SIGNATURE DINNERS

February 16, 2024

Five Movie Scenes Out of the Ordinary

FEBRUARY 2024 - TASTE 2024 - Taste

"As a fundamental rule, I gave myself the absence of the faces of the performers, that is, of those who prepare or eat the dish, because with their presence they would have somehow stolen the scene from the food, the recipe and the mise en place, finally protagonists, albeit fleetingly."

Niccolò Sandroni

Often, while watching a film, trying to find confirmation in cinematic fiction, we wonder when and how the protagonists will do something that is part of our daily routine, such as eating. When this happens, it is hardly trivial and, indeed, most of the time it is curious and inspiring. In the first case because it tells us more about the characters and the plot, in the second because it solves the age-old question of what we could eat at the next meal.

I don’t know if these thoughts are on everyone’s mind, but they are certainly in mine. It is from this observation that a modestly successful Instagram account was born, @cinefoodies, populated by food scenes in movies that tickled my imagination and caught my attention. As a fundamental rule, I gave myself the absence of the faces of the performers, that is, of those who prepare or eat the dish, because with their presence they would have somehow stolen the scene from the food, the recipe and the mise en place, finally protagonists, albeit fleetingly.

Leonardo DiCaprio ordered a steak with twelve peas Leonardo DiCaprio ordered a steak with twelve peas

If, however, the subjectivity of tastes prevents us from drawing up a universal ranking of the best sequences that link cinema and food, more interesting is the exercise of listing some of the most extravagant and bizarre cinematic moments in which food is enhanced in an original way, becoming itself the focus of the scene and part of the key to reading the entire film.

In “The Aviator,” Martin Scorsese chronicles the incredible life of Howard Hughes. The director clearly presents the boundless ambition and obsessions that plagued the tycoon. We have an example of this when the Texan filmmaker, aviator and oilman – played by Leonardo DiCaprio – orders a steak with twelve peas, arranged in a very specific way. The visual impact of the image of the dish is fascinating and disturbing at the same time as it reveals the fragility of a man who was for a long time among the richest and most influential in the world.

“Beetlejuice” is the film that introduced Tim Burton’s genius to the general public. Through his unmistakable style – a cinematic translation of the gothic novel with a brushstroke of irreverence – Tim Burton tells the story of a couple of ghosts and the new tenants of what used to be their home. In one of the most hilarious scenes, during a dinner with guests, the spirits take over: everyone starts dancing to the rhythm of Day-O (Banana Boat Song) by Harry Belafonte and the shrimp cocktails come alive.

Cult of the action genre in the sci-fi declination, “Demolition Man” is one of the most entertaining titles in Sylvester Stallone’s filmography, here joined by Wesley Snipes and Sandra Bullock. Set in 2032, it tells of a future in which many things have changed, including nutrition. Meat, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, spicy foods, and salt are banned, and a restaurant war has led to the hegemony of the fast-food chain Pizza Hut, from which all restaurants are named (even if they don’t serve pizza).

“If You Run Away, I’ll Marry You” is one of the most famous romantic comedies on the big screen. The sentimental confusion and the inability to pronounce the fateful “yes, I do” on the part of the protagonist are also explained through gastronomy. Ike (Richard Gere) points out to Maggie (Julia Roberts) that she always orders eggs the same way as the partner she’s dating at the time: scrambled with salt, pepper and gherkins, fried, poached or an egg white-only omelette… She eventually discovers that she likes oyster eggs, hates all the others, and loves Ike.

In “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” the difficulty of enjoying a meal in peace is exhausting. Surrealist director Luis Buñuel tells the story of a series of absurd events involving a group of wealthy but shady individuals. Every time they sit down at the table, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even for a simple tea, something extravagant happens and messes up the meeting. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of food and is presented in words or images, accompanied by silver cutlery sets, porcelain trays and elegant cocktails.

by Niccolò Sandroni

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