Chocolat (2000 Film)

''Chocolat'' () is a 2000 film, based on the 1999 novel '' Chocolat'' by the English author, Joanne Harris, directed by Lasse Hallström. Adapted by screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs, ''Chocolat'' tells the story of Vianne Rocher, played by Juliette Binoche, who arrives in the fictional French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes at the beginning of Lent with her six-year-old daughter, Anouk. She opens a small chocolaterie. Soon, she and her chocolate influence the lives of the townspeople of this repressed French community in different and interesting ways.

The film began a limited release in the United States on December 22, 2000, and went on general release on January 19, 2001. Critics gave the drama positive reviews and a number of accolades, praising its acting performances, its screenplay, and Rachel Portman, including Best Picture. Binoche won the European Film Award for Best Actress for her performance, while Dench was awarded a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2001.

Plot

Vianne and her six-year-old daughter, Anouk, drift across Europe following the north wind like her mother before her. In 1959, they arrive in a quiet, French village overseen by village mayor the Comte de Reynaud at the start of the 40 days of Lent. Vianne opens a chocolate shop.

Although not fitting in well with the townspeople, Vianne begins to make headway with some of the villagers to come to her shop. Reynaud, who will not admit his wife left him, speaks out against Vianne for tempting the people during Lent.

Armande, Vianne's elderly landlady, is one of Vianne's first allies. Her daughter Caroline will not let her see her grandson Luc as she is a "bad influence". Vianne arranges for him and his grandmother to meet in the chocolaterie, where they bond. After finding out about their secret meetings, Caroline reveals her mother is diabetic, but Armande continues to eat the chocolate regardless.

Vianne develops a friendship with Josephine, who is being physically abused by her husband Serge, who runs the local café. Through their friendship, Josephine finds the courage to leave Serge after a beating, moving in with Vianne and Anouk. As she works at the chocolate shop and learns the craft, her confidence slowly increases. Simultaneously, under Reynaud's instruction, Serge attempts to make amends for his abusiveness, eventually asking Josephine to come back to him, but she refuses. Later that night, a drunken Serge breaks into the chocolaterie, attacking both women, but Josephine knocks him out.

As the rivalry between Vianne and Reynaud intensifies, a band of river Romani camp near the village. Although most of the town objects to their presence, Vianne embraces them, and a mutual attraction develops between her and the leader Roux. They hold a birthday party for Armande with villagers and Romani on Roux's boat. When Caroline sees Luc dancing with his grandmother, she begins to accept that Armande's influence in her son's life may be positive. Luc takes Armande home after the party, while Josephine and Anouk fall asleep on a boat. Roux and Vianne make love. Serge sets fire to the boat while Josephine and Anouk sleep. They escape unharmed, but Vianne is shaken. Armande dies in her home with Luc discovering her, devastating both him and his mother. After the fire, Roux packs up and leaves with his group.

Reynaud initially believes the fire was divine intervention until Serge confesses to starting it, saying he thought it was what he wanted. Horrified, Reynaud orders him to leave the village and not to come back.

With the return of the north wind, Vianne decides she cannot win against Reynaud, and decides to move on. Anouk, now attached to the town, refuses to go, and during a scuffle, the urn containing Vianne's mother's ashes breaks, scattering them over the floor. While recovering the ashes, Vianne sees the townspeople and the positive influence she's had on their lives, making chocolate for the festival she planned for Easter Sunday. Vianne decides to stay.

Despite shifting sentiment in the town, Reynaud remains staunch in his abstinence. On the Saturday evening before Easter, Reynaud sees Caroline, to whom he is attracted, leaving the chocolaterie and is devastated. He breaks into Vianne's shop that night, smashing the special window display for the Easter festival. After a morsel of chocolate falls on his lip, he devours much of the chocolate in the window before collapsing in tears and falling asleep. The next morning, Vianne wakes him and gives him a drink to help him. Reynaud apologizes for his behavior. The town's young priest Père Henri gives a sermon emphasizing the importance of humanity over divinity.

The narrator, a grown-up Anouk, reveals that the sermon and festival are a success. Reynaud and Caroline start a relationship half a year later. Josephine takes over Serge's café, renaming it Café Armande. The north wind returns, but this time Vianne throws her mother's ashes out into the wind. Anouk concludes the story: Roux returns in the summer to be with Vianne and Anouk.

Cast

* Juliette Binoche as Vianne Rocher
* Victoire Thivisol as Anouk Rocher, Vianne's daughter (voiced by Sally Taylor-Isherwood because Victoire's French accent made her difficult to understand)
* Judi Dench as Armande Voizin, Caroline's mother
* Alfred Molina as Comte de Reynaud, the mayor
* Lena Olin as Josephine Muscat, Serge's abused wife
* Johnny Depp as Roux, a self-described "river-rat" and Vianne's lover
* Hugh O'Conor as Pere Henri, village priest
* Carrie-Anne Moss as Caroline Clairmont, Armande's daughter
* Aurélien Parent-Koenig as Luc Clairmont, Caroline's son
* Peter Stormare as Serge Muscat, café owner
* Hélène Cardona as Françoise "Fuffi" Drou, beauty shop proprietor
* Antonio Gil as Jean-Marc Drou
* Elisabeth Commelin as Yvette Marceau, woman who buys chocolates as an aphrodisiac
* Ron Cook as Alphonse Marceau, Yvette's husband
* Leslie Caron as Madame Audel, village widow whose husband died in World War I
* John Wood as Guillaume Blerot, who carries a long-time yearning for Madame Audel
* Michèle Gleizer as Madame Rivet, village woman who works for the Comte
* Dominique MacAvoy as Madame Pouget, village woman
* Arnaud Adam as George Rocher, Vianne's father
* Christianne Oliveira as Chitza Rocher, Vianne's mother
* Tatyana Yassukovich, the narrator

Production

Filming

Filming took place between May and August 2000 in the medieval village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in the region of Burgundy and on the Rue De L'ancienne Poste in Beynac-et-Cazenac in Dordogne. The river scenes were filmed at Fonthill Lake at Fonthill Bishop in Wiltshire and interior scenes at Shepperton Studios, England.

Music

Music written by Rachel Portman

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