Index: SOUP AT THE MOVIES
a - b - c - d - e - f - g - h - i - j - k - l - m - n - o - p - q - r - s - t - u - v - w - x - y - z Film SoupScene 301/302 (1995),

Dir., Chul-Soo Park In this disturbing psychological drama between 2 damaged women living next door in a Korean high rise, bulimic Yoon Hee in Apt. 302 (Sin-Hye Hwang) disappears. The police question cooking-obsessed Song-Hee (Eun-jin Bang) in Apt. 301, who consults her cooking diary to verify that her last meal with Yoon Hee was Soup with Mushroom Sauce. Well, not exactly. This is a great movie to see if you're on a diet. You may never want to eat again. About Schmidt (2002),

Dir., Alexander Payne There he is, flat on his back with a crooked neck after losing a bedtime battle with a water bed: Warren R. Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) is being aggressively spoonfed chicken noodle soup by future in-law Roberta Hertzel (Kathy Bates), helplessly listening to her analysis of his daughter's hot sex life with her son. Ace Ventura, Pet Detective (1994),

Dir., Tom Shadyac On the trail of Snowflake, the kidnapped Superbowl dolphin, Ace (Jim Carrey) finds his way to a Death Metal Band club. Picking his way through the mosh pit, Ace bounds down some concrete stairs and hammers on a red door. "What's the password?' yells someone. "New England Clam Chowder!" shouts Ace. "Is that the red or the white?" "Ah, I can never remember that. White?" And the door opens to reveal his friend Woodstock (Raynor Scheine), a computer hippy fish specialist who punches a couple keystrokes and gives Ace his first real lead. Achilles' Love (2000),

Dir., Meredith Cole Unmarried Greek insurance agent Achilles (Mather Zickel) discovers Lucy (Claudia Besso) and they immediately snug in to a dinner of Avgolemono soup. Age of Innocence (1993),

Dir., Martin Scorsese Turtle Soup at ALL the fine dinner parties, usually the second of 12 to 14 courses. Early in the movie, a crate of small turtles (NOT sea turtles) is shown making its way to a kitchen). Alice Adams (1935),

Dir. George Stevens Poor Alice (Katherine Hepburn) is no match for her small town's Swell Set. We first see her poor ailing father in bed, fed impatiently by his unsympathetic wife: "Why Virgil, you're not eating your soup. Don't want to? Oh but you must eat it. You must to get your strength back. You've got to get good and strong so you can smile all around and get around again." Then we see Alice trying to impress Arthur (Fred McMurray) with a formal dinner prepared by hired maid Malena (Hattie McDaniels) on a VERY hot night. It's a disaster, just as Hattie predicted. "What a lack of imagination to prepare anything so hot on a night like this. Please take this dreadful soup away," Kate expostulates. Thanks to Bev McMullen for the cite. Amarcord (1973),

Dir., Federico Fellini In this family memoir, Fellini shows Zanin and his family arguing around the kitchen table. When Uncle Orfei chugs wine straight out of the bottle, Dad says "No drinking before the soup!" But when soup is served, the arguments just intensify. Mom finally puts it straight to Dad: "I'll put strychnine in your soup! That'll do it!" Thanks to Steve McMullen for the tip! America's Sweethearts (2001),

Dir. Joe Roth Eddie (John Cusak), outraged, describes the first time he saw Gwen (Catherine Zeta-Jones) through the window of a restaurant with her new boyfriend, Azaria. "I saw them pouring the soup and smiling!" Thanks to the king of soup spotters, Steve McMullen! Angel Heart (1987),

Dir., Alan Parker Private Eye Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke), commissioned by Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) to find the mysterious Johnny Favorite, ends up in New Orleans voodoo territory, followed by a string of murders. Ethan Krusemark (Stocker Fontelieu) tries to help him out:

EK: Hey, let's walk over here. It's a little private and you can sample our gumbo.

HA: That's okay, I've got an acid stomach. That Cajun cooking kills me.

EK: Pity about your stomach; you'd have enjoyed our gumbo.

And Harry tosses a live crab into the huge boiling vat as he walks in for the promised heart to heart. Moments later, we find Ethan immersed headfirst in the pot, dead as a doornail.

Then too there's Epiphany Proudfoot (Lisa Bonet), also fated to meet a bad end, defending her voodoo practices: "Oh, yeah, I know. You gotta kill the chicken to make the soup."

Thanks to Anon. for the contribution!

Animal House (1978),

Dir., John Landis It was 1962. Delta Tao Chi House of Faber College had selected its pledges. Dean Wormer (John Vernon) was not happy with Delta activities--and placed it on the dreaded double-secret probation. That was just about the time that Flounder (Steve Furst) ran afoul of Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf), his commanding officer at ROTC, for wearing his Delta pledge pin on his uniform. Enter Boon (Peter Riegert) and Otter (Tim Matheson), who retaliated by hitting golf balls at Neidermeyer. Oops. What a hook: lands right in the soup kettle in the school cafeteria kitchen. ...Much later, we find John 'Bluto' Blutarksy (John Belushi) cruising the garbage trays in that same cafeteria. Hey, there's a bowl of soup (watery beef onion?) with a golf ball in it. Mmmmmmmm. He picks out the golf ball and eats it in 3 bites.

Many thanks to John Fox, historian and master archivist, for the contribution.

Another Day in Paradise (1998),

Dir., Larry Clark Junkie and crook Sid (Melanie Griffith) ministers to a couple of druggie young kids in this gritty, anti-hero road movie, saying: "Don't let the fact that I'm spooning chicken soup into you blind you to the fact that I'm far from a role model." Around the World in 80 Days (1956),

Dir., Michael Anderson Phileas Fogg advises a server on his ship to Bombay, , "My Thursday noon meal has always been, and always will be hot soup, . . ." Thanks to Trevor McMullen for the cite. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944),

Dir., Frank Capra Mortimer Brewster's (Cary Grant's) Aunts Abby and Martha have taken quite a shine to bumping off old men with, per gallon of elderberry wine, a teaspoon of arsenic, half a teaspoon of strychnine, and just a pinch of cyanide. That doesn't prevent them from mothering the rest of Brooklyn:

Abby: How's Missus Brophy?

Officer Brophy: Oh she's better, thank you, but, uh, a little weak still.

Abby: Oh, well I'll go and get a little beef broth for you to take to her.

Officer Brophy: Oh, Miss Abby, please don't bother. You've done so much already.

Abby: Oh, stuff and nonsense. I won't be a minute. As Good As It Gets (1997),

Dir., James L. Brooks When Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson), the meanest man in the world, begins to thaw in the company of Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt), he starts by babysitting the dog of neighbor Simon Bishop (Greg Kinnear), who has been brutally beaten. When he then actually brings Simon a bowl of soup, Simon can only focus on his own depression instead of on the fact that gay-bashing, curmudgeonly Melvin is now actively comforting him. As Young As You Feel (1951),

Dir. Harmon Jones In this comedy of John Holdges (Montey Wooley), forced into retirement then saving a company from bankrupcy under false pretences, Thelma Ritter (Della Hodges) comments on the dire financial situation with the remark (can't you just hear her say it?) "With the price of soup bones going up...." Thanks to the king of soup spotters, Steve McMullen--who gives this 3½ soup tureens out of 5. Babette's Feast (1987),

Dir., Gabriel Axel Turtle soup kicks off the greatest meal these simple Jutlanders ever dreamed of eating. The movie opens with Martina and Filippa, Danish puritan sisters, taking the poor and sick villagers bowls of good soup. Only later do we find out why that soup is so good: it's been prepared by one of the great chefs of the world, transplanted to Jutland after a brutal French uprising in 1871. When this chef unexpectedly wins the lottery, years later, she spends every sou creating a 5-star meal in honor of Martina and Filippa's deceased pastor father, including this turtle soup. Happily, a famous Danish general is present at the meal who has the discrimination to say:

"Quite definitely, this is a genuine turtle soup. It is truly the best turtle soup I've had in years."

The Ballad of Josie (1967),

Dir., Andrew V. McLaglen What was that soup that Jason (Peter Graves) eats while ogling sheep rancher Josie (Doris Day) at the Wyoming men's political dinner? (Thanks to Bev McMullen for the cite!) La Bandera (1935),

Dir., Julian Duvivier Poor starving fugitive Jean Gabin (Pierre Gilieth) gets his face dunked into his Spanish soup two times before he finally joins the French Foreign Legion and gets a life. Batman (1989),

Dir., Tim Burton Batman (Michael Keaton) invites Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) to dinner at the Bat Mansion in the formal dining room. The following conversation ensues: He says, "How's the soup?" She says, "Excuse me?" He says, "The soup, how is it?" She says, "Great." She says, "Could you pass the salt?" "Sure," he says, "Did you have a hard time finding the house?" "Oh no, not at all," she says. "Good," he says. She says, "Do you like eating in here?" He says, "Oh yeah. ...Do you want to know the truth? I don't think I've ever been in this room before. Do you want to get out of here?" "Yes," she says. And they pick up their flat soup bowls and spoons and join Alfred in the kitchen. Batman Returns (1992),

Dir., Tim Burton Alfred (Michael Gough) serves vichyssoise to Batman (Michael Keaton) who is at work in front of his computer...and who immediately complains that the soup is cold. Beauty and the Beast (1991),

Dirs., Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise In the Disney Animated Film Beauty and the Beast, in the scene where they are both eating lunch together, the Beast had a hard time drinking the soup with a spoon until Belle shows him to drink it directly from the plate and so they do together. (Thanks to John Beauchamp of Miami, Florida, for the contribution!)

Another opinion from Katie in Manchester, UK: "I would just like to point out that in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" the soup you refer to is in fact porridge. You will notice its lumpy consistency and the fact that they add sugar and mile to it to make it easy to drink." And, of course, she's right. Never mind that porridge has evolved from the soup category in modern times. Behave Yourself (1951),

Dir., George Beck Farley Granger (Bill Denny) has a problem: he's found a dog with a criminal past. When he tries to get rid of it by pawning it at a pet store, the wife of the shopkeeper comes around the corner and yells: "Your soup is gettin' cold . . . like ice." The pet shop owner responds: "So its gettin' cold." (Thanks to Beverly McMullen for the cite!) Best in Show (2000),

Dir., Christopher Guest Wealthy socialite dog owner Sherri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge) coos about her much older husband Leslie Ward Cabot (Patrick Cranshaw): "We share a lot of interests. We love soup and the outdoors." Les Biches (Bad Girls) (1968),

Dir., Claude Chabrol Someone poisons the soup at dinner and very rich, very bitch Fréderiqué (Stéphane Audran) throws her two gay "fools" out of the house, knowing they're jealous of her new boyfriend (Jean-Louis Trintignant). But me? I'd put my money on her girlfriend "Why" (Jacqueline Sassard), who's a little nutty and then some. The Bicycle Thief (1949),

Dir., Vittorio DeSica In their desperate sojourn to recover a bicycle, Antonio (Lamberto Maggiorani) and son Bruno (Enzo Staiola) stumble into a church-run soup kitchen where the poor and homeless customers are literally locked into a chapel to ensure that they hear Mass before being fed. Billy Madison (1995),

Dir., Tamra Davis Dopey Billy (Adam Sandler) must repeat elementary, middle, and high school grades, in 2-week increments, to not be cut out of his father's billion dollar hotel business. Along the way, he shows us how to slurp soup as an art form. Thanks to Graham Bierlein for the contribution. He comments, "Nobody else seems to enjoy their soup as much as he does. If you own the DVD, the slurping is a lot funnier in Spanish." The Birdcage (1996),

Dir., Mike Nichols Gay couple Armand (Robin Williams) and Arnold (Nathan Lane) Goldman are putting on their best straight act to entertain the parents of son Val's fiancee--the arch conservative Senator (Gene Hackman) and Mrs. (Dianne Wiest) Kevin Keeley. What better than a nice dinner? So Agador (Hank Azaria) whips up a little so-called "Guatamalan Seafood Chowder," with whole hardboiled eggs in it--serving it up in pornographic Greek boy soupbowls--and no entree. "No entree? NO ENTREE?" "Thees peasant soup IS an entree...it just LIKE a soup. What you think? I should put in the shrimp?" The Bishop's Wife (1947),

Dir., Henry Koster Bossa Nova (2000),

Dir., Bruno Barreto Set in Rio de Janeiro, this romantic comedy revolves around heroine expat Mary Ann Simpson (Amy Irving, wife of the Director) and her tangle of loves and acquaintances. Among the best comedic moments is a middle-aged woman's alarming discovery that her new Chinese lover slurps his soup. Bowery at Midnight (1942),

Dirs., Wallace Fox In this "poverty row" cult classic, Dr. Brenner (Bela Lugosi) is, by day, a professor of psychology. By night, he appears to be Karl Wagner, a sweet soul with a soft touch who runs a nightly Bowery mission, spooning out bowls of soup for needy tramps with nowhere to go--but, in reality he is a fiendish criminal, using his soup kitchen as a front for a criminal gang that commits robberies for him...only to be killed by him for their troubles. Surprise ending: when the law catches up to him and chases him back into the soup kitchen, his mad doctor co-conspirator (Lew Kelly) leads him to a secret basement where all his murdered associates--now brought back to life by Doc Brooks--are waiting for him.... Opening dialogue of bums in The Friendly Mission:

1st bum: "See the guy [Bela Lugosi] handing out the soup? He's the guy that runs the place. I'll give you a poisonal introduction...."

Lugosi: "Good evening. I see you brought your needy friend with you tonight."

1st bum: "Yeah, he's a pedestrian from Pittsburgh."

Lugosi: "You're very welcome, my friend. Here you'll find food for your body as well as comfort for your troubled mind."

2nd bum: "Yeah, but can I have some soup?"

Lugosi: "Of course, my friend. What happened to your hand?"

2nd bum: "Oh, it's nothing. I just hurt it a little bit."

Lugosi: "Oh, but just the same, you better take care of it. Miss Minerva, there's a patient for you."

2nd bum: "Yeah, but what about the soup?"

Lugosi: "Never mind, there's plenty of soup here."

Thanks and a hug to Art Meyer for the contribution. Brassed Off (1996),

Dir., Mark Herman Alas, small, industrial Grimley, in rural England, is threatened with the shutdown of its coal mine, not to mention its brass band. Coping by pouring their energies and money into the upcoming band competition, two band members are severely dressed down by two women in the town. As they walk off, one says to the other, "Soup for brains, the pair of them." (Thanks to Steve McMullen for the contribution, gleaned on vacation in Edinburgh, Scotland) The Bride Wore Red (1937),

Dir., Dorothy Arzner Gold digger "Anni" (Joan Crawford) has set her cap for rich Rudi (Robert Young) and celebrates their engagement at a tense dinner where Rudi's former fiancee chooses the menu. Contessa (Billie Burke) breaks the tension: "Isn't this onion soup good?" "My favorite in all the world," agrees Rudi. (Thanks to Bev McMullen for the cite) Bridget Jones' Diary (2001),

Dir., Sharon McGuire At her first formal dinner party, Bridget (Renée Zellweger) creates a sensation when she produces peacock blue leek soup...thanks to tying the leeks with blue yarn before popping them in the pot. Brokedown Palace (1999),

Dir., Jonathan Kaplan Poor Alice (Claire Danes) and Darlene (Kate Beckinsale) get set up in Thailand, caught with some kilos of heroine in their luggage, and end up sentenced to 40 years in a perfectly dreadful prison...with only scummy rotten soup to sustain them. Bruce Almighty (2003),

Dir., Bruce Shadyac Infantile tv reporter Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is unexpectedly visited by God (Morgan Freeman) at a point in his life when he's pretty frustrated. When God gives him divine powers, he is quick to try them out at the local diner, commanding his tomato soup to divide like the Red Sea. Bueno Vista Social Club (1999),

Dir., Wim Wenders Compay Segundo, Cuban musician extraordinaire, opens this documentary in 1998 Havana, looking for his old neighborhood music and dance club. As people in the street try to help the 90-year-old tres player, he stops to ask the cameraman: "You know what I eat when I drink too much? Black coquetero soup. Consomme, chicken consomme. You start with a chicken neck, then throw in some garlic...." A Bug's Life (1998),

Dirs., John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton Where a fly at a restaurant complains, "Waiter, I'm in my soup!" Bugsy Malone (1976),

Dir., Alan Parker This odd musical/gangster movie is played by an all-kid cast, including a young Jodie Foster who has the hots for Bugsy (Scott Baio). When a gangland war begins, fought with cream pies against a higher tech machine gun that shoots marshmallows, Bugsy goes to a soup kitchen to enlist homeless guys in the fight. It's all heart, seeing soup being ladled into bowls and guys sitting at a table slurping it while Bugsy (lip-syncing a song) tries to convince them to help him smash Dandy Dan. This classic is a fave of Steve McMullen, who saw it in the theater with his girlfriend, soon to become his wife. Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968),

Dir., Melvin Frank It's a great scam: Italian beauty Carla Campbell (Gina Lollabrigida) gets romanced by three G.I.'s during World War II--then has each of them pay alimony for the daughter they think is their own...until they all show up to visit their long lost daughter. How did unwed Carla pick her married last name? From a can of Campbell's soup she found on the shelf.

Many thanks to S. Best in Brampton, Ontario, for the contribution. Butterfly Tongues (2000), or La lengua de las mariposas/A lingua das bolboretas in 1999,

Dir., José Luis Cuerda In this shattered memoir of 1936 Spain on the brink of civil war, soup operates as a symbol of family tranquillity: first, boiling over on the stove when Moncho (Manuel Lozano) argues with his mother (Uxia Blanco) over the existence of God and the devil; second, served from a tureen as a sacrament of family life--the traditional Galician soup with pork and lots of cabbage; and third, offered to Don Gregorio (Fernando Fernán Gómez) as a restorative after he wades into a river with Moncho to save him from a dangerous asthma attack. Not that such friendship saves the good professor from being carted off at the end to be shot as a Red. Caddyshack (1980),

Dir., Harold Ramis In this over-the-top comedy, Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) diplomatically comments to Judge Smalls (Ted Knight), "Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What, when you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup, huh? Oh, it looks good on you though." Cat People (1982),

Dir., Paul Schrader It's an ominous start to a feline gothic tale when Irena (Nastassja Kinski) comes to New Orleans to meet her mysterious older brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell). Turns out they're from an ancient cat-god race and can only mate with each other without turning into killer panthers. Paul has been marking time, chaining himself in cages and turning to religion, with only the occasional kill. Now it's the big moment. Voodoo-looking Female (Ruby Dee) presides at the dinner table. Paul says the blessing and they cross themselves--then Female serves the soup. "Hmmmmmmmm," Paul says. "Watch out. This is hot," Female says. Irena tries to break away and make a phonecall. "Well, sit down now, then, you can call after dinner," Paul insists. "This is Female's Special Gumbo. Special Gumbo tonight from yeseterday's chicken," Paul says ominously. "Right, right," says Female.

Many thanks to movie meister Gerry Nepomuceno, who not only suggested it, but also told me where I could rent it.

Le Cavaleur (1979),

Dir., Phillippe de Broca Edouard Choiseul (Jean Rochefort), concert pianist and aging fast, finally burns through all the wives and mistresses in his life and finds himself alone with his music and one small student in remote Ploumarech. Enter daughter Pompom with news of her pregnancy. In the film's climactic moment, he leaps up, alive again, shouting, "How about that! Andre, I'm a grandfather! Good, good. I'll grow a beard and wear a velvet bathrobe. Your (Pompon's) kids on my left, your sisters on my right, me in the middle serving soup--and there I'll stay!" Charlotte Gray (2002),

Dir., Gillian Armstrong Such a bitter relationship between cantankarous father Levade (Michael Gambon) and his communist son Julien (Billy Crudup), who is risking all in the resistance in German-occupied France. They briefly reconcile before Levade is carried away to a concentration camp: Sit down, says Levade, serving up soup from the fireplace kettle. It's still warm. It's important to eat. A Chef in Love (1996), or Les mille et une recettes du cuisinier amoureux,

Dir., Nana Dzhordzhadze It's Tbilisi, Georgia, in the 1920s and soviet comrade Zigmund (Timur Kamkhadze) is finally able to force his beloved Princess Cecilia Abachidze (Nino Kirtadze) out of the house of great chef Pascal Ichak (Pierre Richard). Ah, but not out of his bed nor arms. Coming home one day, Zigmund hears them at it through the bedroom door. That's when, resonating on many different levels, he fetches a big pot of soup and gobbles it up in big spoonsful as he strides back and forth in front of that door, listening raptly to the sounds of pleasure just out of his reach. Cleopatra (1963),

Dir., Joseph Mankiewicz In this stunning epic, which launched the scandalous romance of Liz and Dick, Roddy McDowell takes on Octavius' wooden dignity following the death of Richard Burton's character, saying "Antony is dead? You say that as if it were an everyday occurence. The soup is hot, the soup is cold. Antony is alive, Antony is dead." A Clockwork Orange (1971),

Dir., Stanley Kubrick In the making of this shattering political allegory, based on the novel by Anthony Burgess, Malcolm McDowell endured Kubrick's outrageous demands for perfection, nearly drowning after his face was pushed into a saucepan of soup and Kubrick refused to shout "cut!" Clue (1985)

Dir., Jonathan Lynn In this silly knock off of a Milton-Bradley board game, the usual suspects gather at the mansion. Butler Wadsworth (Tim Curry) ushers them into the dining room. Cook (Kellye Nakahara) serves sharkfin soup as the first course. Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd) slurps, then Miss White (Madaeline Kahn). Miss Peacock (Eileen Brennan) takes charge, stopping everyone "dead" with a long soliloquy ending in "...and, oh my, this soup's delicious, isn't it?" That's right before the monkey brain course...and all the murders. Thanks to Graham Bierlein for the contribution. Cold Comfort Farm (1995),

Dir., John Schlesinger CORRECTION: Thanks to the sharp ears and excellent research of Heather McKay in North Melbourne, Australia, this soup reference has been entirely discredited. "Sukebind" is the correct reference, apparently a neologism made up by CCFarm author Stella Gibbons from "honeysuckle" and "bindweed" to signify a weed whose annual blossoming portends fertility, passion, and fruitfulness.

This one is pretty obscure, but attested to by some of the most rigorous contributors to Soup Goes to the Movies, Bev and Steve McMullen: "When Flora's (Kate Beckinsale's) cousin Elfine (Maria Miles) announces her marriage to a rich local young man, (which Flora helped engineer), the farmhand shouts that she was promised to him. He is dissuaded and he grabs the maids assistant (who he has fathered three children by) and throws her over his shoulder and heads out the door. The cook says "... there will be another one when the soup vine blooms." A minute later there is a shot of a blooming vine on a fence. We are sure she said soup vine. We listened to it three times, but dialects are in play here."

Cold Dog Soup (1990),

Dir., Alan Metter Michael (Frank Whaley) and taxidriving Jack Cloud (Randy Quaid) try to get rid of Michael's hot date's dead dog (an overdose of olives and margaritas) so Michael can get back to a hoped-for night of pleasure. When they hopefully stop at a Chinese restaurant, Madame Chang (Nancy Kwan) says that Jasper has been dead too long to make "cold dog soup" even if you add watercress, white pepper and a few scallions. She adds, "I can't serve stiff dog. It's not fair to my customers." Corpse Bride (2005),

Dir., Tim Burton I recognize that voice: it's Albert Finney as father of the non-Corpse Bride exclaiming, "There's an eye my soup." The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963),

Dir., Vincent Minnelli Tom Corbett (Glenn Ford) loses a wife, can't find a new one to suit him and son (Ron Howard), so he hires a maid, Mrs. Livingston (Roberta Sherwood), for the domestic chores. What does she do? Plays Spanish language records, reciting "La sopa...la sopa...." Thanks to Steve McMullen for the sighting! Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon(2000)

Dir., Ang Lee Tea rituals are everywhere in this dreamy epic, but a soup worthy of Master Chef Chu--in Lee's earlier Eat Drink Man Woman--is revealed in an early scene when the policeman Tsai's knuckles are rapped and he is told to wait until the master serves himself first. And then, wait, that was Shark Fin Soup that Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang) ordered at the inn, right before she destroyed the joint and all the guys in it. Crush(2001)

Dir., John McKay 25-year-old Jed (Kenny Doughty) endears himself to his former teacher Kate (Andie McDowell) with his snakeskin cowboy boots and his gauche soup slurping. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982),

Dir., Carl Reiner In this affectionate parady of 1940's thrillers, Steve Martin as Rigby Reardon enquires, "Can I use her underwear to make soup?" Diary of a Country Priest, or Journal d'un curé de campagne (1951),

Dir., Robert Bresson In this superb interior drama, the young and ailing curé of Ambricourt (Claude Laydu) counsels himself, "'Keep order, all day long,' the Priest of Torcy's words came back to me--the right hand man came back up to me as I peeled potatoes for the soup." Diary of a Lost Girl (1929),

Dir., G. W. Pabst In this wrenching silent film melodrama, Thymiane (Louise Brooks) is raped, forced to give up the resulting child, and sent to a brutal reform school where in one very long scene all the bad girls are eating their soup at a long table in rigid synchonization. The soup--all the girls are given to eat--is a disgusting thick black goo served in thick wooden bowls. When Thymiane escapes both the school and her later life in prostitution to be adopted by a German count, she returns to the school as part of its aristocratic board...and exposes its horrors when one of the board members shows her delicate turtle soup in an exquisite porcelain cup, saying "Wonderful--you must taste the delicious soup they make here." Dinner at Eight (1933),

Dir., George Cukor Carlotta (Marie Dressler) intrudes early on her hosts the Jordans (Lionel Barrymore and Billie Burke). "I had a wonderful lunch, with four lawyers," she says sarcastically. "I was on the 88th floor you know, the Sky Club. A cloud floated by right into my soup plate." Thanks to Bev McMullen for the cite! Dinner for One (1963),

Dir., Heinz Dunkhase Aged Miss Sophie (May Warden) enjoys her annual birthday celebration with long-dead friends, all played by James the butler (Freddie Frinton), who faithfully serves mulligatawny soup each year. "Little drop of soup, Miss Sophie?" "I am particularly fond of mulligatawny soup, James...I think we'll have sherry with the soup." "Sherry with the soup? yes...oh, by the way, the same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?" "Same procedure as every year, James." This 17-minute film has become a cult classic in Germany on New Year's Eve, watched by some 13 million Germans. Domestic Disturbance (2001),

Dir., Harold Becker Bad guy Ray Coleman (Steve Buscemi) confronts just as bad guy Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughan) at his wedding: "Did you register for a soup tureen? That's what I woulda gotten you...if I'd been invited." Door to Door (2002),

Dir., Steven Schachter CP-victim Bill Porter carves out a niche as a door-to-door salesman, only to see his livelihood dry up as demographics shift. At one point helper Shelley (Krya Sedgwick) brings Bill home from the hospital, banged up after being hit by a bus. She says "Ya hungry? I'm gonna make some soup." He says, "You better get back to the kids." She says "I'm hungry. I'm gonna make myself some soup." After heated words, she says "I'm not your employee, I'm your friend and I'm gonna make myself a friendly bowl of soup." Intuited by Beverly, but nailed by hubby Steve McMullen. Double Happiness (1994),

Dir., Mina Shum In this portrait of Chinese immigrants in Canada dispensing with parental traditions, Jade Li (Sandra Oh) offers her boyfriend some ". . .clam chowder?" To which he replies, "No, anything but that." Thanks the Beverly McMullen for the sighting! Double Whammy (2001),

Dir., Tom DiCillo Watch for the scene when Elizabeth Hurley angrily slams a roll into a bowl of soup, because she is annoyed by customers smoking cigarettes--and splashes everyone at the table. During the filming, she missed the bowl and hit a poor extra in the head. An apology and ice pack later, filming resumed. Down Periscope (1996),

Dir., David S. Ward When the XO (Rob Scheider) finds a band aid in the soup, he complains to the cooking, adding, "yesterday I found a fingernail!" Cook says, "Sorry sir, the band aid was holding the fingernail on." Thanks to Fred Williams for the contribution. Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964),

Dir., Stanley Kubrick Mad as a hatter, General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) buttonholes his British attaché (Peter Sellars, in one of his 3 roles), saying "Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk...ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice cream. Drole de Drame (1937),

Dir., Marcel Carné It's a real confusion of French filmaking in jolly old Victorian London, but when Mme. Molyneux (Francoise Rosay) seeks comfort away from her husband Michel Simon), who is supposed to have killed her but who, when not secretly writing murder mysteries in order to support her instead of tending to his extensive plant collection, is actually alive and well and terribly distressed, she comes upon a charming pub scene: "Eat your soup, Charlie," the Dad says. "But I'm not hungry." "If you don't eat it, Molyneux will come and take you away." And off she goes with a visible HUMPH. Duck Soup (1933),

Dir., Leo McCarey I fought posting this for years because there was no duck soup in it. Then Australian friend Eric Shackle discovered the reason for the title: According to critic Tim Dirks, "It is claimed that Groucho provided the following recipe: 'Take two turkeys, one goose, four cabbages, but no duck, and mix them together. After one taste, you'll duck soup the rest of your life.'" Irresistible! Dumb and Dumber (1994),

Dir., Peter Farrelly Who can forget Lloyd (Jim Carrey) asking the waitress, "What's the soup de jour?"

"It's the soup of the day," she says.

"Hmmmmm," he says, "That sounds good. I'll have that." Many thanks to Jaimi from Florida who contributed the actual spoken words! Eat Drink Man Woman (1995),

Dir., Ang Lee Master Chef Chu (Sihung Lung), alone and repressed, caring for 3 troubled daughters and having completely lost his sense of taste, paces out his days with little joy. In an early scene, he takes little neighbor Shanshan her lunch box at elementary school with her favorite bitter melon soup--but it's in the final scene that his critical taste for soup shows his recovered zest for life:

What's wrong?" Jia-Chien (Chien-Lien Wu) says.

"Nothing, it's delicious. Yet..."

"What?"

"Too much ginger. Too much, and its effect is ruined."

"I disagree. It's not too much. This is Mother's recipe...and you complained way back then. You're too timid with ginger."

"I'm certainly not."

"Don't boss me around."

"I'm not. It was a minor criticism about a slight taste of too much ginger...a taste..."

"Yes? A taste...?"

"Jia-Chien, your soup..."

"What about my soup?"

"Your soup, Jia-Chien...I taste it. I can taste it."

"You can taste?"

"I taste it. Some more, please. Daughter."

"Father."

Edward Scissorshand (1990),

Dir., Tim Burton When Peg (Dianne Wiest) and Bill (Alan Arkin) are having a barbeque to introduce the strange Edward (Johnny Depp) to the neighbors, Bill loads up a plate of juicy meat fresh from the barbeque grill and announces, "Soup's On!" Thanks to the prince of soup spotters, Trevor McMullen! Eliska Loves It Wild (2000), or Eliska má ráda divocinu (1999),

Dir., Otakáro Schmidt In this Czech movie, lifeguard and amateur cabaret performer Marcelo (Bolek Polivka) and his beloved wife Eliska (Zuzana Stivinova) entertain their friends with a special meal: hallucinogenic mushrooms dumped in a large soup. The Elusive Pimpernel (1950),

Dirs., Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger Richard Layne, devoté of Powell/Pressburger movies discovered this excellent soup reference in this remake of the Scarlet Pimpernel, originally written as a novel by Hungarian Baroness Emmuska Orczy and designed here (but not ultimately produced) as a musical: "Chauvelin (Cyril Cusack) is enjoying a nice bowl of soup, when he is interrupted by the Scarlet Pimpernel (David Niven). Chauvelin leaves the rest of his soup, and the Pimpernel helps himself to a bowl. However, the Pimpernel doesn't finish his soup either!!! It's all a cunning trick so he can substitute pepper for the Chauvelin's snuff and make good his escape...." Many thanks, Richard, for this 4th Powell/Pressburger citation! Emma (1996),

Dir., Douglas McGrath Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Paltrow) takes soup to an ill neighbor, Mrs. Clark, and then encourages Harriet (Toni Collette) to take credit for the visit and the soup in order to impress Harriet's potential suitor Mr. Elton (Alan Cumming), the vicar.

Many thanks to Gwen Carl from Mount Berry, Georgia, for the contribution.

The Emperor's New Clothes (2001),

Dir., Alan Taylor Pumpkin (Iben Hjejle) offers Napolean (Ian Holm) soup broth, promising him it will build up his defenses (against infection). Enemy at the Gates (2001),

Dir., Jean-Jacques Annaud Who could forget Annaud's unforgettable line: "Try not to spill the soup, you Marxist bastard?" Eye of the Needle (1981),

Dir., Richard Marquand Ice-cold Faber (Donald Sutherland), supposedly shipwrecked on a remote English island, is a German spy who unexpectedly enters the lives of a handicapped man and his sexually frustrated wife Lucy (Kate Nelligan). When Lucy discovers him cold and hungry, she feeds him hot soup and watches him eat it. Sutherland sips the soup, smiling, saying that it is good soup and he is very hungry. The tension is already building in this chilling tale.

Many thanks to Steve McMullen of Anaheim, CA, for the contribution! The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936),

Dir., Stephen Roberts Trying to solve racetrack murders as food poisonings, Jean Arthur serves her Ex (William Powell) variously poisoned foods to try out. "Soup any good?" she asks him. Powell: "Hmmmmm. . ." Arthur: "Sleepy?" Thanks to Bev McMullen for the contribution. ExistenZ (1999),

Dir., David Cronenberg Ted Pikul (Jude Law) sits in a Chinese restaurant and assembles a gristle gun from the unappetising contents of soup--then shoots his waiter dead. The Exorcist (1973),

Dir., William Friedkin Okay, strictly speaking, no soup scenes...but who could forget the pea soup disgorged by poor possessed Linda Blair? Far Country (1954),

Dir., Anthony Mann It's Walter Brennan who keeps the mining camp coffee in a soup can. But who can figure Corinne Calvet's jealous remark as she's nursing shot-up Jimmy Stewart back to health and rival Ruth Roman slinks in and serves Stewart a cup of coffee. "The coffee comes after the soup," she mutters. Thanks to Steve McMullen for the cite. Father of the Bride (1950),

Dir., Vincente Minnelli Just as Stanley Banks (Spencer Tracy) finishes his interminable financial presentation to future son-in-law Buckley (Don Taylor) and invites him to respond, wife Ellie (Joan Bennett) pops in: "Come on you two, soup's on the table." Stanley: "Oh, oh, well we'll have to go into that another time. We mustn't keep Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) waiting any longer." Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986),

Dir. John Hughes After Ferris (Matthew Broderick) decides to fake illness and take the day off, Dad (Lyman Ward) calls to see how he's feeling. Ferris sounds terrible! Dad says he "...should take a hot shower and wrap a hot towel around his head. And, oh,...have some soup." Thanks to the king of soup spotters, Steve McMullen! Fiddler on the Roof (1971),

Dir. Norman Jewison Remember that incredibly long opening scene that is prelude to the Sabbath dinner? It all ends at table, focused on Golde's beautiful cream and gold soup tureen. Fight Club (1999),

Dir., David Fincher In this meditation on and celebration of violence, Tyler Durdan (Brad Pitt) and The Narrator (Edward Norton) start an ultraviolent Fight Club where young men meet secretly to beat each other senseless. The Narrator is first drawn to the deep alienation of this waiter he meets on a plane when Tyler tells him that he gets his kicks by pissing into the soup of his patrons.

Narrator: He was the guerilla terrorist for the food service industry. Apart from seasoning the lobster bisque, he farted on the meringue, sneezed on braised endive, and as for the cream of mushroom soup, well...

Tyler Durden: Tell 'em.

Narrator: ...you get the idea.

Fighting for Love (2001),

Dir., Joe Ma Here's where tripe soup restaurant owner Tony Leung Chiu Wai literally runs into Sammi Cheng, a gorgeous business executive, to start the movie off with a bang. Finding Forrester (2000),

Dir. Gus Van Sant All-time-great-and-reclusive writer William Forrester (Sean Connery), after 40 years of living off canned soup from a hotplate, nurtures b-ball player/writer Jamal (Rob Brown) with such pithiness as ""That's not a soup question. ...Soup nourishes, and so should questions." The soup theme runs through the film, a metaphor for "what's important." Forrest Gump (1994),

Dir., Robert Zemeckis Forrest says in that slow way of his, "Mama always said don't eat soup...it will put a lake in your stomach." And when that box-of-chocolates kind of guy makes it down to Louisiana, he runs into Bubba Blue (Mykelti Williamson), who passes on new wisdom for the ages: "Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. there's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. that--that's about it." Freeway (1996),

Dir., Matthew Bright When serial killer Bob Wolverton (Kiefer Sutherland) picks up bad little red riding hood (Reese Witherspoon) on her way to grandma's, she shoots him, leaving him dead. But he shows up again with a misshapen face and a voice simulator at the local diner, ordering "Chicken Soup. With a fucking straw." Thanks to Beverly McMullen for the catch! Frenchman's Creek (1998),

Dir., Ferdinand Fairfaxt When Lady Dona (Tara Fitzgerald) arrives full of demands at her country home, she demands services and a good meal from the new steward (Daniel Webb), actually the servant of a French pirate hiding in her home. "Is this all?" she asks. He says "It's not good to have a heavy meal before bed." She tastes the soup, and then sips some more spoonfuls looking slightly pleased. "I guess I won't flog you tonight." she says. "Maybe tomorrow." Thanks to Lorna McMullen for the reference. Frenzy (1972),

Dir., Alfred Hitchcock Inspector Oxford (Alec McCowen) is perplexed less by the serial murders than by his wife's French cooking. When Mrs. Oxford (Vivien Merchant) brings a tureen to the table, he recoils in disbelief.

"It's soupe de poisson, dear. I know you'll enjoy it."

"I have no doubt of it...what exactly is it, this soup?"

"Why, don't you like it?"

"Hmmmm! It's delicious. But I find the ingredients are somewhat mystifying."

"There's smelt, ling, hung eel, John Dory, pilchards, and frogfish. A now, since that must have been fairly satisfying, I thought a simple roast bird would be enough...." From Soup to Nuts (1930) Laurel and Hardy take us from the one to the other Gangs of New York (2002),

Dir., Martin Scorsese The Mayor of New York looks at the slaughter of the horrific gang warfare, and the functionaries frantically burying bodies in mass graves, and laconically comments, "I want hot soup and bread brought down to the docks tomorrow. We're burying a lot of votes tonight." The Girl Can't Help It (1952),

Dir., Frank Tashlin Tom Miller (Tom Ewell), a washed up talent agent trying to make a rock and roll star out of gangster moll Jerri (Jayne Mansfield), is taken sick. Jerri takes pity, puts him in her bed, and brews up some soup. When her boyfriend Marty (Edmund O'Brien) bursts in and wants to know what's going on, Jerry angrily tells him she's just giving Tom some bouillon, then dumps the small, handled, blue and white tureen of bouillon over Marty's head. (Thanks to Steve McMullen for the contribution!) Gladiator (2000),

Dir., Scott Ridley What a sweet homage to Spartacus drowning the gladiator master in bean soup: Former Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) is in Rome, a slave gladiator in the Coliseum gaining favor with the masses and the emnity of Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Plots are running high when he goes to get his slave portion of bean soup and brings it back to eat with his slave pals. They look askance. They think it's poisoned. Tigris of Gaul (Sven-Ole Thorsen) sacrifices himself and takes a bite. He colors, gags, chokes badly...then bursts into laughter. They all laugh. "You have a great name," says Juba (Djimon Hounsou), explaining why Commodus would not poison his enemy at this point. "He must kill your name before he kills you." The Glenn Miller Story (1953),

Dir., Anthony Mann At the tragic end of this film about the famous band leader, Miller (Jimmy Stewart) boards a military plane to fly from England over to Paris ahead of the band to get things set up, and its very wet and foggy. As he steps into the plane he looks at the sky and says, "Kind of soupy, isn't it?" His plane never makes it. Thanks to King of soup spotters Steve McMullen for the sighting. Goodfellas (1990),

Dir., Martin Scorsese Pasta e Fagiole Grand Illusion (1937),

Dir., Jean Renoir Lt. Maréchal (Jean Gabin) is suffering in solitary confinement at a German POW camp during World War I following his patriotic outbreak at the POWs' risque theatricals. He is reduced to a marmite of soup on his cot for companionship until his compassionate jailer removes the pot, sits down, and offers him cigarettes and a harmonica to cheer him up. Gremlins (1984),

Dir., Joe Dante It's all over. The town is wrecked. The theater with most of the gremlins in it has blown sky high. Gizmo has gotten rid of the evil Stripe and is now recuperating during the evening news broadcast in the Peltzer living room. Mrs. Peltzer (Lee McCain) says brightly, "I'd bet he'd like some chicken soup!" Thank goodness Grandfather (Keye Luke) shows up to take him away. His comment to the Peltzers: I can't believe you taught him to watch television!" The Grifters (1990),

Dir., Stephen Frears Such a nasty and superb film noir. Roy (John Cusack) is caught between merciless mom Lilly (Anjelica Huston) and even more merciless partner/girlfriend Myra (Annette Bening), who basically all do each other in by the end. At one point Bening says, "He's so crooked he eats soup with a corkscrew." Thanks to the King of the sightings, Steve McMullen! Groundhog Day (1993),

Dir., Harold Ramis After about a year of serial deja vus on February 2 in Puxatawny, Pennsylvania, weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) notices the homeless man (Les Podewell) he's ignored every single day of that time--and discovers the old man is fated to die that very day. What's he do? Feeds him chicken soup, of course--not just one bowl, but two. Can't hold off fate, but the old man sure does die happy.

Thanks to Graham Bierlein for this excellent contribution!

Guess Who's Coming For Dinner? (1967),

Dir., Stanley Kramer White upperclass Joanna (Katherine Houghton) brings black upperclass Dr. Prentiss (Sidney Poitier) home to her parent's San Francisco palace to announce their engagement and meets the stiffest opposition from beloved black family maid Tillie (Isabel Sanford). Following words in the bedroom, Joanna says, "Oh, listen, uh, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

Tillie: "Celery soup and rump steak..."

Joanna: Oh come on, Tillie, Turtle Soup and Tournedos...and one of your best pies." Hail the Conquering Hero (1944),

Dir., Preston Sturges In which Sturges stages a joke "backwards" meal in which a character is first seen eating a piece of pie, in the next scene eating a roast beef dinner, and finally "finishing" the meal in the next scene with a bowl of soup. Hair in the Soup (1902),

Dir., A large gentleman is supping in a cheap restaurant and ingests a hair from his soup. He hacks and sneezes to expel the little bugger. Harriet the Spy (1996),

Dir., Bronwen Hughes Nanny's (Golly--Rosie O'Donnell) new boyfriend (George--Eugene Lipinski) comes over. The three are seated at the table eating soup. Silence. They eat their soup. George reaches to the side and covers Golly's hand with his. Harriet (Michelle Trachtenberg) slurps her soup loudly in protest. A short discussion follows...Soup is all they eat, because the dinner is burned and George begins to gain Harriet's favor by begging Golly (Catherine to him) to let them all go out to a dinner and a movie (which they do). Thanks to MMO from California for the sighting. The Harvey Girls (1946),

Dir., George Sidney Mail order bride Susan Bradley (Judy Garland) goes west to marry H.H. (Chill Wills), but ends up as a "Harvey girl" instead with the Harvey restaurant chain. When Ned (John Hodiak), owner of the local gambling/girlie joint, comes to check out the competition, she gets all flustered over his rare steak order and, in a tiz, removes another customer's bowl of soup while he's still eating it. The customer says to his pal, "Hey, what'd she do that fer?" Friend replies "It's on account of yer manners. In a place like this ya don't blow on yer soup, ya fan it with your hat!" Many thanks to Bev McMullen for the citation of a truly "Gay and Lusty" MGM film in the Hollywood lexicon. Heart Beat (1980),

Dir. John Byrum In this leaden depiction of the beat generation, the Allen Ginsburg character tries to entice Neal Cassady (Nick Nolte) into a trip to Mexico at a Chinese restaurant. When Carolyn Cassady (Sissy Spacek) objects, Neal asks if the trip can be put off. "Put it off? Til when? Til we get strangled by bullshit? Neal, this entire society is decadent, man--it's diseased. There's a definite conspiracy, you know, to choke every man, woman, and child in America on the feces of mediocrity." With that, he leaps to his feet: "Take this wonton, for example. Waiter! There's a turd in my soup!" Heavens Above (1963),

Dirs. John and Roy Boulting Peter Sellers turns the parish ministry into a soup kitchen. Help! (1965),

Dir. Richard Lester In this adorable farce, a cook in an Indian restaurant is drowned in a pot of soup. The soup is served to the lads. They find all sorts of things in the soup: "What's this?...It's a season ticket...Oh, I like seasoning in my soup...(finally)...Someone's BEEN in this soup!!!"

Many thanks to Enid Karr from Concord, Massachusetts, for the contribution. Her Last Affaire (1936),

Dir. Michael Powell In this murder mystery/social comedy based on the Walter Ellis' play S.O.S., dinner is served at a critical point in the film--soup first. When suspect Alan Heriot (Hugh Williams) is about to be exposed, he taps out S.O.S. in morse code on his plate...yet another Powell film (without his collaborator Emeric Pressburger) where soup appears only to be uneaten. Many thanks to Steve Crook of Morden, Surrey, for the contribution. Hidden Fortress (1959),

Dir., Akira Kurosawa Two vagabonds, Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matakishi (Katamari Fujiwara), after escaping certain death, are stirring up a big kettle of rice congee soup in the middle of nowhere, complaining about the lousy firewood that won't burn. Finally throwing one of the firebrands in disgust, they discover the Akizuki gold hidden in its core. They're the inspirations for Lucas' R2D2 and C3PO robots in Star Wars. The Hitch-Hiker (1953),

Dir., Ida Lupino Two buddies, Roy (Edmund O'Brien) and Gilbert (Frank Lovejoy), are on a fishing trip in Mexico (Baja) and pick up a hitch-hiker (William Talman), who turns out to be a manipulative killer. As the hitchhiker forces them south, over the border, they all stop at a little Mexican general store to get some supplies. Talman says "...get some beans and rice...and get tomato soup. I like that. Get four cans." Thanks to Trevor McMullen for the reference. Heaven only knows where he got his hands on this difficult to find classic film noir. Hotel de Love (1996),

Dir., Craig Rosenburg Australian romantic comedy about two identical twin brothers in love with the same girl...and in which the butler manages to piss into the soup. Hot Shots (1991),

Dir., Jim Abrahams Forever at cross purposes, Admiral Benson (Lloyd Bridges) quizzes Lt. Commander Block (Kevin Dunn):

Benson: Ahhh...I love soup. At least I think I love soup. Blasted shell! It's either soup or duck. Which one do you shoot?

Block: Duck, sir.

[Admiral Benson hits his head on his desk while ducking]

Block: Are you alright, sir?

Benson: Oh course I'm alright! Why, what have you heard? How the Grinch Who Stole Christmas (2000),

Dir., Ron Howard The Grinch, with his dog Max, is searching through piles of junk at the dump. He says to Max . . . "One man's sludge is another man's potpourri." Max barks at him. The Grinch looks at Max and says "I don't know, it's some kind of soup or something." Many thanks to Steve McMullen for the reference. The Hurricane (1999),

Dir., Norman Jewison How does Reuben "The Hurricane" Carter (Denzel Washington) get through his unjust years in prison--writing his biography, refusing to leave his cell, refusing to go by prison rules, refusing to eat prison food? Tomato soup. Concentrated Campbell's Tomato Soup...that he cooks up himself in his cell with a little heating coil. (Okay, and it's a product placement, too.) I Know Where I'm Going (1945),

Dirs., Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger Joan Webster (Wendy Hiller) takes her father (George Carney) to an expensive restaurant to inform him of her engagement to a wealthy and much older man. They are served soup, which goes uneaten. "Is anything wrong with the soup, Miss Webster?" the waiter asks. "Oh, we were talking. It's cold now," she says, "will you take it away now?" And he snaps his fingers for an elderly waiter to remove the elegant flat soup bowls. Not long after, following a terrible Scottish storm at sea, Joan falls in love with poor and young Torquil MacNeil (Roger Livesy).

Many thanks to Richard Layne of Great Britain for contributing this and other Powell/Pressburger films, which share "uneaten soup" as a recurrent theme. See The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and The Small Back Room, infra.

In the Mood (1987),

Dir., Phil Alden Robinson Patrick Dempsey plays the real-life role of 15-year-old Ellsworth "Sonny" Wisecarver, the woo woo boy of the 1940s famous for seducing older women. When he is sent to his uncle's rabbit farm, he asks why they kill the little rabbits...and is saddened at the wastefulness of using only the rabbit skin until his uncle tells him, "With the rest we make soup." Many thanks to Trevor McMullen, "offspring of the sharpest soup eyes in the territory," for this great contribution. In the Mood for Love (2000),

Dir., Kar-wai Wong One of the most hypnotic and compelling, many layered and poignant films I've ever seen, it's awash in noodles and soup, up and down those narrow stairs in Hong Kong, littered in claustrophobic rooms. How could Mrs. Chan (Maggie Cheung) never once drip a drop of those sloppy meals on any of her dozens of cheongsam outfits? Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984),

Dir., Stephen Spielberg Willie (Kate Capshaw) and Indiana (Harrison Ford) attend an unexpectedly lavish and odd banquet at the Danquot Palace. Served exotic monkey heads and other arcana, poor starving Willie finally requests:

"Do you have anything simple...like soup?"

Her reaction, upon being served a personal tureen of milky eyeball soup, is not pretty. I Spy (2002),

Dir., Betty Thomas Spies Eddie Murphy and Famke Jansson get stuck in a smelly sewer trying to track down a stolen high tech plane in Budapest...and finally emerge in a Turkish bath. Eddie Murphy whines, "It smells like Ass Soup all over again." Thanks to Steve McMullen for the tip! It Could Happen to You (1994),

Dir., Andrew Bergman Just as the forlorn lovebirds are at the end of their rope, they invite Angel Du Pris (Isaac Hayes) in out of the rain and feed him a bowl of chicken soup. Angel is disguised as a homeless person. He reflects, "Tonight I, Angel Du Pris, a photographer for the New York Post for 10 years, have the opportunity to study grace and generosity under the direst of circumstances. Even in their darkest hour, the stalwart Officer Lang (Nicolas Cage) and goodhearted Miss Biasi (Bridget Fonda) shared a bowl of soup with me. When I left, this good samaritan gave me money from his own pocket, wishing it could be more." Angel gets his story and spreads it all over the Big Apple--putting into motion the ultimate salvation of the lovers. Jan Dar (2001),

Dir., Nonzee Nimibutr This Thai movie about sex, guilt, and retribution in 1930s Bangkok is summed up in a scene where an old man refuses his soup, disgusted by his woman making love to another woman Joe Dirt (2001),

Dir. Dennie Gordon Joe Dirt (David Spade) is talking to Brandy (Brittany Daniel) on her porch when her dad (played uncredited by Joe Don Baker) hands her a dead chicken and tells her to get the stove heated. Can Joe Dirt stay for dinner? "We ain't runnin' no soup kitchen, boy. . . get outta here." Thanks to the king of soup spotters, Steve McMullen, who gives it 2½ soup tureens. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959),

Dir., Henry Levin When the adventurers discover a grove of giant mushrooms, Arlene Dahl can't resist. When she ladles out a bowl of bubbling liquid, Pat Boone remarks, "Madam, you're magnificent! Mushroom steak, mushroom soup." Thanks to Steve McMullen! Kermit's Swamp Years,

Dir., David Gumpel In this prequel to The Muppet Movie, the young Kermit dines on centipede and barley soup. Koyaanisqatsi (1983),

Dir., Godfrey Reggio Catch it quick: Steve McMullen says, "One quick shot of a commercial shows a Campbell's soup logo and a bowl of soup...chicken noodle, maybe. Visible for all of one second." Kermit's Swamp Years,

Dir., David Gumpel In this prequel to The Muppet Movie, the young Kermit dines on centipede and barley soup. The Lady Vanishes (1938),

Dir., Alfred Hitchcock Young English woman Iris Henderson (Margaret Lockwood) and her musician friend Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave)--earnestly searching for the missing elderly Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty) on a trans European train trip--are served soup in the dining car of the train. Margaret eats none of her soup, but Michael is so engrossed in eating his that he fails to notice the name of Miss Froy written on the carriage window.

Many thanks to Richard Layne of Great Britain for this excellent contribution.

Leave Her to Heaven (1945),

Dir., John M. Stahl Richard Harlan (Cornel Wilde) meets obsessive Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney) and never has a chance. After the honeymoon she plays meek wife, "I trust you'll find the soup to your taste." "Mmmmmm, it's sheer understatement to calll this soup ambrosia." "I call it consommé patchouli," she says...that's before she drowns his crippled brother, destroys their unborn son, and poisons herself. The Legend of 1900, or La Leggenda del Pianista Sull'oceano (1998),

Dir., Giuseppe Tornatore Abandoned baby "1900" is raised on the cruise ship The Virginian by an engine room worker (Bill Nunn), and rises to being a celebrated piano savant. How is he educated? From discarded racing forms..."Drinkwater over Vegetable Soup by three lengths...." Thanks to Steve and Trevor McMullen for the soup reference! Lemony Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004),

Dir., Brad Silberling Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep) warns the children to eat only cold cucumber soup--hot soup is waaaaay too dangerous. A Letters to Three Wives (1949),

Dir., Joseph Mankiewiscz Addie (Celeste Holm) sends letters to her 3 best friends, off on a day trip together, that she's stolen one of their husbands, and they won't know which until the end of the day...setting in motion 3 flashback reflections by the women of vulnerabilities in their marriages. Successful Rita (Ann Sothern) remembers throwing a fancy dinner party for her radio broadcasting company execs...when her maid Sadie (Thelma Ritter) knocks down a folding screen between rooms as she's announcing that dinner is served. "I told you it wouldn't work," Sadie says to Rita, then announces, "Soups on!" As the soup is served, though, the dinner guests jump up to listen to the start of their radio show...except for one of the other husbands (Paul Douglas). Rita gives him a look and he says "I'll just stay and eat my soup while it's still hot." Thanks to Bev McMullen for the cite. Letters to an Unknown Lover (1985),

Dir., Peter Duffell In this very nasty story of a French family stopping at nothing to recover wealth and position during the German occupation of Lyon in WWII, escaped POW Gervais, assuming the identity of his slain low class buddy Bernard, is captured and set up by the lovelies Helene and Agnes to inherit Bernard's inherited wealth. They turn Gervais into a hothouse flower, breaking out all the china, crystal, and heavy silver, ladling out flat soup plates of beef consommé from an exquisite porcelain tureen to keep him in their clutches. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943),

Dirs., Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger A story of the British soldier, from the Boer War through World World I and into the years of World War II. Clive Candy (Roger Livesy) has fought or tried to fight in all of them, with the gallant old ideals of earlier times--and in flashbacks he meets up throughout with his Prussian friend Theo (Anton Walbrook) and 3 women, all played by Deborah Kerr. Clive, his female driver "Johnny," and Theo are all served soup for dinner...which they fail to eat. It is ultimately removed by Clive's batman (John Laurie).

Many thanks to Richard Layne of Great Britain for contributing this and other Powell/Pressburger films, which share "uneaten soup" as a recurrent theme. See I Know Where I'm Going and The Small Back Room, infra.

Like Water for Chocolate (1992),

Dir., Alfonso Arau This homage to the transmutation of love through food opens with the birth of the extraordinary cook Tita: "fed by Nacha, Tita grew up in the kitchen amid the smells of the kitchen, chicken soup, thyme, laurel, steamed milk, garlic, and, of course, onion." And it is soup--Chencha's bowl of magic beef broth--that restores Tita to life after she suffers from a nervous breakdown. As she comes back from the brink of madness and speaks, Chencha says, "Broths can cure any type of illness, be it physical or mental." Look for the Silver Lining (1949),

Dir., David Butler Marilyn Miller (June Haver) is a waitress at German lakeside restaurant with Shendorf (S. Z. Sakall) sad about sales. Customers come in and S. Z. Sakall fusses over them. Customer: "How are the oysters this month?" Shendorf: "Not so good, but don't worry, we still have last month's". Customer: "Now then, after that we'll have a couple of bowls of soup"...and goes on to ask for a Russian song and dance girl. Thanks for the cite to Bev McMullen, who says, "Thoroughly tragic and corny at the same time. Can't really recommend the movie but it was a great soup scene with S. Z. Sakall. In fact I can state that any soup scene with S. Z. Sakall will always be great." Lost Horizon (1937),

Dir., Frank Capra The last plane takes off in 1935 from Baskul airfield in China, escaping a local revolution, commanded by British diplomat Robert Conway (Ronald Coleman) and including a motley group of "white evacuees." Once in the air, British paleontologist Alexander P. Lovett (Edward Everett Horton) gleefully unveils his fabulous archeological discovery to swindler Henry Barnard (Thomas Mitchell). "Wait a minute. You expect to be knighted for finding that soupbone?" "This," Lovey harrumphs, "is the vertebrae of a megatherium found in Asia...." Love Crazy (1941),

Dir., Jack Conway It's the fourth anniversary of that great romantic couple William Powell (Stephen) and Myrna Loy (Susan). And it gets off to a bad start--that only gets worse, when, Powell tells the maid to serve the dinner backwards. "Backwards?" she says. "You know, start by serving dessert and end with the soup." Thanks to Steve McMullen for the tip! Love Me Tonight (1932),

Dir., Rouben Mamoulian Maurice Chevalier, a Parisian tailor, sings about his idea of the ideal marriage: a wife who kisses him around the clock, cooks him soup, and gives him lots of kids." Madame Bovary (1991),

Dir., Claude Chabrol Charles (Jean-Francoise Baumer) and Emma (Isabel Huppert) tie the knot and Charles comes bouncing downstairs in the morning shouting, "Madame's hungry and so am I. What can we have?" "I've made soup," says the housekeeper. "Good," he replies impatiently, "but we need a choice. Some chocolate or tea!" The Madness of King George (1994),

Dir., Nicholas Hytner Bound, beaten, and bearded, King George (Nigel Hawthorne) is bundled off to Lincolnshire hospital by pre-Freudian Dr. Willis (Ian Holm). Restrained in a chair, the King is fed a spoonful of beef broth by Willis, which he quite deliberately blows out in Willis' face. But the next spoonful? The King swallows, knowing and hating his submission. "I'm here. But I'm not all there," he says. Next scene he is shown eating his own broth with a spoon. He gets a round of applause from his attendants for being such a good boy. Man of the Century (1999),

Dir., Adam Abraham Johnny Twennies (Gibson Frazier) shows up late for his mother's high society dinner party. Soup plates are glaringly empty, waiting for his arrival. And they continue to languish, ostentatiously, while Johnny successively excuses himself from the table to open the door to...Lester Lanin and his 6 piece orchestra...a men's room attendant...his editor at the newspaper...a gay art dealer...a dizzy hatcheck girl...an Italian poseur and his browny bouncer Maurice...his gay, arty news photographer...his girlfriend...and a host of others. A Man Escapes (1956) or, Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut ,

Dir., Robert Bresson A man, Lt. Fontaine (François Leterrier), is captured by the Nazis and is focused only one thing only: escape. Following a failed attempt from a car, he's placed in solitary, beaten and handcuffed, and interrogated for four days. Then, in voiceover, as he slurps out of a pan "We were given our soup, and I still hadn't told him anything." The Man Without a Past (2002) or, Mies Vailla Menneisyttaä,

Dir., Aki Kaurismaki A man (Markko Petola) who has been beaten into amnesia in Helsinki ultimately wanders into a Salvation Army post and falls in love with the woman (Kati Outinen) who ladles out free soup during the day and listens to rock'n'roll at night with religious devotion. Manchurian Candidate (2004),

Dir., Jonathan Demme Poor Ben Marcovic (Denzel Washington), with a chip implanted in his brain by an evil multinational defense corporation during the Persian Gulf War--he's barely surviving on a diet of No-Doze, instant noodle soup, and psychopharmaceuticals. Maria Full of Grace (2004), or María, llena eres de gracia,

Dir., Joshua Marston How do sweet young women like Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno) ingest deadly cocaine pellets so they can smuggle them into the U.S.? Down the hatch with soup. Marie Antoinette (1938)

Dir., W. S. Van Dyke II Louis XVI (Robert Morley, playing a dolt with deadpan perfection) is permitted to rejoin his family in their "Temple" prison on the night before his execution by guillotine. The little Dauphin sits at table with King, Queen, and sister and is served by dour and disapproving republicans: "Onion soup!," he says brightly, "oh, I like that." See also Marie Antoinette's Last Soup and Testament. Marius (1931)

Dir., Marcel Pagnol, Alexander Korda Marseillais barman Marius (Pierre Fresnay), dreaming sailor dreams, tells Fanny (Orane Demazis) he's will himself not to love her. Tragedy! She goes home to cry, is comforted by her mother, and they talk out the situation over soup. "Don't cry into it," Fanny's mother says, "It's salty enough as it is." The Marx Brothers in A Night in Casablanca (1946),

Dir., Archie Mayo New Hotel Manager Ronald Kornblow (Groucho) trips as he approaches a femme fatale dining at the Hotel Casablanca with disguised Nazi butcher Heinrich Stubel (Sig Roman), driving his hand into Stubel's soup plate. Kornblow says, "I, I usually put my foot into it." Stubel leaps up, "You fool, see what you've done to my shirt?" Kornblow: "Sorry, you can hardly notice it unless you're looking for a plate of soup," brushing off the shirt front with the table flowers. Later, Stubel's valet Rusty (Harpo) tries to warn Kornblow's self-appointed body guard Corbaccio (Chico) of Stubel's plot to kill Kornblow. In an extended game of charades, Rusty mimes the news. Corbaccio: "You got something for Kornblow?" Rusty nods yes...and slurps an imaginary bowl. Corbaccio: "Soup?" Rusty nods yes...and uses imaginary chopsticks. Corbaccio: Eatta chop suey? Eatta chow mein? Eatta rice?" Rusty nods yes...then slurps soup, eats rice, slurps soup, eats rice.... Corbaccio: "Soup and rice. Soup and rice. Soup-rice, soup-rice, surprise. Oh ho, you gotta surprise for Kornblow...." Matilda (1996),

Dir., Danny DeVito Insanely bad mom Zinnia Wormword (Rhea Perlman) leaves precocious Matilda alone at age 3 for the day so she (mom) can play bingo: "Soup's on the stove. Heat it up if you get hungry," she says to the wee tot. Matilda trashes the product placement--an opened can of Campbell's soup sitting in a pan of water--and makes perfect pancakes instead. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005),

Dir., Miranda July Little 10-year-old Sylvie ain't buying progress anyway: faced with the vision of a digital world she says, "Soup won't be computerized!" "Why?" "It's a liquid." Meet the Fockers (2004),

Dir., Jay Roach Who can forget Greg Focker's (Ben Stiller's) foreskin--preserved in a memory book--falling into the soup? Memento (2000),

Dir., Christopher Nolan Just a little bitty quiet soup scene in this violent, reverse fugue, mental reconstruction of murder and revenge. Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) sits at a diner counter with crooked cop/snitch/drug dealer Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), each spooning down kale soup as they talk. The eye in a hurricane of a movie. Memories of a Marriage (Dansen med Regitze,1989),

Dir., Kaspar Rustrup Karl Aage (Frits Helmuth) reflects on his lifetime with beloved Regitze (Gita Nørby) as they hold their annual summer garder party after her diagnosis of terminal cancer. Karl Aage remembers when his mother-in-law goes on a hunger strike until they agree to baptize their son in church. As she approaches death, he goes to her: "I've brought you some nourishing soup, Mum. It'll do you good." She refuses...and, of course, she wins, as the baptismal photograph in the next scene shows. Midnight Cowboy (1969),

Dir., John Schlesinger In this affecting down-and-out buddy movie, naive Joe Buck (John Voight) comes home from a frightening night with an alley cat of rich New Yorker (Brenda Vaccaro) to the condemned building he shares with streetwise Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), finding him literally on his last legs. Ratso says, "That hot?" looking at the gas light. "Yeah, ya want some soup?" "Yeah" "Okay, I'll get ya some soup then." As Joe rattles on, Ratso says, "Gimme some soup, gimme some soup." "Whatya think I'm gettin' here? I'm gettin' you some soup. Lookit there, there's some good healthy stuff for ya. There's soup." "Thanks." "It's hot; watch out." Ratso eats the soup from a mug with a spoon and grunts, "Good soup." [Thanks to Vance Lipovac of Des Moines, Iowa, for the contribution] A Mighty Wind (2003),

Dir., Christopher Guest In this loving send up of country music, Mitch (Eugene Levy) meets his former partner Mickey (Catharine O'Hara) and her husband (Jim Piddock) for the first time in decades at dinner. Over a highly audible soup course (Mitch knocking the tofu off his spoonful of Asian soup), Piddock outlines in excruciating detail how he sells medical equipment to incontinent patients for their various urinary and defecatory conditions. Thanks to Steve McMullen for the contribution. Minestrone (1975),

Dir., Danny DeVito In this independent film, a paranoid Italian film maker finds a tiny skin diver in this soup. He holds the little guy on the end of his spoon and engages him in conversation. Certain in the end that he's been sent by another film director--Fellini, Antonioni, or DeSica--to steal his ideas, he ends by eating him. The Mistress (Baanoo, 1998),

Dir., Dariush Mehrjui Originally made in 1992, this story of a rich Iranian wife walking out on her weak, cheating husband did not sit well with the Ayatollah--nor did the geologically surreal closeups of a mildewing bowl of soup throughout, described as the best rotting-food imagery since Repulsion. Hence its late release date. Modern Times (1936),

Dir., Charles Chaplin The little Tramp returns to the screen one last time, only to be trapped in a robotic factory job that puts him on the losing side of an encounter with an assembly line "feeding machine." Here he listens to the phonograph record of the Mechanical Salesman:

"Good morning, my friends. this record comes to you through the Sales Talk Transcription Company, Incorporated: your speaker, the Mechanical Salesman. May I take the pleasure of introducing Mr. J. Widdecomb Billows (played by Murdock MacQuarne), the inventor of the Billows Feeding Machine, a practical device which automatically feeds your men while at work? Don't stop for lunch: be ahead of your competitor. the Billows Feeding Machine will eliminate the lunch hour, increase your production, and decrease your overhead. Allow us to point out some of the features of this wonderful machine: its beautiful, aerodynamic, streamlined body; its smoothness of action, made silent by our electro-porous metal ball bearings. Let us acquaint you with our automaton soup plate--its compressed-air blower, no breath necessary, no energy required to cool the soup.... Moonstruck (1987),

Dir. Norman Jewison After that incredible moon--Bella Luna--everyone is magicized, including storekeeper Raymond Cappomaggi (Louis Guss), who keeps prodding niece Loretta (Cher) about romance until finally he breaks into song, "Eh, that's romantic too. 'Isn't it romantic'"--then, "Eh, Frankie! Make me a bowl of minestrone...."

It's also a bowl of minestrone that Rose Castorini (Olympia Dukakis) orders from waiter Bobo, in furtherance of her dalliance with Perry (John Mahoney), another diner in the restaurant.

Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, II (1981),

Dir., Vladimir Menshov A lifetime of lovelessness ends for Soviet factory executive Katya (Vera Alentova) with a great supper of reconciliation with tool-and-die maker Gosha (Alexei Batalov). What's for supper? Borscht, of course, in a big proletarian tureen. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941),

Dir., Alfred Hitchcock In this odd comedy, Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard) try to recapture romance by revisting Momma Lucy's restaurant from their courtship days. Hitchcock sets a sinister cat on the table to stare at the soup.

"Eat your soup, dear."

"There's something wrong with that soup."

"It's your imagination."

Why doesn't the cat eat the soup? Animals know what's good for them. You notice he ate the olives."

"The pits, too."

"Well, that's roughage."

"Oh, make the best of it darling. Don't let it spoil our evening."

That cat knows something."

"Where shall we go after this?"

"Home."

"Home? Well, aren't we supposed to go someplace before we go home?"

"All together, it would make it too late."

"Oh."

"I'd give five bucks to see that cat take a sip of that soup." My Bodyguard (1980),

Dir., Tony Bill Hotel Assistant Manager Craig Nelson is served soup while fussing on a phone call, waving waves away the waiter--then later has the audacity to complain to the chef that it's cold. Steve McMullen, who contributed the cite, notes, "He's such a jerk, everyone ignores him." My Dinner with Andre (1982),

Dir., Louis Malle In this classic "imaginary conversation" between quite real artist and friends Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, Wallace establishes his plebian but wonderfully naturalistic voice early on when he steers away from the epicene appetizers and goes for the Czech peasant soup:

ANDRE: ...And then, to begin with, a terrine de poisson.

WAITER: Yes

WALLACE: What is that?

ANDRE: It's, uh, a pâté, light, made of fish.

WALLACE: Does it have bones in it?

ANDRE: No bones.

WALLACE: Well, um, what is the, uh, bramborová polévka?

WAITER: It's a potato soup. It's quite delicious.

WALLACE: Oh. Well, great. I'll have that. My Father, My Hero (1994),

Dir., Steve Miner In this Americanized version of a French farce, divorced Andre (Gerard Depardieu) takes his 14-year-old daughter on vacation to the Bahamas to improve their relationship. Bust. When he confides to Nikki (Katherine Heigl) that he may remarry and have more kids, she says, "You don't love me anymore. You missed my 13th birthday. Mom told me you were sick so I made some soup for you and took it to your hotel, where I saw you and your girlfriend." A little redemption later on when Andre pretends to be old and sick. "I'll order some broth," he says, "and I'll eat that." Thanks to Stan Jacobs for the sighting! Mysterious Island (1961),

Dir., Cy Endfield When soldiers escaping in a balloon from Richmond during the American Civil War end up crash landing in a remote Pacific Island, they make do on the beach, the journalist (Gary Merrill) promising "Bring some of those coals and I'll cook up a giant oyster stew." After 2 gorgeous women wash up on the beach, though, it's a different story: "Try this seafood soup, like a French bouillabaisse...." The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993),

Dir., Henry Selick;

Written as a poem by Tim Burton Poor ragdoll Sally, overcontrolled by wheelchair-bound Dr. Finklestein, plans her escape to Pumpkin King Jack Skellington by poisoning Finklestein's soup with Deadly Nightshade and covering its odor with Frog's Breath. "SALLY," Finklestein barks, "ISN'T THAT SOUP READY YET?" When we next see him, Sally has flown the coop and his head is firmly bandaged--signalling that he has a really really bad headache indeed. Noodle Soup, or Pho (2001),

Dir., Uyen Luu This meditation on a Vietnamese woman's return to her homeland of Vietnam, from London, and centered around the rituals of that fabulous noodle soup pho, won the short documentary prize at the 36th annual Karlovy Vary film fest in 2001. Northfork (2003),

Dir., Michael Polish This evocative film is leavened with scenes of black humor, like all 6 evacuators lined up at the diner counter for soup in the about-to-be-engulfed town of Northfork, totally deadpan as the waitress asks "bowl or cup?" No Way Out (1950),

Dir., Joseph Mankiewicz Richard Widmark plays a psychotic, bigoted hoodlum who blames intern Sidney Poitier (his debut) for his brother's death...and instigates a race riot in revenge. Leave it to another doctor's housekeeper to provide a little comic relief, complaining that she's always making lumpy pea soup because the doctor comes in at such odd hours. Thanks for the sighting to Stan Jacobs! The Other Sister (1999),

Dir., Garry Marshall Challenged boyfriend (Giovanni Ribisi) shows up for the wedding of his challenged sweetheart's (Juliette Lewis's) sister in jeans, sloppy shirt and backpack. A woman at the door tells him that the soup kitchen is down the street. Ribisi looks confused and says, "I don't want any soup." He goes around to the back and sneaks in. Thanks to Trevor McMullen, the prince of soup spotters. Our Man Flint (1966),

Dir., Daniel Mann A James Bond parody where the hero (James Coburn as Derek Flint) traces down evil-doers by sampling bouillabaisse at every establishment in Marseillaise. Investigating a lead provided by a chemical trace on a dart takes Flint one of Marseilles' raunchiest strip clubs (which, ironically, appears to serve the best bouillabaisse); he gains some useful information from "famous" Agent 0008 during a faked brawl and clashes with Galaxy agent Hans Gruber (St. Clair), who is there to meet Gila. Flint fights and ultimately kills Gruber in a toilet stall, while Gila exits the scene after leaving behind a booby-trapped cold cream jar, replacing the original contents with explosives. Flint chases all the (relatively) innocent bystanders from the club and detonates the bomb. Thanks to Nicole Boutin of Honolulu for her loving patience in the face of my overseasitis indifference...and to her Wikipedia cite. Paint Your Wagon (1969),

Dir., Joshua Logan When Jean Seberg (Elizabeth) seduces Clint Eastwood (Pardner) in husband Lee Marvin's (Ben Rumson's) absence, what does she use as bait? Soup from a kettle, of course. Pandaemonium (2001),

Dir., Julien Temple Sara Coleridge's hallucinogenic thorn-apple soup causes brother Samuel (Linus Roachi) and fellow poet and friend William Wordsworth (John Hannah) to have upside down vision. Interestingly, this never happened. It was invented by Director Julien Temple in honor of his own experience of stealing thornapples from the Cambridge Botanical Gardens and getting high from them. Passion Fish (1992),

Dir., John Sayles In this drama of strong women learning how to adapt to tough new lives and to each other, Mary-Alice (Mary McDonnell) and Chantelle (Alfre Woodard) are in the kitchen and Mary says > "That was a great soup thing that you did." Chantelle responds, "What? > It's just a can of soup. I can't cook." Mary-Alice responds, "Sure you > can. You're a good cook." Thanks to Steve McMullen for the reference! People Will Talk (1951),

Dir., Joseph Mankiewicz A totally offbeat film about what makes a good doctor, which has Dr. Praetorius (Cary Grant) marrying an unwed mother (Jeanne Crain) to save her embarrassment (okay, she's cute too) and saving a dull-witted man (Findlay Currie) who has killed the same man twice (serving 15 years of hard labor for it then being executed for it...almost). Explaining this unlikely sequence of events, Shunderson (Currie) explains to a convocation of professors: "I found it [the body] accidentally. I was walking past a restaurant in Toronto. I happened to look in the window and there was the corpse of my friend sitting at a table eating a bowl of soup. I think it was pea soup." Praetorius interrupts, "Immaterial and irrelevant!" Continuing, "I hit him in the face with the bowl of soup. Then I hit him with a chair...." Uh oh, dead again.

Many thanks to Steve McMullen from Upland, California, for this extraordinary example of 50s social comedy.

Petrified Forest (1936),

Dir., Archie Mayo What does Leslie Howard (Alan Squier) order when he arrives at the "last chance" gas and eatery at Black Mesa, Arizona...right before the Mantee gang (Humphrey Bogart, et al.) arrives? Cream of corn soup, staring all dusty at the gorgeous young Bette Davis (Gabrielle Maple) taking his order. Phone Booth (2002),

Dir., Joel Schumacher Slick publicist Stu Shepherd (Colin Farrell) starts out in a phone booth discussing clients and ends up as the target of a sniper siege. Opening comment in the film as he counsels over the phone regarding a sick client, "Send him a bottle of Jamiesons--Irish chicken soup." Popeye (1980),

Dir., Robert Altman In this weirder than weird adaptation of the old cartoon (screenplay, Jules Feiffer), Popeye (Robin Williams) defeats Oxblood Oxheart in the ring and returns to the Oyls in triumph for dinner.

Geezil the undertaker (Richard Libertini) asks Wimpy, "What's that glob you're eating?"

Wimpy (Paul Dooley), pasting said glob on a burger bun, replies, "It's a soup burger. These are difficult times. Burgers can't be choosers."

Geezil sneers to Castor Oyl (Donovan Scott), "Hooey. Work is what is making the heart grow stronger. Come."

And with that, Wimpy takes the psychic Swee'pea to the cathouse mechanical horseraces and upgrades his burger choices with his winnings.

Many thanks to Graham Bierlein for this inspired contribution!

The Postman (1997),

Dir., Kevin Costner In this post-apocalyptic yawner (2013), a world war has destroyed the U.S. government and the population lives in isolation and anarchy. A self appointed dictator general, with a band of cutthroats, rules the local area. Costner, a wanderer, finds a mail carrier's jacket and a pouch of letters and sets off as "The Postman" to deliver letters and words of hope. When he wanders into a town and performs Shakespeare, he is given a bowl of soup. Then, injured and holed up in an abandoned cabin during a snowstorm, he complains to Abby (Olivia Williams) that he can't gain strength on "snow soup." (Thanks to Trevor McMullen for the contribution, picked up in Adair, Ireland, no less!) Pride and Prejudice (1940),

Dir., Robert Z. Leonard When Jane Bennett (Maureen O'Sullivan) is invited to the Bingleys for the first time, sister Mary asks the madly matchmaking Mrs. Bennett (Mary Boland), "Mama, do you suppose they'll have turtle soup for dinner?"--who replies, "No dear, you can't expect turtle soup until the engagement is actually announced." Then, when Mrs. Bennett is in hysterics over Lydia's elopement with the wicked Mr. Wickham, Elizabeth (Greer Garson) offers, "Here's some delicious chicken broth, Mama. Now you must eat it while it's hot." "No no, thank you Liddy," she says, "I could not. You don't know what I'm feeling...Did you say it was chicken broth? Well, peut être, if I make a great effort." Princess Caraboo (1994),

Dir., Michael Austin Ragged and strange, Princess Caraboo (Phoebe Cates) is discovered wandering in the English countryside, and is brought by Vicar to the Bristol estate of Mrs. Worrall (Wendy Hughes), who takes her in. French? Corsican? Turkish? Greek? Nobody knows. So off she goes to the servant hall for soup...where she picks up the bowl, tosses its pieces of meat over her shoulder, and drinks the broth straight down. Later, when accepted as Javanese royalty, doubting Greek butler Frixos (Kevin Kline) serves her cream of sorrel soup from a Meissen tureen, whispering in her ear, "You little fraud. I know you're a fraud, and I spit in the soup." When she picks up the bowl to drink, he adds, "I also pissed in it." She drinks it anyway.

Another good one by video meister Gerry Nepomuceno.

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970),

Dir., Billy Wilder In this unusually sensitive portrayal of that logical, opium-addicted British supersleuth, we see a human side.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stevens): I've often been accused of being cold and unemotional. I admit to it. And yet, in my own cold, unemotional way, I'm very fond of you, Watson.

Dr. Watson (Colin Blakely): I know that. But one likes to hear these things occasionally.

Holmes: I don't dislike women, I merely distrust them. The twinkle in the eye and the arsenic in the soup." Quai des Orfevres (1947),

Dir., Henri-Georges Clouzot What happens when fickle Marguerite (Suzy Delair) comes home after naughty escapes? Her husband (Bernard Blier) takes one look at her, approaches, and the soup he's been cooking symbolically boils over onto the stove. The Random Harvest (1942),

Dir., Mervyn LeRoy The opening scene has Ronald Coleman ("Smithy"/Charles) in a World War I army uniform and with amnesia of his former life of wealth emerging in a daze from an asylum into a rainy, foggy night. A man passes him and says, "This looks like pea soup," to which Coleman replies "Uhhhhhhhhhhh," and keeps on walking. Thanks to Stan Jacobs from Brooklyn, New York, for the contribution! The Rare Breed (1966),

Dir., Andrew McLaglen Martha (Maureen O'Hara) and daughter Hilary (Juliet Mills) are loose in the Wild West trying to market prize Hereford cattle. When a rancher's son (Galloway) is injured, Hilary feeds him soup from a tray. Martha comes in and asks how he's doing. "Oh, fine," he says. "I've just had a bowl of chicken broth, but if you can slip a cow past Hilary, any cow, I'd eat it. Horns, hooves, hide, everything." Thanks to the Queen of sightings, Beverly McMullen! The Remains of the Day (1995),

Dir., James Ivory Sir Geoffrey Wren (Rupert Vassitart), modeled on English fascist Sir Oswald Mosley, is entertained by Lord Darlington (James Fox) for dinner and discussions at the fabulous Darlington Hall in the 1930s. Expounding his inhuman philosophy over the soup, he interrupts to make sure from the Butler (Anthony Hopkins) that he will not insensitively eat the flesh of animals.

SIR GEOFFREY: "My lord, my lord, you cannot run a country without a penal system. Now here we call them prisons. Over there they call them concentraton camps. What's the difference" Uh, Stevens, is there any meat of any kind in this soup?"

STEVENS: Aaaah, no sire. I think it's mushroom stock. Mushroom ends and skins, onions, and celery; no meat at all. Cold water. And then cook adds sherry."

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

Dir., Darren Arnofsky In this story of legal and illegal drug addiction, overweight mom Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) dives into diet pills while her son Harry (Jared Leto), pretending to be in the import business, succumbs to his real product, narcotics. When he goes to visit her, bringing her a new tv, she is so happy: she tells him to stay, saying "I'll make you a roast and some mushroom soup."

Many thanks to Steve McMullen from Anaheim, CA, for the contribution--and for having the sharpest soup eyes I know! Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991),

Dir., William A. Graham Lilli (Milla Jovovich) and Richard (Brian Krause) succeed in prancing through a film entirely devoid of dramatic action, including that highly charged scene when Lilli reveals the contents of her soup to Captain Hilliard and crew of the rescuing Tradewinds: "It's eel broth...well, only the broth is eel. The little white chunks are sea urchin." Shock! Consternation! I'd almost say it's the highlight of the movie.

Many thanks to Gerry Nepomuceno of Falls Church, Virginia, for his video expertise!

Ridicule (1996),

Dir., Patrice LaConte Mme. de Bayac vows revenge on being spurned by the Marquis de Malavoy, inviting him to a grand dinner party of 13. One must leave to avoid bad luck. "I propose a contest," says Mme's collaborator, "He who has shown the least wit when the soup arrives must go." When the soup arrives in a gorgeous tureen, Mme. de Bayac has her toe, under the table, firmly up Malavoy's crotch. Flustered, he can summon no wit...and is dismissed. Ridicule! Rocky (1976)

Dir., John G. Avildsen In this adorable Cinderfella story, boxing manager Mickey (Burgess Meredith) asks Rocky "The Italian Stallion" Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), "What the hell are these?" when sitting at his dining room table in Rocky's apartment. "Turtles, from the pet shop," Rocky replies. Mickey responds, "They make good soup." Thanks for the cite to Vance Lipovac of Des Moines, Iowa! Rocky Horror Picture Show (1972)

Dir., Jim Sharman When Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) flops into the pool, what are you supposed to scream at the screen? "Waiter, there's a transvestite in my soup!" And reader Holly reminds me of the classic rejoinder: "Shut up, or everyone will want one!" Roma (1972)

Dir., Frederico Fellini This Fellini memoir opens with a retrospective of Fellini growing up in a small town north of Rome during the years of il Duce. He takes us into his home and sits us down to dinner with his family. Suddenly cook rushes in with a steaming kettle of soup, exclaiming, "The Pope is giving his blessing on the radio!." Familiy members drop to their knees, all but papa, who stays seated with his hat on, shouting, "Bring on the soup, you idiot. Bring me that god damned soup!" Rose Marie (1954)

Dir., Mervyn LeRoy Classic 50s musical that has Howard Keel (a Canadian Mountie) bringing Ann Blyth (Indian Princess, in love with Keel) into Mountie Headquarters to dine with them around the long table: He says, "She wants to say something but you know how it is with kids -- actions speak louder than words." Whereupon she grunts, grabs her bowl of soup, and dumps it over Keel's head. Thanks to Beverly McMullen for the cite! Seabiscuit (2003),

Dir., Gary Ross Jockey Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire) comes along while Seabiscuit's owner (Jeff Bridges) and trainer (Chris Cooper) are eating tomato soup. They tell him to eat. He says he doesn't have much appetite. They tell him to have some so he can stay healthy. Thanks to Lorna McMullen for the reference. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954),

Dir., Stanley Donen Why does Jane Powell stop Howard Keel in the meadow on the way back to the homestead? She wants to collect wild sorrell "to make some sorrel soup." Thanks to Steve McMullen for the catch! The Seven Deadly Sins---"Anger" (1962),

Dirs., Eugene Ionesco & Sylvain Dhomme (directors of the other 6 sin segments include Goddard, Chabrol, DeBroca, Vadim, and Demy) Dear friend Ray Connolly discovered this jewel and says this about it: "A typically zany French farce, ANGER begins with various couples of all ages and types living in an apartment house and enjoying a spooky, unreal kind of happiness. (They discuss only good news, they put the best spin on everything that happens, and even the TV newscasts are restricted to only happy news.) But then each couple is enjoying some soup when one discovers a fly in the soup. Sharp words escalate into furious ANGER which leads to violent fighting and torrents of soup flowing down the stairs of the apartment house, which ultimately burns to the ground. Rioting breaks out in the street, quickly escalating to international tensions, the outbreak of war, an exchange of nuclear-tipped missiles, and the ultimate destruction of planet Earth. The closing title expresses the hope that the other six deadly sins won't be as destructive." Shanghai Noon (2000),

Dir., Tom Dey Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) sets out with 4 members of the Imperial Guard from the Forbidden City to Carson City, Nevada, to rescue Princess Pei Pei. While the Imperial Guard slurp their noodle soup enroute, Chon's uncle is shot dead by train robbers. Sidetracked by revenge, Chon is unleashed into the wild west. And wasn't that Native American soup he was eating right before getting high on the peace pipe? Shanghai Knights (2003),

Dir., David Dobkin Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson) arrives in 1880 London with Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) to track down Jack the Ripper and says "I hear London is ass soup--lots of pretty sistas!" She Devil (1989),

Dir., Susan Seidelman Jealous dumped wife Ruth (Roseanne Barr) wages war on ex-hubby's mistress Mary (Meryl Streep), even pumping up Mary's annoying mom in the nursing home. "Well how about some nice hardy beef barley?" Ruth says, putting down the tray. Quoth mom, slurping down the soup, "Do you think you could sneak me a beer?" (Thanks to Bev McMullen for the cite!) Shirley Valentine (1989),

Dir., Lewis Gilbert Shirley, out of sterile England and in Greece at last, is coopted in the resort restaurant by Jeanette and Dougie from Manchester...who couldn't stand the sight of an Englishwoman alone. She is forced to endure plummy storries at table about building a house extension to accommodate a jacuzzi. She brightly turns to the camera and says:

"It's a good job we're not having soup or I'd put me head in it and drown myself."

The Shop Around the Corner (1940),

Dir., Ernst Lubitsch Hugo Matuschek (Frank Morgan), the owner of the store in Budapest Hungary, has just come back to work on Christmas Eve after suffering a nervous breakdown from his wife's death. He is lonely and asks each employee as they are leaving if they have plans. They all do, except errand boy Rudy (Charles Smith), the last person to leave. "You mean you are alone in Budapest on Christmas Eve?" Rudy nods. Hugo says "Rudy, do you like chicken noodle soup?" "I certainly do, Mr. Matuschek." And they head down the sidewalk together to a restaurant. Thanks to Beverly McMullen for spotting this one: a milestone--the 50th soup cite to soupsong of the McMullen clan! Shrek (2001),

Dirs., Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson, and Scott Marshall Shrek (Mike Meyers) says to Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) before she leaves to go to the castle, "Maybe you can visit me in the swamp sometime. I can cook all sorts of things for you: Swamp toad soup, . . ." Thanks to Power Soup Submitters Beverly and Steve McMullen for the sighting. Silent Movie (1976),

Dir., Mel Brooks It's close to the end of this ridiculous retro silent movie...New York City-based corporation "Engulf and Destroy" has lost the original and only cut of the stolen "Silent Movie" film...a high speed chase is on....the good guys tangle with a panel truck from "Acne Pest Control" and its 3-foot, 50-pound display rubber fly flies off the truck and lands on an outdoor café table. The newspaper-reading customer (Milton Berle) casually signals--storyboarded in writing, on celluloid (it being a silent movie):

"Waiter, there's a fly in my soup."

You know, this is one sight gag that refuses to die, no matter how many times you get on your knees at night and pray.

Many thanks to Joe Zeff, senior tech support rep at http://home.earthlink.net/~sidebrnz for the contribution.

The Sixth Sense (1999), Dir., M. Night Shymalan Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) finally becomes a believer in 9-year-old Cole Sear's paranormal powers--and encourages him to help the needy ghosts who appear to him. First customer, the ghost of Kyra Collins who is so sad that her "perfect, sacrificing mom" of a mother (Angelica Torn) killed her, that she enlists Cole's help in making public a videotape that has filmed mom in the act of doctoring her soup with poison. The Small Back Room (1949), Dirs., Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger This gritty tale of alcoholism and wartime stress shows bomb expert Sammy Rice's (David Farrar) struggle against the bottle. In one scene, his arrival prevents a civil servant from finishing his soup.

Many thanks to Richard Layne of Great Britain for contributing this and other Powell/Pressburger films, which share "uneaten soup" as a recurrent theme. See I Know Where I'm Going and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, infra.

Snow Dogs (2002), Dir., Brian Levant Forgetting that soup jokes are NOT funny, the script has Thunder Jack (James Coburn) offer Teddy (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) a swig of something bad from his flask: "Have some soup." Teddy takes a gulp and spits it out in disgust: "I thought you said that was soup." Jack replies (badaboom): "Well, there's soup IN it." Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937/2001), Studio, Walt Disney The restored Platinum DVD edition of this classic has the charming scene, cut in the original, of Snow White singing "The Music in Your Soup" to her darling elves. Thanks to Sheila McClune of Denver for the contribution! The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952),

Dir., Henry King Writer Henry Street (Gregory Peck) is dying of a gangrenous wound in Africa, nursed by wife Helen (Susan Hayward). "A little broth will keep your strength up," she says. "I don't need my strength up," he whines, busy reflecting on an unsatisfactory life. "Try to get it down," she admonishes. Soapdish (1991),

Dir., Michael Hoffman Okay, this isn't so easy to explain. Sally Field, playing soap opera diva Celeste Talbert, playing her role of the warm and caring Maggie, is scripted to be doling out bean soup to homeless people in Jamaica after a catastrophic oil spill...then to be attacked with a 12-inch knife by one of them--who is young, beautiful, and mute--and to end up murdering her. When the newly hired unknown turns out to be Celeste's niece (actually her illegitimate daughter), things don't turn out according to script.

Celeste/Maggie: A little soup...because it's so warming.

Homeless man: You're so kind, Miss.

C/M: Call me Maggie. Yes...There we are. Please, go in and stay out of the sun.... ...Here's yours.... ...Thank you.... ...Enjoy it.... [At this point, niece/illegitimate daughter/mute homeless person Angelique/Lori Craven approaches] ...Some for you....

[When niece/etc. goes to stab Aunt/natural mother/etc. Maggie with a huge blade, there's sudden recognition.]

C/M: Lori? Niece/etc.: Aunt Celeste?

Many thanks to Jim Tanner-Uicker from Royal Oak, Michigan, for the contribution!

The Son (Le Fils) (2003),

Dir., Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Stoic, middle-aged vocational carpentry instructor Olivier (Olivier Gourmet) goes home after teaching and heats up a can of soup for dinner--from this calm opening spins a story of dread, irresolution, and ultimate supreme grace. Il Sorpasso, or The Easy Life (1962), Dir., Dino Risi Roberto (Jean-Louis Trintignant), a shy student, meets Bruno (Vittorio Gassman), a forty-year-old exuberant, capricious man, who takes him for a 2-day drive through the Roman country--and at one point stops along the way for a bowl of fish soup. Roberto's wide-eyed admiration turns to knowledge as he realizes the hollowness of the older man. Many thanks to Peter Jones of Los Angeles for the contribution. The Soup Song (1933),

Animator, Ub Iwerks The legendary animation pioneer (and creator of Mickey Mouse) Ub Iwerks left Walt Disney in 1930 and struck out on his own with Flip the Frog. In this adorable short, Flip is head waiter in a cafe, orchestrating the orchestral entertainment, the seating and service, and cooking up the soup in the kitchen. He gets sidetracked by a flirtatious kitten, but ultimately serves the soup to a big tuxedoed dog--first throwing a life preserver to the fly swimming in the soup (see Soup Jokes), then conducting a symphony of the dog's soup sipping to the tune of Auld Lang Syne. Spartacus (1960),

Dir., Stanley Kubrick Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) falls in love with Varinia (Jean Simmons) over soup she's doling out at the Gladiator Slave School in Capua. When she is sold off to decadent Roman aristocrats, he is goaded by Marcellus, the cruel gladiator trainer--and he