Product Details

• Actors: Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Carrie-Anne Moss, Aurelien Parent Koenig
• Directors: Lasse Hallström
• Writers: Joanne Harris, Robert Nelson Jacobs
• Producers: Alan C. Blomquist, Bob Weinstein, David Brown, Harvey Weinstein, Jack Maeby
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Miramax
• DVD Release Date: August 7, 2001
• Run Time: 122 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (546 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005K3OT
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,454 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Chocolat (Miramax Collector's Series)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

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

Product Description

Nominated for 5 Academy Awards(R) including Best Picture, Best Actress (Juliette Binoche -- THE ENGLISH PATIENT), and Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench -- SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE), CHOCOLAT is the beautiful and captivating comedy from the acclaimed director of THE CIDER HOUSE RULES! Nobody could have imagined the impact that the striking Vianne (Binoche) would make when she arrived in a tranquil, old-fashioned French town. In her very unusual chocolate shop, Vianne begins to create mouth-watering confections that almost magically inspire the straitlaced villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness! But it is not until another stranger, the handsome Roux (Johnny Depp -- SLEEPY HOLLOW), arrives in town that Vianne is finally able to recognize her own desires!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 62 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great emotional lift. October 1, 2001

By Atheen M. Wilson TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Lasse Hallstrom's film version of the Joanne Harris' novel Chocolat is as delightful a confection as were the heroines' chocolate creations themselves. The plot is intricate and intriguing, carrying the viewer through the emotional transformations of each of the main characters. In a sleepy medieval French town where life has assumed a repressive structure that has created an emotionally frozen and empty life for even the most highly placed members of its society, the heroine Vianne and her daughter arrive to set up a chocolate shop. With her wonderfully concocted sweets she manages to liberate some of the denizens of the town, revealing their potential for greater happiness. The story has a sense of myth, fantasy, and fairytale about it that leaves the viewer with a feeling of personal satisfaction.

This is a film full of strong female performers. Judi Dench is especially wonderful as a curmudgeonly elderly woman estranged from her daughter and forbidden to see her grandson. Juliette Binoche does a fine job as the heroine. She is as fragile and seductive as Monroe in some scenes and as forceful and independent as Bacall in others. Lena Olin is wonderful as the abused wife who rises from the confusion and ashes of her own ruined personality like a phoenix under the influence of the heroine.

This is one of the best movies I've seen in a ling while, and I expect to order and read the book upon which it was based--something I rarely do.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand November 3, 2001

By Bill Fyffe Jr.

Format:VHS Tape

Joanne Harris, the writer of the novel, Chocolat, is apparently a confectionery genius, for this story leaves a wonderful taste in your mouth. Although I have not read the novel, the movie is delightfully rich and creamy.

Vianne (Juliette Binoche) is a "chocolatier extraordinaire," having the best chocolate in all of France and possibly the entire world. She and daughter, Anouk, set up shop in a small French village rife with religious zealots led by the mayor, Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina), who is intent on keeping the town chocolate-less. It is the timeless game of religious piety versus sincere brotherly love as portrayed in the lead characters.

Vianne seeks to sweeten the lives of the villagers in town with her secret panacea, especially the religious rejects like Armande Voizin (Judi Dench). She is a crusty old woman, the antipathy of her daughter, forbidden to see her own grandson living in town. Moreover, there is an abused wife (Lena Olin), who finds refuge from her husband, not in the church, but in the chocolate shop. And finally, if this is not enough to drive a group of religious fundamentalists insane, there is Roux (Johnny Depp), a member of the River Rats, a nomadic tribe of gypsies, who develops an interest in Vianne. What will become of this little village? Will chocolate win out in the end, or will the town remain a traditional vanilla?

Binoche is sweeter than chocolate in the lead role, and equally impressive is Molina in his role as the mayor. Judi Dench and Lena Olin put in outstanding performances in their supporting roles as well.

This is a movie with substance, dealing with societal issues; and furthermore, showing the power of human kindness and tolerance for those with differing lifestyles. This one melts in your mouth, not in your hand.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars As Scrumptious as Chocolate itself June 3, 2001

By carol irvin TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

First big suprise with this film was that it was filmed in English language, not French, so there are no subtitles. I've read that more and more movies are being shot in the English language simply because the potential box office profit is so much huger. Put simply, this is a delightful film which many critics are probably grading downwards because it is "just" a simple story that is simply (but beautifully) told. I am hardly ready to number myself among them! Lasse Hallestrom, who first distinguished himself with the marvelous "My Life As A Dog," knows his way around a film script and with actors and it shows. Playing much like a fable or fairy tale, Juliette Binoche is a woman, Vianne, who wanders from place to place with her daughter, Anouk, setting up shop as a chocolatier. This time she sets up shop in a peaceful French village in the winter of 1959. Delightful as the love story portion is with the river rat, Gypsy-like Johnny Depp, it is the hilarious war waged on Binoche by the town's mayor, played by Alfred Molina, who will reduce you to complete gut-busting laughter. His wife left him and his inability to deal with that fact fuels a lot of his animosity towards Vianne and the general air of sensual repression he wishes to foster in the village. All of the villagers are delightful characters and Binoche is pulled into relationships with them. If you need to brighten up your day, this is the movie to get.