Chocolat

JOANNE HARRIS

Isabela Guerra
Joanne Michele Sylvie Harris
Joanne Michele Sylvie Harris
• Born in 1964, in Barnsley – England
• Modern and Mediaeval Languages – St. Catherine College,
Cambridge
• French teacher at a boys’ school in Leeds
• Published 18 novels
• Chocolat (1999)
• Currently the Chair of the Society of Authors
• Member of the Board of the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting
Society
“When I ask Joanne whether she feels more French than English, she remains neutral. "It took
me a very long while to understand that I was speaking two different languages. I remember
being asked to translate something and it came as a big surprise to me to realise that some
people were unable to understand one of the languages which I spoke. "When I attended
school and there were language lessons including translations, I found them difficult although I
picked it up eventually." Joanne attended Wakefield Girls' High School and Barnsley Sixth Form
College which is where, in 1981, she was introduced to her future husband, Kevin. She went on
to read Modern and Medieval Languages at St Catherine's College, Cambridge and, as both
her parents and grandfather were teachers, she felt naturally drawn towards the profession, too.
When I suggest that teaching can be a challenging career, she explains that studying martial
arts added to her confidence. "It was the only sport I have ever enjoyed, and it was useful when
breaking up fights between a few enthusiastic testosterone-burdened boys," she laughs.”

Beverley Byrne interviews Joanne shortly after the release of the film Chocolat
Joanne Michele Sylvie Harris
“Her hobbies are listed in Who’s Who as: “mooching, lounging, strutting,
strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion of the system”, although
she also enjoys obfuscation, sleaze, rebellion, witchcraft, armed
robbery, tea and biscuits. She is not above bribery and would not
necessarily refuse an offer involving perfume, diamonds,  or pink
champagne. She works from a shed in her garden, plays bass in the
band she first joined when she was 16, is currently co-writing a stage
musical and lives with her husband in a little wood in Yorkshire.”
Inspiration
“It was her husband, Kevin, who provided the catalyst for
Chocolat. Annoyed with him for watching football on television,
she asked him what he thought
Noirmoutir Island the female equivalent was. His
immediate response was "chocolate", which resulted in Joanne
writing a novel with chocolate as its theme - and the rest, as
they say, is history.”

Anouchka
"I felt that the island belonged to me," she recalls. "I could do anything I wanted to do, in complete safety.
I remember the boulangerie and a corner shop and once a week the butcher would visit in a van.
"My earliest memories are of spending all day long on the beach or going fishing and sailing with my
grandfather. At Easter we would hunt for eggs among the fig trees.
"French children believe that when the bells are silenced on Good Friday, they have flown to Rome,
upside-down, to be blessed by the Pope. His blessings turn into chocolate, which fills the upturned bells.
Then, they return to France just in time for Easter Sunday but, in their excitement, they forget they are full
of chocolate and, as they ring, it flies out of the tower.
"This is why French children make nests and hide them high in the trees to catch the flying confectionery.
The grown-ups spend ages searching for the children's nests to fill them with eggs. Today I still do this
with Anouchka, here at home in Yorkshire."

Beverley Byrne interviews Joanne shortly after the release of the film Chocolat
The book
• Written in 1999
• It won the a number of awards
• It was shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize and the Scripter Award in 2001
• Charles de Lint praised the novel, saying "Harris's prose is an absolute
delight" comparing Chocolat to Like Water for Chocolat
• The film adaptation was released in 2000, directed by Lasse Hallstrom and
starring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin and Johnny
Depp. It was nominated for 8 BAFTAS and 5 Oscars.
The movie
• Released in 2000
• Starring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin and Johnny Depp
• It was nominated for 8 BAFTAS and 5 Oscars.
• Directed by Lasse Hallstrom
• Adapted by screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs
• The film began a limited release in the United States on December 22, 2000 and
went on general release on January 19, 2001
• It received five Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
• Binoche won the European Film Award for Best Actress for her performance
• Judi Dench was awarded a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2001.
“Chocolate is a mood-altering substance. I have always suspected this (in twelve years of teaching, it never failed
for me), and I saw the proof at last during the filming of Chocolat. Film sets can be stressful places. The budgets,
the schedules, the personal conflicts mean that tempers often run high, especially so near the end. But not here.
Here, everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. Lasse Hallstrom (who I had imagined as a rather
frightening figure with a peaked cap and a megaphone) was charming, never raising his voice or showing a sign of
impatience. The scent of chocolate from the portable stove behind the set was so strong that actors from other sets
found excuses to linger outside, sniffing enviously. In spite of the frenzy of activity backstage, no-one seemed too
busy to talk to me. There was an atmosphere of creative, cheerful energy. Even the photographer was smiling. It
must have been the chocolate.
At the end of it all, however, I am aware of having been very lucky. I feel like someone who has wandered through
a dangerous maze, taking turns at random, and who has, against all probability, blundered their way to the prize. It
makes me feel rather guilty, and I almost expected to hate the film, as if in compensation for having had such an
easy ride so far. But I don't. It's everything I hoped it would be; warm, funny and light-hearted, with enough irony to
keep it from being over-sweet. Sitting watching it for the first time in New York, eating popcorn and watching the
credits roll, I can ask myself cautiously whether it's safe to start believing now.”

From an article written by Joanne Harris for the Daily Telegraph in January 2001
 SETTING

Lansquenet-sous-Tannes
CHARACTERS (movie)

Vianne Rocher Comte de Reynaud

Juliette Binoche Alfred Molina
 CHARACTERS

Armande Caroline
Judi Dench Carrie-Anne Moss
 CHARACTERS

Anouk Luc
Victoire Thivisol Aurelien Parent Koenig
 CHARACTERS

Josephine Serge
Lena Olin Peter Stormare
 CHARACTERS

Roux Pere Henri

Chocolate vs THE TOWN
Chocolate vs THE TOWN
Chocolate vs THE TOWN
Chocolate vs THE TOWN
THE
PLOT
VIANNE AND ANOUK’S ARRIVAL DURING
LENT
CHANGES are scary
THE POWER AND FEAR OF
CHOCOLATE
PIRATES
THE FIRE AND THE FESTIVAL
NO MORE TRADITIONS?
 CHARACTERS (book)

Pere Francis Reynaud Pere Henri

CHARACTERS

Paul Marie
MOVIE
BOOK
 Book vs movie
• Josephine & Roux
• Vianne sleeps with Roux
• Pere Francis Reynaud – The Black Man
• The end
Themes
Religion
Sexism
Indulgence x Guilt
People
Magic
Love
Belonging
Symbols
Chocolate
Pantoufle
The Wind