Chocolate (film, 2000)

The action takes place at the turn of the 50s - 60s of the XX century. A small French town lives a calm, measured life. The mayor of the city, Count Paul de Reynaud, has great power and moral authority. Once in the city, a young woman Vienn Rocher with her daughter Anouk appears. Vienn rents an old diner from the elderly Armand Voisin and opens a small pastry shop there. The Count is disdainful of Vienne: she does not attend church, her daughter is born out of wedlock. In addition, Vienne opened her shop on the eve of Lent . And the count sets the townspeople against her.

But Vienn is trying to improve relations with the inhabitants of the city. So, she helps Armanda, who did not have a relationship with her daughter Caroline, secretly see her grandson, takes part in the life of the old lonely Guillaume Blairot, settles Josephine in her home, who escaped from her sadistic husband. And when in the vicinity of the city, on the river bank, roaming gypsies stop, Vienn is the only one who does not support the boycott organized by the count against them. There she meets Ru.

However, the position of Vienne in the town is becoming increasingly difficult, and Armanda proposes to arrange a celebration in honor of his seventieth birthday. At dinner, the guests ’hostility and wariness towards each other gradually disappear, and the general fun continues on the river bank, among the gypsies. But Serge, Josephine’s abandoned husband, wanting revenge on both his wife and her friend, arranges arson at the place of the nomad’s halt. It is possible to avoid human casualties, but the Count, outraged by the brutality of Serge, expels him from the city. Roo is leaving too. Armanda dies the same evening from an exacerbation of diabetes , which she suffered from for a long time. Vienne, feeling guilty for the fire and death of Armanda, wants to leave the city. And then it turns out that her efforts were not in vain: among the inhabitants of the city she made new friends. The townspeople all cheerfully celebrate Easter, and among them are Count Raino and father Henri. And soon Roux returns to the town.

The main location of the film was the Burgundian town of Flavigny-sur-Ozren ^[2] , and scenes by the river were shot in the Perigorsk Beynak on rue De L'ancienne Poste ( Dordogne river ). Filming took place from May 2 to August 6, 2000.

The soundtrack is nominated for an Oscar , Golden Globe for Best Film Music and Grammy .

All compositions except those specifically indicated are written by Rachel Portman .

1. Minor Swing ( Django Reinhardt and Stefan Grappelli ) - 2:13
2. “Main Titles” - 3:07
3. The Story of Grandmere - 4:08
4. Vianne Sets Up Shop - 1:57
5. “Three Women” - 1:01
6. “Vianne Confronts the Comte” - 1:21
7. Other Possibilities - 1:34
8. Guillaume's Confession - 1:29
9. “Passage of Time” - 2:32
10. Boycott Immorality - 4:38
11. Party Preparations - 1:28
12. Chocolate Sauce - 0:48
13. "Fire" - 2:37
14. Vianne Gazes at the River - 1:06
15. Mayan Bowl Breaks - 2:14
16. Taste of Chocolate - 3:08
17. Ashes to the Wind / Roux Returns - 2:18
18. Caravan ( Duke Ellington / Juan Tizol ) - 3:43

A complete list of awards and nominations can be seen on the IMDB website .

• 2001 - participation in the competition program of the Berlin Film Festival .
• 2001 - 5 nominations for the Academy Award: Best Film (David Brown, Keith Golden, Leslie Holleran), Best Actress (Juliette Binoche), Best Supporting Actress (Judy Dench), Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Nelson Jacobs), best movie soundtrack (Rachel Portman).
• 2001 - 4 nominations for the Golden Globe Award: Best Comedy or Musical, Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical (Juliette Binoche), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Judy Dench), Best Movie Music (Rachel Portman).
• 2001 - 8 nominations for the BAFTA Award : Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Nelson Jacobs), Best Actress (Juliette Binoche), Best Supporting Actress (Judy Dench and Lena Olin), Best Cinematography (Roger Pratt), Best Artist Work - director (David Gropman), best costume designer work (Rene Erlich Kalfus), best makeup and hairstyles (Naomi Donny).
• 2001 - US Film Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Judy Dench), as well as two nominations: Best Actress (Juliette Binoche), Best Acting Ensemble.
• 2001 - Audience Award in the category "Best European Actress" (Juliette Binoche) as part of the European Film Academy Award .
• 2001 - nomination for the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Film.
• 2001 - nomination for the Sputnik Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Drama (Judy Dench).
• 2001 - Nominated for the US Scriptwriters Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Nelson Jacobs).
• 2002 - nomination for the Japanese Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
• 2002 - nomination for the Goya Award for Best European Film.
• 2002 - Grammy Award nomination for Best Album with Soundtrack for Motion Picture or Television Movie (Rachel Portman).

• Lael Loewenstein. Chocolat . Variety (December 7, 2000). - Review. Date of treatment January 20, 2019.