Name: Chocolat (2000) | Keeping the Score Series
Start: 2025-04-16T19:00:00-04:00
Location: Princeton Garden Theatre

Chocolat (2000) | Keeping the Score Series

Be it a gentle piano interlude or a glorious orchestral fanfare, no element of filmcraft sets a movie’s tone and identity quite like the musical score. Film music has the power to underline a filmmaker’s narrative ideas, forge our bond to a heroic character, and move us to the point of tears. Join us all year long as we showcase cinema’s iconic composers whose musical talents enrich the images we see on screen and have us humming their unforgettable melodies as we exit the auditorium. The series continues with one of the most romantic arthouse flicks of all time CHOCOLAT! 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: princetongardentheatre.org/specials
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲: An enigmatic woman arrives in a quiet, traditional French town with her young daughter in the winter of 1959, opening an unusual chocolaterie across the square from the church. Her magical confections coax villagers to abandon themselves to temptation just as Lent begins. Sensual and romantic, this early 2000s arthouse hit was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. CHOCOLAT also features performances by Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin and Johnny Depp.
𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲: British composer Rachel Portman made history in 1997 by becoming the first woman to receive an Academy Award for Best Original Score for her work on Emma. She garnered another nomination for her score for The Cider House Rules, then another for her work on CHOCOLAT. Among her extensive filmography, we have chosen to highlight her score for Chocolat, characterized by its playful woodwind arrangements that draw inspiration from the melodies of French villages and the theme of chocolate indulgence, which beautifully compliments the romantic narrative presented on screen. For Portman, the essence of any musical score lies in its melodies. Her soundtracks are typically built around a central melodic motif, which she then develops into related themes. While she is particularly celebrated for her contributions to romantic comedies, Portman demonstrates a remarkable versatility, as evidenced by the diverse range of films she has scored.
𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 $𝟭𝟬!Become a member of our nonprofit theater for as little as $40 a year. Learn more at princetongardentheatre.org/membership