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| Meryl Streep as Julia Child. Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment |
A group of very giddy foodies gathered Thursday in New York to get a first glimpse of the film -- which opens Aug. 7, 2009 -- and chat with the film's director, Nora Ephron, about how she recreated the dishes that made America's French Chef famous.
"This is just a celebration of food, which is a thing that changes both of these women's lives," Ephron says. "It's about joy -- and the joy of food, and the joy of cooking."
Some of the dishes in the film and exclusive photos after the jump.
"One of the things I said at the beginning to the actors was that everybody had to eat in the scenes," Ephron says.
Heirloom tomato bruschetta, sole meuniere, chocolate cake, French onion soup and beef bourguignon are among the dishes that are brought to decadent light in the film. And it's no accident they look so good.
"I just wanted it to be that thing that we all have where we all go: 'Oh, I want to eat that!' The bruschetta in the movie, it's like, it's like it should have its own Web site, it's so beautiful," she says. "So we wanted the food to look good. We didn't want it to look as if you couldn't make it yourself. We didn't want it to look styled. We didn't want it to look as if a home cook would never have done it."
But it's the recreation of Julia Child's first taste of France -- sole meuniere deboned tableside -- that Ephron really loved.
"When I saw the dailies from that and the light that [director of photography] Stephen Goldblatt had put on that bone, I just thought I was gonna call up Martin Scorsese and say 'Move over, you have never shot a bone of a fish that looks anything this good.'"
It took the help of food stylist Susan Spungen to achieve such food porn perfection. The Martha Stewart veteran showed off one secret tool she uses when on set -- an electric paint stripper -- used to heat cheese to gooey goodness at the last minute.
"I mean there are small tricks that we use, but really, it's just real food and it's just kind of manipulating and controlling it so it will behave for you."
For a French onion soup, she substituted the stringier mozzarella to achieve pull that would go from the bowl to the actor's lip.
A March shoot meant Spungen had to scour a favorite farmers market stand and Eli's to create a character that truly is drool-inducing.
"I hope that people will cook a little bit more after they see this movie," Ephron says, adding "it's really just about how much fun it is to have food play a huge role in your life."
Tales of the Cocktail 2009
Adam Seger's Ham and Cheese Cocktail at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. His drink blends Iberico-ham-infused cognac with yuzu, country ham and a cracker of Manchego cheese.
Sara Bonisteel
John Myers of the Grill Room in Portland, Ore., shakes up a libation at the Presbytere museum in New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail on July 9, 2009.
Sara Bonisteel
Charlotte Voisey, Hendrick's Gin brand champion, shows the proper way to insert your citrus peel into a proper Brandy Crusta at a talk on the history and application of citrus in drinks at the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.
Sara Bonisteel
The 'King of Cocktails' Dale DeGroff shakes up a strawberry daquiri at the Presbytere on July 9, 2009, at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.
Sara Bonisteel
A New Orleans burlesque dancer shows the Tales crowd how to get dressed at a seminar on the great burlesque clubs of Bourbon Street.
Sara Bonisteel
Mixologist Audrey Sanders shakes up a White Lady at the Beefeater 24 party on July 8, 2009, at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.
Sara Bonisteel
New Mud Puddle Press reprints of rare cocktail books at Tales of the Cocktail.
Sara Bonisteel
A rare photo of legendary mixologist Harry Craddock is shown during a slideshow on rare cocktail books at the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.
Sara Bonisteel
Jason Littrell of New York's the Randolph offers a North of the Border cocktail at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.
Sara Bonisteel
A vintage cocktail glass on display at the Museum of the American Cocktail.
Sara Bonisteel
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8-07-2009 @10:48PM Kim said... I loved the movie, especially Meryl Streep as Julia Child - she was wonderful. But I thought the best looking food in the film was the bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes made by the Julie Powell character before she starts blogging. I recreated the bruschetta at home - fried bread and all - and wrote about it on my blog, The Hungry Novelist: http://hungrynovelist.wordpress.com/
I've made and eaten that bruschetta twice this week already and plan to make
it again a third time for a dinner party tomorrow - it's SO good.
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1-12-2010 @1:50PM Laurie said... Hi; I have a great idea for a movie and I am wondering if you are looking for a new idea? How do I go about getting my ideas into a movie. I actually have 3.
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1-12-2010 @2:30PM Laurie said... I have a challenge for all the Chef's out there on TV. How about preparing foods that are good for you. Help be the change and get people eating healthy. I see over weight chef's and foods piled on with sugars and cheese and no nutritional benefits. It would be a "Good thing" to have a Natural Chef Show? Preparing foods for people with food sensitivities and allergies using alternative ingredients.
Laurie Natural Chef
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