Chocolat (2000 film)
Chocolat (French pronunciation: [ʃɔkɔla]) is a 2000 British/American 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) like her ancestors, drifts across France. In the winter of 1959, she travels to a tranquil French village, where she and her daughter, Anouk (Victoire Thivisol), open a small chocolaterie. The store imbues both wonder and angst within the classical villagers as it opens during the forty days of Lent.Soon, Vianne's allure and confections enliven a married couple's aphrodisia, encourage an elderly man's secret love, bring rapport with a willful diabetic, and comfort an awkward woman who longs to leave her drunk and abusive husband. Nevertheless, the devout village mayor, Comte Paul de Reynaud (Alfred Molina), sees Vianne as an immoral provocateur and quietly contests against her. The battle peaks when a band of river gypsies camp on the village outskirts and Vianne finds a strong, mutual sexual attraction with the Manush Romani (Gypsy) Roux (Johnny Depp).
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
- Art Directors Guild (ADG):
- European Film Awards:
- Palm Springs International Film Festival:
- San Diego Film Critics:
- Screen Actors Guild (SAG):
- Academy Awards:
- 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:
- Satellite Awards:
- Screen Actors Guild (SAG):
- USC Scripter Award:
- World Soundtrack Awards:
- Writers Guild of America (WGA):
- Best Screenplay - Adapted (Robert Nelson Jacobs)
