Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Lena Olin, Judi Dench and Alfred Molina
Story rating: 4 discs
Story review: Things haven’t changed much in this small town where everyone faithfully goes to mass each week and widows stay dressed in black for life. Enter Vianne (Binoche), a single mother with ancient Mayan chocolate recipes that awaken the villagers out of their “slumber” and revive their deepest desires. Soon after they taste Vianne’s delightful chocolates, grumpy couples are making love like newlyweds, estranged relatives are speaking to one another once again and a battered wife finds the strength to stand up for herself. This causes change in a town that has remained the same since the World War I–change that the mayor is adamant on putting a stop to, personally. –Mauricio Minotta, Hollywood.com Staff
Features rating: 1 disc
Features review: There are no revelations, no sweet confections that spice up the special features. The obligatory director’s commentary–Hallstrom is joined by producers David Brown, Kit Golden and Leslie Holleran–sounds like white noise, producing only a desire to sleep. The costume featurette is well-meaning, but weak. Even the deleted scenes don’t add too much. The Making of Chocolat is worthwhile watching, however, redeeming the DVD’s features somewhat.
Bottom line: A beautiful movie that was nominated for five Academy Awards, Chocolat is a lyrically told movie that received our highest rating. The DVD’s features may not add anything substantive to the movie, but it’s definitely a film worth purchasing.
Special features list:
Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video
Widescreen and full screen presentation
Audio: English 5.0 (Dolby Digital) and 2-channel (Dolby Surround)
Languages: English, French
Subtitles: Spanish
Feature commentary (Lasse Hallstrom, David Brown, Kit Golden, Leslie Halloran)
Featurette: The Making of Chocolat
The Costumes of Chocolat
Production design featurette
Deleted scenes
Theatrical trailers
