life be like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves

Let Life Be

LikeSummer Flowers andAutumn Leaves

-----Review of 《Babette’s Feast》

Life, thin and light-offtime and time again Frivoloustireless----by Tagore

In a world where all men are rushing, where some lost themselvesin shining colors,while othersget indulgedin self-pity, rotting in the corner, where the sublimation of human spirit seems just like a taleway back in time ,we may more need 《Babette’sFeast》than any other time,since the lightness of life is not what we can bear, and the inner peace transforms the whole world we see. A true feast is not only an abundant or luxurious dinner, but thatof the happiness soaked with the chef’s devotion and love; just as a good film is not merely a story, but aboutlife—a newperspective on life can be gained.

After all, so many of us aspire after splendor, yet can’t tolerant the “hard ness andcruelty”of common days ;still ,there are some persons ,lacking the courageto embrace the brilliance of life, withdrawn to their long-kept faiths .Tranquility or clamorousness, blandness or effulgence,to be or not to

be ,that’s a question.Babette just shows the balance. The 1987 Danish movie, 《Babette’s Feast》,directed by Gabriel Axel and awarded then year’s best foreign language film at the Academy ,may give us some newreflections.

Story begins with the scene of a remote and beautiful ,but also barren and chilly western coast of Jutland in Denmark in the 19th century. A pastor flanked by his two daughters, along with the local villagers, lived a simple and austere life. Always poorly clothed, they fed on bread porridge with dry fish every meal;to whom, the full sense of life lies in the sweet fantasy toward the heaven. The earthly life,however, is merely a short period of journey to the eternal paradise, which must be beard.So,all suitors obsessed with the beauty and elegance endowed by the two girls were rejected by their

father,stickingto the faith that earthly love and marriage were scant worth , or merely empty illusion.

Still, life was not without riffles---some subtle emotion could always stir the sentiment of girls in their youth.One young, handsome cavalry solider-- Lorens,and another famous singer from Paris opera–Papin,desperately fell in love with the two girls—Martine and Phillippa separately.However, the puritan life there was so “cruel and hard” , just with limited living material, interspersed with insipid religious

sermons.Resolutelydeciding that a new glary image of himself should be found in hisprofessional and reputation

world,Lorensfarewelled to Martine ,and left the village .The latter –Papin, once occasionallyenchanted by the euphony voice of the youngerdaughter, attempting to make her angel song shine throughout Paris,voluntarily taught her vocalist lessons devotedly.Yet,when the affectionate singing disturbed the girl’s inner emotion,she immediately realized that such feelings should be abandoned ,thusdiscontinued the lessons.Melancholy and anguished,Papain returned to Paris,never back,

Years went by, beyond the old pastor’s death, the once flimsy days lost in love and middle age of two sisters. They still