| Front Cover |
Actor |
|
| Juliette Binoche |
Vianne Rocher
|
| Alfred Molina |
Comte Paul de Reynaud
|
| Carrie-Anne Moss |
Caroline Clairmont
|
| Judi Dench |
Armande Voizin
|
| Antonio Gil |
Jean-Marc Drou
|
| Hélène Cardona |
Francoise Drou
|
| Johnny Depp |
Roux
|
| Hugh O'Conor |
Pere Henri
|
| Harrison Pratt |
Dedou Drou
|
| Gaelan Connell |
Didi Drou
|
| Isaach De Bankolé |
|
| Giulia Boschi |
|
| François Cluzet |
|
| Jean-Claude Adelin |
|
| Laurent Arnal |
|
| Antonio Gil (VI) |
|
|
|
| Movie Details |
| Genre |
Comedy; Drama; Romance |
| Director |
Lasse Hallström; Claire Denis |
| Producer |
Alan C. Blomquist; David Brown |
| Writer |
Joanne Harris; Robert Nelson Jacobs |
| Studio |
Euro Video |
|
| Language |
English |
| Audience Rating |
PG-13 |
| Running Time |
121 mins |
| Country |
USA |
| Color |
Color |
| IMDb Rating |
7.3 |
|
| Plot |
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 |
|
|
| Edition Details |
| Format |
DVD |
| Region |
2 |
| Screen Ratio |
16:9 |
| Barcode |
027616864468 |
| Release Date |
29.11.2001 |
| Subtitles |
English; French; Spanish |
| Audio Tracks |
Deutsch Dolby Digital 5.1
Englisch Dolby Digital 2.0 |
| Nr of Disks/Tapes |
1 |
|
|
