Movies about Food: Advice Needed

[Sinophile]

An academic colleague is looking for films that portray:

1) a Shabbat dinner
2) Dim Sum eating or cooking
3) Korean harvest festivals
4 Japanese tea ceremony

Can anybody help. I've recommended Wayne Wang's "Dim Sum" and "Eat a Bowl of Tea," though these are not food movies, if I remember correctly.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Whippet]

There's a shabbat in Ushpizin.

[a_and_w]

Not sure it's shabbat, but the dinner scene where Avner cooks a traditional jewish meal (including brisket) in Munich. Come to think of it, cooking is a kind of hidden theme of the film...

[scarmoza]

Iron Monkey has a great scene of dim sum being prepared and eaten in the (open) market place.

[Fydeaux]

There was a wonderful Shabbas dinner scene in "My Favorite Year".

[Carrie 218]

THAT was a Shabbas dinner? I loved the comment about the "Parrot Mindanao"

[Gary Soup]

"Dumplings" came to my mind immediately, too. It (at least the feature length version) also had some great shots of Maggie Cheung's wayward husband eating balut just before putting the make on the young hotel maid. Great film!

[Leonardo]

In most of these movies cited, it's not Shabbat dinner, but rather something more momentous like Passover.

[Carrie 218]

You are right - my bad. Apologies.

[revsharkie]

Isn't there a Shabbat dinner scene in "Schindler's List"?

[Carrie 218]

I believe there is a scene in the Charlton Heston version of "The Ten Commandments" which would constitute the *first* Shabbat dinner.

[coolbean98]

Along dim sum lines, there is a very very very messed up short by Hong Kong filmaker Fruit Chan about dumplings called "Gaau ji", or "Dumplings". It can be found on "3 Extremes": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420251/

It's good for making you never want to eat dumplings again.

If you DO want to eat dumplings again, I recommend Eat Drink Man Woman as well.

[frenetica]

As someone who's seen Fruit Chan's "Dumplings", I can't help but find your recommendation a little malicious in this forum!

[coolbean98]

It made me not want to eat dumplings for a while, but it was very interesting! It does say *something* about "you are what you eat".

[Brian S]

Here's a short clip of "Gaau ji"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY9_DM...

[serious]

Makioka Sisters - tea ceremony (but not a very good movie - good book)
Avalon - believe I remember a Shabat dinner (but if I'm mistaken, you'll love the Thanksgiving dinner.)

[KCJ]

Shabbat: The Chosen, Prime, The Confession

[Leonardo]

Chuck the Hollywood movies about the tea ceremony. Much blather, and that's a polite word for the distortions and total lack of understanding.
For the real deal, this Japanese movie about one of the greats is a must-see. "Rikyu", about a 16th century master. Directed by the headmaster of one of the premier ikebana schools.
http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies...

Shabbat dinner...surely there was a scene in Yentl?

Definately Eat Drink Man Woman.

[julietg]

Japanese tea ceremony: Karate Kid 2, and perhaps Memoirs of a Geisha?
Dim Sum: Eat, Drink, Man, Woman
the Shabbat: Fiddler on the Roof (Sunrise, Sunset scene)

[Glencora]

Not a movie, but there is a Sex in the City episode about a Shabbat dinner.

[melly]

Japanese tea ceremony-Karate Kid. No?

[Non Cognomina]

That's what immediately came to mind for me, too!

[frenetica]

Please, no! The Karate Kid II scene is clearly filmed in Hawaii and seems to be motivated largely by wild improvisation... (art-directed by the genius who choreographed the dance scenes in "Memoirs of a Geisha"?)