The Conflict In Babette's Feast

With rambling, slightly discordant music paired with a view of a small village on a Jutland coast, the life story of two benevolent elderly women introduces the movie, Babette’s Feast. The discordant music serves as a good introduction to the theme of conflict in this film. This theme begins with Lorens, the officer. When entertaining the thought of marrying Martine, whom he loves very dearly, Lorens seems to falter because of the thought of having to live in such a destitute and obscure town, thus never again tasting of the glory, wealth, and recognition that he also loves. When he says, “I have learned that some things are impossible,” I think he means that he cannot be happy if he cannot have both love and glory. Then Philippa turns down love as well, but for her, it is not because of a love of pride; it is rather because of a fear of it.

Another story of conflict is with the character of Babette. She is also faced with the decision between wealth and love (though a different kind of love). When she wins the lottery, the two women say with sadness, “The Lord gave, and the Lord took away,” assuming that she’d go for the wealth, but instead, she makes an almost unfathomable sacrifice of the 10,000 francs she wins to give the villagers an experience that they would never forget.

Perhaps the most intriguing instance of conflict in this film is the villagers deciding whether or not to accept the feast. When Babette brings in the turtle, the quail, the wine; the two sisters cover their mouths in disgust. Martine’s dream reflects how her religious beliefs teach against satisfying the worldly appetite for these things, the flame representing hell and Babette holding the glass of wine out representing temptation. It is so interesting that she was comforted by the strange proposal of the villagers that not talking about the feast would make it totally fine. I think this may be a glimpse of the nature of religion in Denmark: how the laws of God are uncertain and open to variation based on the judgment of the people.

The theme of conflict in the film, Babette’s Feast, seems to be intended as a view of the conflicts found in the Danish culture. This educational nature is one thing that gives this movie its intrigue and definitely plays a part in it being considered a “great work.”