The Taste of Things
Anh Hung Tran’s cunningly assembled romance between a French gourmet and his cook shows how food can bring them together in an unbreakable bond.
As a restaurant reviewer of some forty years, I was immediately drawn to The Taste of Things – or, if you will, The Pot-au-feu of its former title. Rarely have I seen such seductive cooking in either a film or television programme or even in real life itself. Here the audience is confronted by the gathering of ingredients, the preparation, the cooking and the serving of pans, tureens and plates full of succulent meats and vegetables. Everything was seemingly cooked to order for the film, the action skilfully choreographed by director Anh Hung Tran and beautifully captured in Jonathan Ricquebourg’s painterly cinematography reminiscent of culinary scenes by Chardin. The Taste of Things is certainly worth enjoying just for the food.
We are in a large French country house in 1885 with a huge garden and allotment owned by the so-called Napoleon of gastronomy, one Dodin-Bouffant, a character inspired by the famous French gourmet Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. Benoît Magimel plays Dodin who is fanatical about food and its preparation. His cook, Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) has been with him for twenty years, during which time they have become romantically involved, although Eugénie refuses his hand in marriage. With his maid Violette (Galatea Bellugi) and her niece Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire) they prepare a lavish feast for Dodin’s fellow dining companions. Watching them cook a meal of turbot for a fish pie, followed by loin of veal with braised lettuce and finishing with baked Alaska will have any audience salivating.
During the meal a messenger arrives inviting Dodin and his friends to dinner with a royal prince. However, it is such a grand blow-out of a meal that it takes all of eight hours to get through a repast of various small roasted birds, followed by four types of roast meats with three sauces and various salads. To return the prince’s favour, Dodin is at a loss as to what to prepare for him. He decides on something quite simple, pot-au-feu, just beef and vegetables, but of course his dish will be the best stew ever.
When Eugénie turns down his offer of marriage, Dodin is determined to woo her by cooking her a meal for the first time. This combination of gastronomy and love affair makes an endearing story and it’s played out with supreme sincerity and complete ease by Binoche and Magimel, who were once in a relationship of their own. With Dodin supervising Eugénie, the maid Violette and her niece Pauline, they complete a kitchen brigade that any restaurateur would be happy to employ. Apparently, the celebrated Michelin-starred chef Michel Nave supervised the cooking and the credits also include a list of other advisory kitchen personnel. Binoche and Magimel may be the stars of the film, but it is the steaming hot bowls of food that will be remembered when the film is over. My advice is to eat before rather than after the film, although either way you may still be hungry for more.
Original title: La passion de Dodin Bouffant (aka The Pot-au-Feu)
MICHAEL DARVELL
Cast: Juliette Binoche, Benoît Magimel, Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire, Galatea Bellugi, Emmanuel Salinger, Patrick d'Assumçao, Jan Hammenecker, Frédéric Fisbach, Jean-Marc Roulot.
Dir Anh Hung Tran, Pro Olivier Delbosc, Screenplay Anh Hung Tran, based on the 1924 novel by Marcel Rouff, Ph Jonathan Ricquebourg, Pro Des Toma Baqueni, Ed Mario Battistel, Costumes Nu Yen-Khe Tran, Sound François Waledisch.
Curiosa Films/Gaumont/France 2 Cinema/Canal+/Umedia-Picturehouse Entertainment.
135 mins. France. 2022. France Rel: 8 November 2023. US Rel: 9 February 2024. UK Rel: 16 February 2024. Cert PG.
