Search - Chocolat on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Questionable for Children, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 08/07/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 2 mins Studio: Miramax Members Wishing: 55 Genres: Romance, Romantic Comedy, Comedy of Manners See Also: Chocolat [Blu-ray]

The most tempting of all sweets becomes the key weapon in a battle of sensual pleasure versus disciplined self-denial in this comedy. In 1959, a mysterious woman named Vianne (Juliette Binoche) moves with her young daughter into a small French village, where much of the community's activities are dominated by the local Catholic church. A few days after settling into town, Vianne opens up a confectionery shop across the street from the house of worship -- shortly after the beginning of Lent. While the townspeople are supposed to be abstaining from worldly pleasures, Vianne tempts them with unusual and delicious chocolate creations, using her expert touch to create just the right candy to break down each customer's resistance. With every passing day, more and more of Vianne's neighbors are succumbing to her sinfully delicious treats, but the Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina), the town's mayor, is not the least bit amused; he is eager to see Vianne run out of town before she leads the town into a deeper level of temptation. Vianne, however, is not to be swayed, and with the help of another new arrival in town, a handsome Irish Gypsy named Roux (Johnny Depp), she plans a "Grand Festival of Chocolate," to be held on Easter Sunday. Based on the novel by JoAnne Harris, Chocolat features a distinguished supporting cast, including Judi Dench, Lena Olin, Carrie-Anne Moss, Peter Stormare, Hugh O'Conor, and Leslie Caron. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Juliette Binoche - Vianne Rocher
Lena Olin - Josephine Muscat
Johnny Depp - Roux
Judi Dench - Armande Voizin
Alfred Molina - Comte de Reynaud

Although transferred to DVD from a fairly recent movie, Chocolat does not boast many special or bonus features. It does have a feature-length audio commentary narrated by the director and the producers, and it has a "making of" featurette and some footage that did not appear in the theatrical release of the film. It also contains an unusual featurette that describes the costumes used in the film and the usual theatrical trailers. But that's it aside from the DVD version's single audio option -- English Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo, with closed-captioning included. The picture comes in a widescreen anamorphic format (1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio). Sound and picture quality are sharp and detailed and adequate to the task without being exceptional or superior. ~ Craig Chalquist, All Movie Guide