Movies with important scenes involving food

Cafe Society
101

2 scenes in Erroll Flynn’s Robin Hood come to mind. The first, the Norman lords and evil Prince John are gathered in Sir Guy’s castle for a feast, lots of food and wine, but no cheer, Robin of Locksley appears with a deer that was poached in the king’s forest and offers it to Prince John in a mocking way that’s obviously a challenge.

Later, the outlaws are gathered in the woods for there own feast, provided by stealing it from Sir Guy and his party. the contrast between his gusto of consumption and Maid Marrien’s dainty restraint, despite her hunger, actually brings his attention to her and further reveals his attraction to her.

I also remember Prince John using a dagger to eat a pomogranate as if he were torturing an enemy, yet doing it with delicate finesse.

Both scenes contain food, both advance the story.

102

[QUOTE=It’s Not Rocket Surgery!]
Wow - we are 2 pages into this discussion, and nobody has mentioned My Dinner With Andre.
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The food in My Dinner with Andre is incidental. The food isn’t really instrumental to developing any of the major themes of the movie.

103

I think final scene of A History of Violence is a perfect example of what the OP is looking for:

Viggo’s character returns to his home during dinner. He sits down and there is a long moment where his family feels they they don’t know him anymore. The family welcomes him back by setting him a plate and passing the lasagna (or whatever it was).

104

My first thoughts were Moonstruck, and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. Obviously the first is the only one that is suitable for classroom viewing.

The Cook is a fascinating, beautiful, grand and ugly piece of film. Highly recommended for those with strong stomachs. Perhaps as an optional recommendation…the audience I was in was dramatically reduced at 2 points in the movie, most at the button scene.

105

My Moonstruck thought was definitely Johnny Camorari’s rant about hsi brother in the bakery (“I bake bread, bread, bread, and shovel this dough in and out of this hot stinking hole in the wall…”), and also when they put sugar cubes in the champagne in order to make a toast.

Keeping with “ethinc romantic comedies” how about Crossing Delancey? Many scenes over meals discussing relationships, but perhaps the most direct is the Pickle guy talking about how he soaks his hands to remove the smell.

And who can forget the cinematic masterpiece Point Break in which the stake-out specialists Special Agent Utah (portrayed by Keanu Reeves) and the unheralded Sgt. Pappas (Gary Busey) discuss the dietary importance of not eating doughnuts, and the love of meatball sandwiches which and gives us perhaps the best (confusing) metaphor in movie history “I’m so hungry I could eat the ass end out of a dead rhino, I should have had you get me three of these things!”

106

[QUOTE=Scribble]
The food in My Dinner with Andre is incidental. The food isn’t really instrumental to developing any of the major themes of the movie.
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On a side note, I’m continually surprised every time I realize that Andre the Giant is NOT in “My Dinner With Andre”. :slight_smile:

107

2001: A Space Odyssey has many significant scenes involving food.

108

Eating Raoul …?

109

Thanks to so many people who gave input. Sorry I’ve been so late getting back to this thread. Some great suggestions given; this is a real help.

I don’t have time to answer everybody, but I will try to respond to a few things.

[QUOTE=Jeff Lichtman]
A running gag in Fargo is that Marge Gunderson, the pregnant police chief, is shown eating constantly. There’s a scene where she’s at a buffet and it’s a surprise when she actually passes up one of the steam table items. All of the food she eats is pedestrian fare - a hotel restaurant is upscale for her. Food is just one of the ways the movie pokes fun at the squareness of the main characters.
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You silly, silly man. Fargo celebrates their squareness.

[QUOTE=Scribble]

[QUOTE=Scribble]
Silly as this sounds, Fast Times At Ridgemont High might be an option for you. The scene where Spicoli (Sean Penn) has a pizza delivered during class comes to mind, here. People writing about this scene will probably end up describing the use of food as a symbol of power, and the way in which food can be used as a gesture of rebellion or as a way to reinforce the heirarchies already in place.
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I just realized how pretentious this sounds. I wanted to edit it out, but I passed the 5-minute deadline. Ah, well.
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Not at all; I wish more people had given the quick analysis you did, especially for the movies I haven’t seen.

[QUOTE=Septima]
There is a scene in Pulp fiction where Jules is scaring the life out of some random guys by asking for a bite of an hawaiian hamburger. Took me ages to make heads or tails of what he was on about.
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It just so happens I use this scene in one of my lectures. The point I make with it was that Jules was using the Kahuna burger as a symbol of power. It would have been easier to shoot the guy and then take his food; instead he eats the guy’s burger and drinks his soda, all the while looking him square in the eyes. It’s a dominance ritual.

[QUOTE=Khan]
I’m having trouble getting my head around why you excluded Harold and Kumar, furt. Getting to White Castle symbolizes coming of age for both of them. Harold gets the courage to tell off his supervisors and ask out Maria, and Kumar realizes he really wants to be a doctor. When they turned down going to the weiner shack or whatever they rejected taking the easy path/doing what was expected of them. You could also say that place also played on the homoerotic undertones between Goldstein and Rosenberg.
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Without checking, I don’t think I said it couldn’t be done, just that its not a good choice for the students I have. I’ve had four or five students do it, and the deeper meanings you refer to have never come close to being raised; as I say, my students are not literature majors, and the fruit has to be a bit lower to the ground.

Again, thanks to all for some very good suggestions. Someday you may get a chef able to intelligently discuss the social significance of food, and your efforts will be thus repaid.