chef, who falls in love with Georgia and a Georgian princess in the early 1920s. All is well until the arrival of the Red Army of the Caucasus, as the Soviet revolution that has swept Russian comes to Georgia. Told as a flashback from the present, as a French-Georgian man whose mother was Pascal's lover translates his memoirs for Pascal's niece.
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This is one of the most visually appealing movies I have ever seen. I love the style. It's very rich, with lots of rich colors and elegant scenarios and beautiful foods, but at the same time sort of spare, due to the severe landscapes and settings. Makes for a beautiful contrast. The actors also add to the visual appeal, they fit the look of the movie very well, have the same sort of unusual aestheticism.The story is also an engrossing one, with a fulfilling and fascinating love story. Personally, I'm not that fond of the parts where the film gets figurative or symbolic, I just have a hard time getting meaning out of it--but it isn't too ambiguous, and the style of the film certainly makes it well worth a little confusion.It's also very interesting to get to see Georgia, which provides an interesting perspective on some of the political events shown in the film. It's an unusual setting, very cool.I just love to look at this movie. It's really beautiful. And the food always looks amazing. Overall, charming.
Pascal has a marvelous enthusiasm for life, and when he travels to the country of Georgia, he feels himself finally at home: he says that before he was like a cloud, floating here and there, but in Georgia, he finally could float down and stay. As in a fairy tale, he and the Princess fall in love, and he opens a restaurant where he creates beautiful and delicious food. All seems perfect, until the Revolution intrudes, exemplified by the cloddish Zigmund. Then we see that Pascal makes choices that will determine the rest of his life, that of the Princess, and also for those who come after. Many comic scenes are a delight in the movie, especially Pascal's revenge at the picnic. But tragic elements linger in the background. Music holds the film together --especially Georgian folk music setting an atmosphere that, like fine cuisine, will outlast ideologies. The movie is beautifully photographed with memorable and brightly colored scenes of food, love, and the Georgian countryside. Surprising that this movie is not better known.
It is always nice to view a film unlike the vast majority of films one normally has the chance to see in the U. S. This is one of those films. Pierre Richard is great is a comedic, yet serious, role. And the entire mood/ambiance of the film is so consistently rich! A very enjoyable experience.
This film is not a great film, but one can enjoy these two hours watching it. Its texture is colourful, its taste is marvelous, its rewind is cute. The story is simple but full of life scent, of passion for life. Nice, uncompromised meals fill the frames and they speak of a nice, uncompromised living. The characters do not seem to be real but in their simplicity they persuade us that simple down to earth values are the sence of life. Bon appetit!