Le Festin

Song Facts:

• Album/Film: Ratatouille soundtrack


• Genre: French Pop


• Release Date: 2007


• Composer: Michael Giacchino


• Lyricists: Michael Giacchino (music), often credited as being written by Camille and/or the team of musicians who worked on the Ratatouille Soundtrack.
  Guitar: George Doering
  Electric Bass Guitar: Abraham Laboriel
  Percussion: Jack Duncan
  Accordion: Frank Marocco
  Piano: Bill Sample
  Recorders: Paul Silveira , Dan Wallin
  Mixer: Dan Wallin
  

Analysis and Translation:

"Le festin," performed by French singer Camille on the soundtrack for Disney/Pixar's "Ratatouille," really appears to capture the motifs of aspiration, transformation, and, more than anything else, that culinary arts are a method of self-expression and liberation. His rich, metaphorical lyrics and music emanate with an image that travels from struggle and longing to fulfillment and freedom.
It is played during the closing credits, and also in a montage sequence showing the preparations and presentation of a food in the film’s climactic scene.
The song opens comparing a lover's dream to wine, strongly suggesting that aspiration or desire could be something that brings both joy and grief. The same contradiction runs through the journey of the protagonist Remy, a rat who dares to dream the dreams of a culinary artist and sails through the human world to get to his destination. An ironic admission of the cost that chasing one's dreams implies ("Car rien n'est gratuit dans la vie") is a reproach that plunges the content of the film still further: one only reaches real achievement at a price.

Hunger, both literal and metaphorical, drives the narrative of the song and the film. Remy's physical hunger resonates with the more profound longing to create and be recognized in the culinary world. His first thefts and the loneliness of his quest ("Un voleur solitaire est triste à nourrir") emphasize the isolation that conventionally characterizes pursuit in an abnormal dream.

"Le Festin" sung by Camille through the "Ratatouille" soundtrack is poetically delivered through song, mingling freedom and hope in the quest for his dream.
The line, 'Les amoureux sont comme le bon vin' from ' Les Fejsons croissent sur la branche' , points to the metaphor between the lovers and wine: 'The dreams of a lover are like good wine.' A deeper thought on the metaphor brings out a good interpretation: dreams bring happiness and sadness, just like wine brings sorrow and joy. With this djson duality, it reflects the journey of the protagonist in "Ratatouille," whereby the pursuit of being great at cooking is filled with challenges yet at the same time regarded as rewarding.

The line "I am driven by hunger, so saddened to be / Thieving in darkness, I know you're not pleased" continues to underline the struggle and desperate attempt behind achieving one's dream. It reemphasizes the notion that accomplishment toward an objective normally requires ethical dilemmas and difficulties. At the same time, the song indeed accepts life as it is ("Car rien n’est gratuit dans la vie"/"But nothing worth eating is free") and, however, clings to hope and the fullness of living for a brighter tomorrow.

The recurring chorus "La fête va enfin commencer / Sortez les bouteilles; finis les ennuis" (The banquet is now underway, so…) highlights the point at which all old trouble dissolves into merriment, newness, and opportunity. This is a representation of change in the main character, epitomizes one's dreams, and captures the crowning moment of facing adversity.