Directed by Thomas Napper | Written by Erin Dignam and Christopher Monger, from a book by Tilar J. Mazzeo | ▲▲△△△ | Netflix
At first it’s hard to say why this picture is a dud, given the talent arrayed in front of the camera and even behind, and the cinematography is lovely. The themes are also strong, the story of how a woman found success in business at a time — the early 19th Century — when men were arrayed against her from within her operation and without. This is a biopic of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (Haley Bennett, Swallow), who continued to run the French vineyard founded by the family of her husband, François (Tom Sturridge, Netflix’s Sandman) after his death. The film frequently flashes back to their life together while, post-mortem, she gets more and more confident with her own ideas for sparkling wine, pushing against the sexism of the era.
As we go along, it becomes clear this is a drawing room picture of a stuffy, damp sort — despite the occasional lovely exterior the drama is entirely stiff, the dialogue solemn and witless. The flashbacks to Barbe-Nicole and François’ romance, marriage, partnership, and problems are largely tiresome, and when we finally understand why François died — the film clumsily keeps it a secret for more than half the running time — it feels more calculated than a (ahem) properly fermented plot detail. Every time the film explores the past in more detail, its forward momentum ceases and it uses voiceover as a crutch, telling rather than showing.
Sam Riley is Louis Bohne, the couple’s roguish friend who distributes the champagne internationally — he improves things in his scenes, especially as he and Bennett have real chemistry.
I was sadly reminded of the lovely Carey Mulligan picture, Far From The Madding Crowd, from the Thomas Hardy novel. It’s more of a romance than this one but is also the tale of an independent woman running a business, a farm, in 19th Century England — and also stars Tom Sturridge. It had a lush spirit, you felt the emotions of the performers, where this is one is drab.
