Widow Clicquot Movie Review & Movie Summary (2024)

It’s a French story, obviously, but an international production, directed by Brit Thomas Knopper and starring American Haley Bennett in the title role. Its inspiration is the real-life story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsard’s Glicquot, whose husband François (Tom Sturridge, seen vividly in flashbacks) dies when Barbe is in his twenties. Nevertheless, she is determined to control François’s winemaking concern. It is 18^Th century, moving into the 19^Th, we get a lot of „not well done” from tut-tutting men, including those at Moët, who want to ditch the barbeque. Françoise’s father Philippe (Ben Miles) is a little worried about this. But Barbe insists that not only can she do the job, but she’s the only person who really understands the job. Why do we create, Barbe asks in a voiceover at the beginning of the film. „We” are humanity. „It’s because we have to reveal our secrets,” was her reply. You can only make champagne in the Champagne regions of France, but making it is truly a work of art. While the film initially offers little beyond the dreamy foufara often used to describe the „creative process,” it eventually turns its attention to the practical aspects of winemaking, which, in the case of Barbe and François, can be decidedly whimsical or contemplative. -Squares-Strange, elements, talking to flags etc.

Bennett is better than decent in the title role; Her character grows deeper as she searches for love amidst her work struggles. His business was boosted by the champagne craze that swept Russia during the Napoleonic Wars. But she’s also tied to the past, and one of the film’s interesting aspects is how François is portrayed as the film’s flashbacks continue: at first he’s smart, charming, eccentric; Increasingly, he is temperamental and can be a bit of a nut. Barbe tries to respect her husband’s ambition considering he is bound under his irrational thumb. The film doesn’t capitalize on this intriguing dynamic, and The National isn’t necessarily the first guy you’d tap for a period picture, despite various unusual touches, including Price Desner’s musical score. The Widow Clicquot” ultimately resolves into a typical depiction of a woman’s determination. Calling this a „Girlboss” story would be reductive, but it wouldn’t be entirely accurate.