VISUAL ARTS

ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage presents Babette's Feast. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, this jewel from Denmark is based on a short story by Isak Dinesen, who also wrote Out of Africa. In late 19th century Denmark, two pious sisters are given a chance to leave and experience the world, but both decide to stay with their father, a revered local pastor in their tiny village. After his death, Babette, a refugee from the post-Paris Commune massacre, arrives on their doorstep with a letter from the past and they take her in as a housekeeper where she works diligently for many years. When Babette wins the lottery, the sisters assume she will return to Paris, but instead she pleads with them to let her cook a real French meal for once. Despite their fears, Babette cooks them a most remarkable feast that changes all of their lives.