The Hundred-foot Journey
DVD - 2014


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Quotes
Add a QuoteHassan: Marguerite, I'm glad that our brakes failed here. Maybe brakes break for a reason.
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Papa: It's not Mansur's money. Not until I die. Until then it is mine and Mama's money. And she loves this village. She said brakes break for a reason.
Hassan: How did you learn about all this stuff?
Marguerite: Uh, I was 12, and I started with the five basics, which is bechamel, veloute,
hollandaise, tomato, espagnole. You have to master
those five basic sauces first.
Hassan: And you can find all five in the books?
Marguerite: Of course, but they're no use in books. You must find them in your heart, and then bring them to your pots. That's the secret.
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Papa: Is the President of France able to order murgh masala, with cashew nuts and cardamom? And ka saag aloo? Dal? Our secret family spices? ... Is the President able to order tandoori goat, cooked the way Hassan cooks? Sprinkled with roast spices?
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Mallory: What is this flavor that is fighting against the chicken?
Hassan: I added some spices
for flavor to the sauce, and coriander for garnish and freshness.
Mallory: But why change a recipe that is 200 years old?
Hassan: Because, madam, maybe 200 years is long enough.
Akhiya (Hassan's mom): But to cook, you must kill. You make ghosts. You cook to make ghosts. Spirits that live on in every ingredient.
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Mallory: Now, last night, we served this. Miserable, overcooked asparagus. In this restaurant, the cuisine is not an old, tired marriage, it is a passionate affair of the heart.

Comment
Add a CommentQuestions that came to my mind upon re-visiting the movie:
(1) Can different cultures unite over the love of food?
(2) When is competition transformed into cooperation and mutual respect?
(3) Does one prepare food only with head knowledge? Or is passion from the heart necessary?
(4) Is cooking an art or a science?
(5) How much experience and innovation does it take to become a very fine chef?
(6) Is one's professional excellence in any field sufficient to sustain one emotionally?
(7) Is the magic of good food all in the sauce and the spices? And if so, in what quantity?
(8) What is the spice of life in the movie?
A cross-cultural gem of a movie. The clash between a classical French restaurant and new India eatery crosses culinary and cultural lines. The characters are wonderful and the story engaging.
MRI
PERF
A beautiful romance in a number of ways that leads to reconciliation among the main players!
AUD
PG.13
Ce film est d'une perfection pour moi. Delicieux Savoureux a souhait, Helen Mirren est superbe et tous les acteurs sont extras.
Great movie. Entertaining, transformational, humorous.
A feel-good movie that doesn't patronise its audience, ends well without descending into shmaltz. The story is quite simple, an Indian family starting a new life in France. Their restaurant challenges not only established French notions of cuisine but also local codes of conduct. There's a gently-presented look at prejudices and preconceptions from different angles including the notion that as much as humans are capable of adapting, our roots still hold us and home is always home. Fine acting and directing, a sensitive and subtle script.
You are in the right place when the vegetables taste good... What a great movie. It begins with tragedy, and the Indian family must search for a new home. After some stops where the vegetables did not taste right, they land across the street from a Michelin starred restaurant in a quaint French village. Helen Mirren is great as the snobby chef who transforms, and the Indian cast is fantastic, I loved the dad so much!!! What an unfailing optimist! All of the characters were very human, and the food!!! I want Indian food and French food, and some fusion of the two!!! Great movie deserving of the accolades! I took half a star off for the editing. They could have cut some of the longer edits and a few scenes. But then I added the half star back on because the cinematography was so amazing! What does one do when the smells of the food will not translate visually? Show the colours and textures in everything with vibrancy. The food, of course, but also the village, the clothing, and the sunsets and landscapes are so beautifully photographed!!!
We really enjoyed this movie. Seeing the different cultures and why people behaved in certain ways at certain times. Showing that sometimes one's bad behavior and words influences others to do really bad things, beyond what was ok with the initial person. Ends as a sweet story, showing the things you can do if you follow your passion.
Empty, selfish, and demeaning. A French restaurateur looks down her nose at an Indian family who's starting a new life and carrying on a family business. Seeing that this may be her business's common cuisine competitor, her passive aggressive behavior causes her staff to act out and compels her to beguile the Indian family for her own selfish gains.
I too greatly enjoyed this movie, oh that there were more like it😒