La viuda de Clicquot

I went to see the movie at the local cinema due to my wife's suggestion but I was concerned it was the type of movie I would later wish I didn't bother to go and view. Not my cup of tea so to speak.

Instead, I was glad I did. It made me feel I was in the Champagne region and the acting seemed in keeping with the French way. It was in my eyes a realistic portrayal of events and the region.

I knew nothing of the person(s) or the Champagne brand but a little research beforehand helped. In any movie covering someone's life there has to be a balance with what parts are emphasised and I was happy with the mix in that regard.

Working in the industry, I am aware of the place that Madame Clicquot holds in the champagne world to this day. I had read this book and learned some very interesting things about what she did and how she did it. More so, some of her 19th century innovations that are still today's standards. Maybe her most important innovation, the riddling of the bottles during the bottle fermentation, is bearly noted and definitely not named.

What came across in the movie was almost none of that. This ended up somewhat of a confusing love story set against the vineyards of the Champagne region of France. Even her love story with M. Clicquot is ignored, even to the fact and reasons for their marriage taking place in the wine caves under Reims.

This could have been a great story highlighting a woman who really beat the odds when everything was working against her. I had hoped that this might be a good movie for my co-workers to view to learn more about a product we sell quite often. Having watched it, I cannot do that in good conscience, however!

Combining all of the elements that go into making a fine film and blending the various ingredients in just the right proportions is akin to the practice of crafting a fine wine - and quite an irony here given the subject matter of this engaging cinematic biography of Barbe Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (1777-1866) (Haley Bennett), the French winemaker who became better known as "the Grand Dame of Champagne." Having inherited the business of her husband, François (Tom Sturridge), after this death, she vowed to continue operating the winery, carrying on his vision for innovation in the face of stiff competition from the rival Moet organization. But doing so was quite the challenge in light of financial difficulties, vintage failures, the questionable business practices of competitors, the responsibility of raising a young daughter (Cecily Cleeve) as a single mother, onerous operating conditions during the Napoleonic Era and the profound doubts of others (most notably her skeptical sexist father-in-law, Philippe (Ben Miles)) about whether a woman could successfully run an organization like this. Director Thomas Napper's latest chronicles the Widow Clicquot's inventive efforts to address these issues, as well as her ambitious initiatives to live up to the dreams of her late husband, in large part with the assistance of her loyal distributor, Louis (Sam Riley). In telling this story, the filmmaker seamlessly blends challenging events of everyday operations with flashbacks of a more personal nature, exploring the heartfelt feelings that provided the basis for the Clicquot philosophy of winemaking. The picture's superbly crafted narrative and screenplay, combined with exquisite period piece production values and excellent performances (particularly Bennett in one of her best on-screen portrayals), make for an involving, multifaceted watch. Admittedly, there are times in the second half where the story meanders somewhat, and some may find that this release gets a little too detailed when discussing the technical particulars of vinification. However, much of this offering is evenly balanced, effectively holding viewer interest about a subject that's not especially common in the annals of filmmaking. What's more, though, on a more philosophical level, this release celebrates the inherent joy and passion involved in the act of creating, ideas applicable to the manifestation of any artform, be it wine or painting or whatever else we're capable of envisioning and bringing into being. And, if that's not worth drinking a toast to, I don't know what is.

Relatively dry period drama "Widow Clicquot" is the true story of how in the late 16th century the titular Barbe Nicole Clicquot (rising star Haley Bennett - excellent) inherited the Clicquot vineyards of Champagne from crazy genius husband Tom Sturridge, and with steely determination (and the support of Sam Riley) fought off largely chauvinistic pressure from those around her (including Ben Miles & Paul Rhys) AND oppressive Napoleonic laws, to forge a legacy living on today through Veuve Clicquot. Thomas Napper directs solidly, and Erin Dignam's screenplay (cut with flashbacks) is interesting, tho perhaps only REALLY interesting to wine enthusiasts.

This was only entertaining enough to prevent me from dropping it halfway through, but that's not saying much because I'm not used to dropping films in general; I found myself waiting for it to end. The female protagonist is supposed to be a historical figure who invented several new methods for champagne production and revolutionised the industry. Yet in this film she doesn't feel like someone who commands respect or is inspirational, she comes across as meek and agreeable. Her deceased husband takes up too much screen time and her love affair with her merchant feels unnecessary, why exactly does she have to be sexualised in a movie about how innovative she was? I guess her husband being her raison d'etre wasn't quite enough, they had to sexually involve another man who also happened to be an important employee that her business depended on heavily.

In a weirdly vague manner, when Barbe was having a conversation with her husband about his relationship with the merchant (Droite), it was hinted that they may have had feelings that went beyond friendship between them; it was also vaguely hinted that the merchant may be attracted to men in a scene where he was supposedly flirting with a new male employee. So what exactly was that for? No reason other than the fact that this film came out in 2024 I suppose. I almost thought that the flashback plot would involve cheating and some weird open relationship situation involving the trio.

If you're a champagne enthusiast watching this, don't expect any scenes explaining much about the innovations she came up with, because there are virtually none. If I'm to be charitable, I can say the only redeeming quality is how dedicated the main character seems to her "craft", but whether or not you will agree will probably heavily depend on your mood because it's not substantial, especially since her main motivation is her late husband. Overall I wouldn't recommend this; it fails as a character study, it fails as a drama and it's also a pretty pathetic attempt at a "feminist" film. Let's be blunt and just admit it's ultimately one big advertisement for the champagne brand in question.