François Vatel was a famous French cook of the 17th century. His real name was Fritz Karl Watel because, although he was born in Paris, he was of Swiss origin; and, in the history of gastronomy, his fame comes from the fact that he is considered the inventor of the Chantilly cream at the time he was working as chef in the castle of the same name, at the service of Louis II, Prince of Bourbon-Condé.
The ruined prince needed to regain the esteem of Louis XIV and that the monarch entrusted him with the command of the French troops in the next war against Holland.
Therefore, when the king announced that he would visit him in his castle, he ordered his faithful Vatel, who served as his master of ceremonies, to organize, sparing no expense, a spectacular reception that would last three days and three nights, during which the cook should present splendid banquets and give great feasts with extraordinary shows to entertain the guests, satisfy the extravagant whims of royalty and get the prince to regain the favor of the Sun King.
Based on a real character and historical events (the "Feast of the Three Days" effectively took place at the Chantilly palace in 1671 in honor of King and Queen Marie Therese), the film develops an imaginary plot with the axis of an impossible love between Vatel (Gérard Depardieu), so focused on his work that he forgets its deeper meaning - his possible influence on the politics of France - and Anne de Montausieur (Uma Thurman), a lady queen of France, so focused on the perfection of his work that he manages to forget its deeper meaning - his possible influence on French politics - and Anne de Montausieur (Uma Thurman), a lady of the queen bent on social advancement even at the cost of having to move from bed to bed...
The film combines palace intrigues with love drama in the context of a dazzling mise-en-scène that gives a glimpse of what must have been the luxury and waste of the time, all backed by Ennio Morricone's magnificent soundtrack.
"Vatel" opened the Cannes Film Festival in 2000. It won an Oscar nomination for best art direction and also won the Cesar for best set (production design) and a nomination for best costumes.
