Joanne Harris’s bestselling novel Chocolat was published in 1999. Set in a French town, it’s about a single mother and good witch, who opens a chocolate shop at the beginning of Lent. While she changes the lives of the people for the better, she is opposed by the priest, who is most tempted of all. I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of the book and of the sequels, but it does have some appeal for me because the writing is so good.

The film, which was directed by Lasse Hallström, starring Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench and and Alfred Molina, captures the essence of the book, but it’s a little different. While the book has some chapters narrated by Father Reynaud, which gives additional insight into his character, the film does not – moreover he’s a mayor, instead of a priest. I’m not sure why this was changed, perhaps it was thought some viewers might be offended. The magical realism tone of the book is generally dropped and it’s not clear that Vianne has something witchy about her. Another change is that the boat fire, which persuades the traveller Roux to stay in the town, is moved to much later in the film as a dramatic denouement and involves Vianne diving into the water (Roux diving after her) because she thinks her daughter Anouk is on the boat. Of course, the romance theme is much increased and the exploration of beliefs is reduced. There are also many memories of Vianne’s mother which are not represented. The film has a definite era, the 50s, whereas in the book it could be set any time in the last few decades. The setting looks very French and quaint – some of the film was shot in France – however none of the characters look like I imagined them, for some reason. The film is very well-made and the music is nice. It’s just not really my cup of tea, or rather, chocolate.

Film poster: Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7984022