Co-written and directed by Trần Anh Hùng, “The Taste of Things,” also titled “The Passion of Dodin Bouffant,” is an old French romantic film that follows an esteemed cook named Eugenie and her boss, a prominent gourmet. , Dodin Bouffant. , which is loosely based on the eponymous character from the novel ‘The Life and Passion of Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet’ by Swiss writer Marcel Rouff. Over the course of two decades, the cook and her boss forge a deep and romantic bond, resulting in exquisite and delicious dishes that impress even the world’s most famous and illustrious chefs.
“The Taste of Things” was shot entirely in France, especially in Maine-et-Loire. Principal photography on the drama film reportedly began at the end of April 2022 and continued for the next few weeks, before wrapping up in May of the same year. So let’s take a look at the express sites where the main characters flaunt their cooking skills!
Filming for all of the pivotal sequences for “A Taste of Things” took place in Maine-et-Loire, a French branch in the Loire Valley in western France. Named after two rivers, the Maine and the Loire, the main city of the branch. Angers, one of the main filming locations. However, the main production location where most of the scenes were filmed is the Château du Raguin at 12 All. du Rocher in Chazé-sur-Argos. The historic castle was declared an ancient monument in 1992, several centuries after its creation. The filming unit took advantage of the interior and exterior of the facility to film several vital scenes from the old film.
When the filmmaker Trần Anh Hùng sat to talk about ‘The Taste of Things’ with Roger Ebert, he was asked how he managed to synchronize actors’ movements with the camera. Explaining, he said that he usually doesn’t prepare or rehearse with actors when shooting a movie. He claimed that he decides how he wants to shoot the scenes on the spot, on the set. But he revealed, “For the opening sequence of this film, however, I had to rehearse with my team. I filmed it on my iPhone to get an idea of how the camera would need to move, of how the characters would need to move through the kitchen.”
Hùng explained, “We showed it to the actors and then filmed it from the beginning. Of course, it was quite tricky because of all the stuff we were cooking. When we wanted to reshoot a scene, we wanted new ingredients. It was quite complex, but I still want what I’m seeing on set to be engaging and valuable in the end, to feel confident in following this way of working.
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