Menus-Plaisirs: Les Troisgros review – Frederick Wiseman’s huge feast for the eyes | film

AThe latest offering by Frederick Wiseman, the demigod of American cinema, is a 6,000-course tasting menu for a documentary, like one of those masterpieces that encapsulate all the delicious foods featured in Studio Ghibli films. Most of the 95-year-old’s life has been devoted to chronicling American institutions, but here he returns to the French work in which he has been immersed since the mid-1990s (he lives in the country part-time). In this case, he sneaks into the three-Michelin-starred Le Bois sans Feuilles restaurant in Ouches in the Loire, serving up four hours of hardcore gastronomy.

In long, eavesdropping panels, Weisman takes stock of every aspect of the business: brainstorming recipes, rearranging market stalls, setting the table, preparing meals, farms suppliers, and sniffing customers’ mouths. This luxurious retreat is part of the Maison Troisgros business, which has been run by the same family in nearby Roanne for four generations. Michel Trosgros is the current patriarch, but his son Cesar is now the head chef. Weisman, who as usual avoids narrative, lets us know all this as he follows his nose through kitchens and dining areas.

There is no drama here. No Gordon Ramsay tantrums, no ego Anton-type food critics keeping everyone on their toes. Just a monastic absorption in pure process in a workspace that Troisgros maintains so quietly, all the better is his creation. The attention to detail is astonishing: meals begin with briefs on the personal circumstances and dietary characteristics of the diners at each table. One discussion revolves around the effects of lighting and air movements on the texture of crème brûlée.

At one point, Michel Trosgros insists that the kitchen is not cinema, but real life. But Weisman continually highlights the importance of careful observation in ingredients, taste, preparation and presentation that enables the material world to be elevated to the level of art; From the cream forensics to the staff fiddling with the cutlery until the preparation is just right. Adhering to the same principle, the director sets up shop with meticulous precision, alternating conversations with rustic static shots or close-ups of the kitchen.

At the end of a four-hour sit-down with Michel ambivalent about giving up to the next generation, Weisman seems to sympathize with the reluctance to give up. There’s always another new flavor for the chef to try, another beautiful frame for the director to create – although the film’s remit is perhaps over-extended once Weisman begins to drift into the hotel business next door to the Troisgros. But the main frustration is that the only bite we get of many of the wonders prepared here is with the eye.