Chocolat (2000 film)

Chocolat
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lasse Hallström
Produced by	Harvey Weinstein Bob Weinstein (Miramax)
Screenplay by	Robert Nelson Jacobs
Based on	Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Starring	Juliette Binoche Judi Dench Alfred Molina Lena Olin Johnny Depp
Music by	Rachel Portman
Release date(s)	December 15, 2000 (2000-12-15)
Running time	121 minutes
Country	United Kingdom United States
Language	English French
Budget	$25 million
Box office	$152,699,946

Chocolat (French pronunciation: [ʃɔkɔla]) is a 2000 romance film based on the novel of the same name by Joanne Harris, and was directed by Lasse Hallström. Adapted by screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs, Chocolat tells the story of a young mother, played by Juliette Binoche, who arrives at the fictional, repressed French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes with her six-year-old daughter and opens La Chocolaterie Maya, a small chocolaterie. Her chocolate quickly begins to change the lives of the townspeople.

The film was shot in the village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in Burgundy, France, and on the Rue De L'ancienne Poste in Beynac-et-Cazenac on the Dordogne River in Dordogne, France. The river scenes were filmed at Fonthill Lake at Fonthill Bishop in Wiltshire, England and interior scenes at Shepperton Studios, Surrey, England.

The film was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, 8 BAFTAs, and 4 Golden Globes. It won a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Plot

Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche), an expert Chocolatier, drifts across Europe with her daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol) . In the winter of 1959, they travel to a tranquil French village that closely adheres to tradition, as led by the village mayor, Comte Paul de Reynaud (Alfred Molina). Vianne opens a Chocolaterie just as the villagers begin observing the forty days of Lent, much to the chagrin of Reynaud. Vianne, who wears more provocative clothing, does not go to church, and has an illegitimate child, does not fit in well with the town's people, but is nevertheless optimistic about her business. Her friendly and alluring nature begins to win the villagers over one by one, causing Reynaud to openly speak against her for tempting the people during a time of abstinence and self-denial.

One of the first to fall under the spell of Vianne and her confections is Armande (Judi Dench), her elderly, eccentric landlady. Armande laments that her cold, devoutly-pious daughter Caroline (Carrie-Anne Moss) will not let her see her grandson Luc because she is a "bad influence". Vianne arranges for Luc and his Grandmother to see each other in the chocolaterie, where they develop a close bond. Caroline later reveals to Vianne that her mother is a severe diabetic, though Armande continues to indulge in the chocolate despite her condition.

Vianne also develops a friendship with a disturbed woman, Josephine (Lena Olin), who is a victim of brutal beatings by her alcoholic husband Serge (Peter Stormare). After a particularly brutal blow to the head, Josephine leaves her husband and moves in with Vianne and Anouk. As she begins to work at the chocolaterie and Vianne teaches her her craft, Josephine becomes a self-confident, changed woman. Under the instruction of Reynaud, Serge seemingly changes into a better man and he asks Josephine to come back to him. Finally happy and fulfilled, Josephine declines. A drunken Serge breaks into the chocolaterie later that night and attempts to attack both women before Josephine, in a moment of empowerment, knocks him out with a skillet.

As the rivalry between Vianne and Reynaud worsens, a band of river gypsies camp out on the outskirts of the village. While most of the town objects to their presence, Vianne embraces them, developing a mutual attraction to the gypsy Roux (Johnny Depp). Together they hold a birthday party for Armande with other village members and gypsies on Roux's boat. When Caroline sees Luc, who snuck out to go to the party, dancing with her mother, she begins to see how rigid she is with her son and that his grandmother's influence in his life may not be a bad thing.

After the party Vianne, Josephine, and Anouk all sleep on the boats, where Roux and Vianne make love. Late that night, Serge sets the boat where Josephine and Anouk are sleeping on fire. Both escape unharmed, but Vianne's faith in the village is shaken. Also that night, Luc returns to his grandmother's living room to see that she has finally died from complications of diabetes, devastating both him and his mother. After the fire, Roux packs up and leaves with his group, much to Vianne's sadness.

Deciding she cannot win against Reynaud or the strict traditions of the town, Vianne resolves to move to another place. Just before she does so, she goes into her kitchen to see most of the townspeople, who have come to love her and the way she has changed their lives, making chocolate for a festival Vianne had planned on Easter Sunday. Despite the major change in the town, Reynaud remains staunch in his abstinence from pleasures such as chocolate. On the Saturday evening before Easter, he opens the chocolate display and destroys the various confections with a knife. When a small piece of chocolate lands in his throat, he gives into the seduction and devours the chocolate before collapsing into tears and eventually falling asleep. The next day, Vianne promises not to reveal what happened, and a mutual respect between them is established. Roux returns in the summer to be with her, and despite her constant need for change, Vianne resolves to stay, having found a home for herself and her daughter in the village.

Cast

• Juliette Binoche as Vianne Rocher
• Johnny Depp as Roux
• Judi Dench as Armande Voizin
• Alfred Molina as Comte de Reynaud
• Leslie Caron as Madame Audel
• Victoire Thivisol as Anouk
• Carrie-Anne Moss as Caroline Clairmont
• Antonio Gil Martinez as Jean-Marc Drou
• Helene Cardona as Francoise Drou
• Hugh O'Conor as Pere Henri
• Harrison Pratt as Dedou Drou
• Gaelan Connell as Didi Drou
• Lena Olin as Josephine Muscat
• Elisabeth Commelin as Yvette Marceau
• Peter Stormare as Serge Muscat
• Ron Cook as Alphonse Marceau
• Aurélien Parent-Koenig as Luc Clairmont
• John Wood as Guillaume Blerot

Reception

The film grossed some US$152,699,946 worldwide, on a production budget of US$25 million.^[1]

The film was nominated for many awards, including 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture. Among significant awards won for work on this picture were the Art Directors Guild award, 2001, for Excellence in Production Design, the Bogey Award given by the German journal "Blickpunkt: Film", based on audience numbers in a certain time, the Audience Award, 2001, of the European Film Awards, for Juliette Binoche, and the Screen Actors Guild award 2001, to Judi Dench for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. The film also attracted numerous BAFTA nominations and Rachel Portman's score was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Awards

Won

• Art Directors Guild (ADG):
  • Excellence in Production Design Award Feature Film - Contemporary Films
• European Film Awards:
  • Best Actress (Juliette Binoche)
• Palm Springs International Film Festival:
  • Audience Award (Lasse Hallström)
• San Diego Film Critics:
  • Best Screenplay - Adapted (Robert Nelson Jacobs)
• Screen Actors Guild (SAG):
  • Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench)

Nominated

• Academy Awards:
  • Best Actress (Juliette Binoche)
  • Best Picture
  • Best Original Music (Rachel Portman)
  • Best Screenplay - Adapted (Robert Nelson Jacobs)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench)
• BAFTA Awards:
  • Best Actress (Juliette Binoche)
  • Best Cinematography (Roger Pratt)
  • Best Costume Design (Renee Ehrlich Kalfus)
  • Best Makeup & Hair (Naomi Donne)
  • Best Production Design (David Gropman)
  • Best Screenplay - Adapted (Robert Nelson Jacobs)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench)
  • Best Supporting Actress (Lena Olin)
• Golden Globe Awards:
  • Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Juliette Binoche)
  • Best Original Score (Rachel Portman)
  • Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
  • Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture (Judi Dench)
• Satellite Awards:
  • Best Supporting Actress - Drama (Judi Dench)
• Screen Actors Guild (SAG):
  • Best Actress (Juliette Binoche)
  • Best Cast - Motion Picture
• USC Scripter Award:
  • USC Scripter Award [Joanne Harris (author) and Robert Nelson Jacobs (screenwriter)]
• World Soundtrack Awards:
  • Soundtrack Composer of the Year (Rachel Portman)
• Writers Guild of America (WGA):
  • Best Screenplay - Adapted (Robert Nelson Jacobs)

References

1. ^ Chocolat (2000) box revenue summary, Box Office Mojo, accessed 2 December, 2007

External links

• Chocolat at the Internet Movie Database
• Chocolat at Box Office Mojo
• Chocolat at Rotten Tomatoes