By Stephen Shupe, Jayplay writer
You remember the scene: Jim comes home from school, heads for the kitchen and finds a freshly baked, warm apple pie sitting on the counter. From his more sexually experienced friends, Jim knows the feel of this particular dish feels like reaching third base. So faster than you can say "deep throat" Jim forces the pie down there.
Food has always played a part in movies. From a starving Charlie Chaplin eating his boot in Modern Times to a horny Jason Biggs humpin' pie in American Pie, the best movies use food to show the inner lives of the characters. On celluloid at least, people are what they eat. Here's a look at some of the most delectable movies ever made:
Tom Jones (1963)
Albert Finney stars as the dapper $18^{\mathrm{th}}$-Century playboy. Winner of four Academy Awards, the film's funniest scene features Finney and Joyce Redman consuming an outrageous amount of food to seduce each other. Bob Curtright, movie critic for The Wichita Eagle, saw the film while attending The University of Kansas. The moment where Redman smears an apple over her face and breasts made a considerable impression on the freshman.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Food is a source of pleasure and terror in Roald Dahl's indelible tale of five children who find golden tickets that win them access to the magical realm of a reclusive candyman. Captivated by Wonka's wonders, the children soon discover a darker side to the edible delights as their spoiled personalities get the better of them. "It's as disturbing as it is entertaining," says Jon Niccum, movie critic for The Lawrence Journal-World. "But what kid wouldn't want to run into a room where every item in it is made of chocolate?" Look for Tim Burton's version, starring Johnny Depp as Wonka, on July 15.
Babette's Feast (1987)
Cooking becomes an act of grace in Babette's Feast, a Danish Film starring French actress Stéphane Audran as a political fugitive hiding out in a religious sect. Audran prepares a 10-course meal for her Danish benefactors, who usually eat only fish. Bob Butler, movie critic for The Kansas City Star., put the film on his top-10 for that year list.
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
Curtright considers this lurid melodrama a guilty pleasure. Viewed as an allegory for the Margaret Thatcher years, the film incorporates cannibalism and doggy doo into the story of a passionate affair between a crime boss' wife and a restaurateur's wife. "Controversial and outrageous," Curtright says.
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Food can also be used to make a social statement. In Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel, an overhead shot of a sumptuous banquet captures the movie's tacit vision of high society. "It's a brief image but impressive in detail and telling about the characters' background," Curtright says.
Big Night (1996)
From The Godfather to Goodfellas, no movie about Italian Americans is complete without a portrait of Italian cookery. The best movie on the subject may be this comedy-drama, directed by Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci. Tucci stars as one of two brothers running an Italian restaurant in New Jersey who spend their remaining dollars on a lavish feast in a last-ditch effort to boost business. Niccum says Big Night has some of the best food moments in movie history.
12.2.04 Jayplay
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