Cherished Cinema

Hello all.

This is one of just a handful of the films on this list that I had not seen leading up to this project. To be honest, I most likely would have never sat down and watched it simply due to a lack of interest. Even going into it, I kept telling myself I would not enjoy it because of the premise and what I have heard about it over the years. I ended up enjoying this movie quite a bit. It isn’t the strongest of films in terms of quality but it is cheerful and wholesome. It gets a bit ridiculous here and there but the viewer is rarely left without a smile on his or her face.

The director starts off early and clearly makes the statement that this is a film about characters. This is an obvious statement but important nonetheless. From the first words uttered out of the main characters, the mother and the daughter, the viewer learns that the mother is forgetful and whimsical and the daughter is silly and aimless (the mention of her imaginary friend, a kangaroo at that, is a sign of this). I believe the first twenty minutes of the film is spent describing the characters central to the story. The viewer learns a great deal that ends up being important later on: the mayor and his seriousness, the priest’s inexperience and ability to be molded, Josephine’s awkward, nearly insane demeanor, and what we need to know about the landlord (Judi Dench’s character). The atmosphere of the town is constructed to a point where the viewer understands the circumstances that the townspeople live in and the newcomers are coming into.

The film’s central motif, in my opinion, is that of the film’s title (chocolate) and how it translates into passion/temptation/ any other related feelings. Admittedly, this gets a bit tiring after awhile due to the fact that it is reinforced numerous, and I mean numerous, times throughout the film. I understand that it is both the film’s title and the main character’s passion but to be honest/simple about it, it just gets old. I take careful notes throughout each of the films that I watch for these projects, and early on, I wrote “CHOCOLATE = PASSION??” and I think I went back and checked it about fifteen times. This is not a shortcoming on the film just an annoying aspect for me as a specific viewer.

The second entry into the project The Year 2000 in Film is complete. I have three more Best Picture nominations to get through and then ten more films that are typically seen as the best of that year and a few of my personal favorites. By my calculation, depending on well I do with this while on vacation, I should finish this project a couple of days before the New Year which means most of these films will be approaching their ten year anniversary. That is astonishing to think that a new decade is about to begin.

Thank you for reading!