Chocolat (2000 Lasse Hallström)

Robert Nelson Jacobs (who had a minor career as a scriptwriter) adapted Joanna Harris's 1999 bestseller. Juliette Binoche is effortless in undemanding role for her. Carie-Anne Moss as daughter estranged from wayward mother Judi Dench should be familiar (Humans). Lena Olin is also fabulous as the battered wife of Peter Stomare. Alfred Molina is as good as always, but why put on a French accent? - this niggles me. Johnny Depp good in straight role as river rat. Also Victoire Thivisol as the daughter (she debuted in Ponette aged five!), Leslie Caron (yes) and John Wood as the elderly romantics and doe-eyed Hugh O'Conor as Elvis-loving priest.

Johnny plays lovely cover of Duke Ellington song 'Caravan', Django Rheinhardt's 'Minor Swing' and I loved that little passage he plays on slide to which Juliette says 'My mother used to sing that to me when I couldn't sleep' (which Q knows, but then she knows every song ever written. Annoyingly I couldn't track it down.) Rachel Portman's music riffs off the Satie Gnossienne which is used in a key scene (seem to be hearing Satie a lot at the moment), and there's even a Sidney Bechet in there somewhere.

The chocolate sculptures which Molina ruins look wonderful - this is not a film for those on stupid diets. This is a pleasing film, a chocolate variation on Babette's Feast, with its roots in Harris's French mother, her cooking and folk stories. Where does all the chocolate come from? -- shh!

Roger Pratt shot it.

Don't Look Now auditions this way

One of those films from the shelves we stupidly just haven't thought to rewatch for years. Still, fun though, like finding long-lost treasure.