Food in Film

Guide Note

Food is portrayed in some movies in ways that are more than ust incidental. This page contains links to information on films in which food plays a starring role.

There is no shortage of films that revolve around food, in one way or another. Like Water for Chocolate and Tampopo illustrate the connection between the culinary and the sensual. Films such as The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover and Big Night, use restaurants as the setting.¹ Ravenous and Delicatessen use food as a subject of dark humor, both revolving around cannibalism. Other films feature food as a subject of absurd humor—Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily? shows international spies in pursuit of a "secret egg salad recipe."

• Soylent Green: In the 1973 Science Fiction film of the same name, a high-nutrition food product made from—WARNING: spoiler follows immediately—people.

• Everlasting Gobstopper: A jawbreaker that can be sucked forever. From Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its various film adaptations. Subsequently marketed into an actual candy by Nestle.

• Lembas Bread: Long-lasting bread baked by Elves in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as director Peter Jackson's film adaptations.