17 reviews
Acceptable Inspirational Cinema
Haley Bennett performs the role of Cliquot quite admirably. The supporting cast is fine but aside from her performance no other actor or actress is memorable. There is a lot of dead time in this movie which is likely because the only real point of the movie is to show that she had to overcome the politics of the time with Napoleonic laws and men believing she wasn't cut out to run the vineyard. I would have liked to see more scenes showing how hard she had to work aside from just constantly watching her mix ingredients in vials. There are some parts of her facing men who doubted her, but I wanted more so you could really root for her.
The court scene at the end I thought had so much potential to be used to tell her story of what she had to go through in greater detail, but instead it was decided to just be an exclamation point for her story.
As a side note, all of the accents are very British which is confusing to me considering they're supposed to be French.
Overall, it's not a bad film, and shows that individuals have the ability to overcome their political surroundings. However, it certainly isn't one that will wow you either.
The court scene at the end I thought had so much potential to be used to tell her story of what she had to go through in greater detail, but instead it was decided to just be an exclamation point for her story.
As a side note, all of the accents are very British which is confusing to me considering they're supposed to be French.
Overall, it's not a bad film, and shows that individuals have the ability to overcome their political surroundings. However, it certainly isn't one that will wow you either.
- ThereelscoopwithKK
- Aug 5, 2024
- Permalink
Beautiful and Fascinating.
Widow Clicquot is an adaption of a true story about Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, who was to become known as the "Grande Dame of Champagne". Widowed after her mentally ill husband commits suicide, Barbe-Nicole must take on the male hierarchy to have control over her deceased husband's vineyard and in doing so continue with their quest to create something great, during a time when Napoleon had blocked trade routes. Haley Bennet was superb as Barbe-Nicole, you felt her power and her grief. I have to say she reminds me of Jennifer Lawrence in looks. The whole cast was fantastic, if you love historical dramas about strong women, I highly recommend it.
- destiny_west
- Aug 12, 2024
- Permalink
Relatively dry but well performed period drama that will be of particular interest to wine enthusiasts
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.
- danieljfarthing
- Aug 13, 2024
- Permalink
Fall in love with champagne again. Fine filmmaking and winemaking.
"Widow Clicquot" is an art film with historical chops helping those of us who love champagne and those who study Napolean. "Widow" is important in that title because in the early 19th century Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (Haley Bennett) challenged the 1804 Napoleonic code that didn't allow women to be business owners unless she was a widow.
Throughout the story, flashbacks allow us to see how she became widowed and how she grew into a winemaker helping to establish forever the méthode champenoise. The contemporary scenes allow reflections on the past and, most importantly, the role of women in the early 19th century. Although the early parts where she is struggling and learning the business of producing champagne is visually dark, Bennett infuses Barbe with enough potential energy to light up the screen.
More exciting than seeing her romances with men and wine is the process of refining her test samples into what has been known as "Comet Champagne" after the inspiration of a comet in her sky at that time. Her formula now is identified as Clicquot, a gold standard for fine champagne.
It's possible some would like to discount the feminist angle of this rich biography, but at their peril. The seeds of reasonable progress are sown here because of her excellence in developing the winery and thereby one of the world's greatest wines.
The dramatic tale, from reality, is as powerful as any romantic drama today. Too bad some will miss it out of a fear of being preached to about women's place. It is all about human ingenuity and ambition, male or female.
Throughout the story, flashbacks allow us to see how she became widowed and how she grew into a winemaker helping to establish forever the méthode champenoise. The contemporary scenes allow reflections on the past and, most importantly, the role of women in the early 19th century. Although the early parts where she is struggling and learning the business of producing champagne is visually dark, Bennett infuses Barbe with enough potential energy to light up the screen.
More exciting than seeing her romances with men and wine is the process of refining her test samples into what has been known as "Comet Champagne" after the inspiration of a comet in her sky at that time. Her formula now is identified as Clicquot, a gold standard for fine champagne.
It's possible some would like to discount the feminist angle of this rich biography, but at their peril. The seeds of reasonable progress are sown here because of her excellence in developing the winery and thereby one of the world's greatest wines.
The dramatic tale, from reality, is as powerful as any romantic drama today. Too bad some will miss it out of a fear of being preached to about women's place. It is all about human ingenuity and ambition, male or female.
- JohnDeSando
- Jul 20, 2024
- Permalink
Dramatized version of the rise of a champagne dynasty
According to Wikipedia, Barbe-Nicole married into the Clicquot family, whose holdings included a vineyard and winery. She was widowed at an early age, took over the champagne business, and made it a success using a novel technique that is still in ue today.
According to the dramatic telling in this film, she had a unsympathetic father-in-law, who tried to get her to sell the hectarage she inherited to rival wineries, but she persisted, arguing that her husband lived on in his vines. Despite setbacks that had her sell household goods to pay her workers, her experiments eventually produced a lauded bubbly, at which point her control of the winery was challenged by rivals, who claimed that, by law, she could only do so if she was still a widow (nt remarried), and she was circumventing the law.
Interspersed with the story of his widowhood are flashbacks to scenes of her relationship with her husband, which is a storytelling technique that works for this filmn hinting at a possible caue f his death.
In this version of the story, the winery seems to be seriously underfinanced, one harvest / bottling away from disaster. This would hve happened even if her husband was alive and operating the business. The period costumes do not help, as there are too many men in her lives. Still, it is interesting, even if "the true story of" is a bit of a stretch.
According to the dramatic telling in this film, she had a unsympathetic father-in-law, who tried to get her to sell the hectarage she inherited to rival wineries, but she persisted, arguing that her husband lived on in his vines. Despite setbacks that had her sell household goods to pay her workers, her experiments eventually produced a lauded bubbly, at which point her control of the winery was challenged by rivals, who claimed that, by law, she could only do so if she was still a widow (nt remarried), and she was circumventing the law.
Interspersed with the story of his widowhood are flashbacks to scenes of her relationship with her husband, which is a storytelling technique that works for this filmn hinting at a possible caue f his death.
In this version of the story, the winery seems to be seriously underfinanced, one harvest / bottling away from disaster. This would hve happened even if her husband was alive and operating the business. The period costumes do not help, as there are too many men in her lives. Still, it is interesting, even if "the true story of" is a bit of a stretch.
An Evenly Balanced, Engaging Watch
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.
- brentsbulletinboard
- Aug 18, 2024
- Permalink
An obscure piece of French history but is not terribly memorable
It's a partial biopic of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (Haley Bennett), the early 19th-century developer of champagne set in France. It follows the arranged marriage of Barbe-Nicole and François Clicquot (Tom Sturridge) that ends with his death after six years and then portrays her efforts to preserve the vineyards, develop new wine mixtures, and export her product against the Napoleonic regulations in effect at the time. She needs to contend with the doubts of her father-in-law, Philippe (Ben Miles). She receives assistance from her distributor, Louis Bohne (Sam Riley), and accountant, Edouard Werle (Anson Boon).
The film focuses on Barbe-Nicole's widowhood and unusual for-the-time female management of an important vineyard but frequently flashes back to her marriage to François. The script interprets him as a gifted vintner who slowly descends into madness and chooses the more dramatic historical possibilities for his death. The marriage part of the story feels intriguing but incomplete. The business story seems to underplay the financial resources Barbe-Nicole has available.
"Widow Clicquot" is a decent watch but a bit choppy. It explores an obscure piece of French history but is not terribly memorable.
The film focuses on Barbe-Nicole's widowhood and unusual for-the-time female management of an important vineyard but frequently flashes back to her marriage to François. The script interprets him as a gifted vintner who slowly descends into madness and chooses the more dramatic historical possibilities for his death. The marriage part of the story feels intriguing but incomplete. The business story seems to underplay the financial resources Barbe-Nicole has available.
"Widow Clicquot" is a decent watch but a bit choppy. It explores an obscure piece of French history but is not terribly memorable.
- steiner-sam
- Aug 1, 2024
- Permalink
Widow Cliquot
Haley Bennett turns in a reasonable effort here as the eponymous lady who has to keep control of her late husband's vineyards at a time in history when Napoleon's wars were raging throughout Europe - and France wasn't doing so well, by this point - and his laws prohibited women from managing so much as a dinner party. The death of François (Tom Sturridge) has left her a property that her former father-in-law Philippe (Ben Miles) is keen to sell to the neighbouring Mr. Moet but with a bit of help from accountant "Edouard" (Anson Boon) and roguish distributor "Droite" (Paul Rhys) she is determined to develop her own brand of Champagne and, probably more precariously, get the stuff to the well-heeled markets readily prepared to pay through the nose for wine without the "frog-eyed bubbles". The framework is here for a good story, depicting the struggles of a woman - and a father - coming to terms with an untimely death amidst a wartime environment. We do learn a little, via flashback, that her marriage was loving but that her husband became mentally ill putting huge stress on this woman and on their young daughter but the dramatisation is rather let down by a typically uninspiring performance from Sturridge and some quite weak storytelling. Certainly, the film looks great and it illustrates well the difficulties in getting the vintage grown in the first place before bottling these mobile explosive devices and taking them, by wagon, to market and it's quite richly scored by Bryce Dessner, but director Thomas Napper has over-relied on the aesthetics of the film and put too little into the characterisations of a woman who clearly knew her own mind and was not going to let her beloved husband's legacy disappear - even at the risk of bankruptcy. It's worth a watch, but a cinema screening doesn't really add much value to this undercooked period drama that just lacked, well, fizz.
- CinemaSerf
- Aug 28, 2024
- Permalink
Fine whine of period piece.
God forbid a woman should live her own life, for herself, without men pulling her in all directions
This is the feeling I get from this movie. Even the writers felt the same need to make Barbe Nicole in need of male attention and companionship of some form or other. I actually resent the angle that this movie takes. Instead of focusing on this women's determination, resilience and ingeniousness, we are served this sob tale of a young woman's curbed romantic life, as she loses her beloved husband (who we later find out was not much of a gem) and then she has to deal with men trying to "protect" her from herself. She becomes some sort of early feminist icon with some very bad dialogue - the wheel and the hierarchy and how she must project strength as a woman amidst men who only see the weakness of her sex. That scene in court with Bohne coming to her defense with his miraculous "solution" I wanted to scream so much at him... She has a great comeback but how did the trial end though and why?
Plus the movie compresses quite a few years and I doubt a woman of that era would have allowed her maid or housekeeper to call her by her first name. That one really irked me.
Anyway, I got really tired of Francois and all the flashbacks and the musings and the wistful stares. It's great as a period movie, it hits all the regular beats, but I found the characters and the story unsatisfactory.
Plus the movie compresses quite a few years and I doubt a woman of that era would have allowed her maid or housekeeper to call her by her first name. That one really irked me.
Anyway, I got really tired of Francois and all the flashbacks and the musings and the wistful stares. It's great as a period movie, it hits all the regular beats, but I found the characters and the story unsatisfactory.
- lilianaoana
- Aug 23, 2024
- Permalink
Missed the mark
Perfect for wine and champagne enthusiasts
- RegalsReelView
- Jul 22, 2024
- Permalink
Not what I expected and not in a good way
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!
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!
Neither entertaining nor informative enough
This film was only entertaining enough to prevent you from dropping it halfway through, 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 happens to be an important employee which 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 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's essentially none. It fails as a character study and it fails a drama. The only redeeming quality here is that you see Barbe struggle and persevere a little, but overall I wouldn't recommend this film.
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 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's essentially none. It fails as a character study and it fails a drama. The only redeeming quality here is that you see Barbe struggle and persevere a little, but overall I wouldn't recommend this film.
Imagine a Cork Popping
Story of Triumph over Adversity Set in early 18th Century France. The Family hierarchy becomes emotionally unstable and Dies, He Wills his beloved Grape Vines to his strong-willed Wife (Bennett). Widowed she has relationship with her Distributor , but they don't marry. Napoleon Law does not approve of a Female running the Vineyards, but she outsmarts them besides creating a Award Winning Champagne still produced and distributed Worldwide Today.
Pop the🍾and get out the Hardware 🏆 Picture Actress Supporting Actor Director all Likely nominated for many Awards !! Especially Haley Bennett.
In Theatres NOW, Plan on stopping by the Store on way home to get some Champagne. 🍾
Pop the🍾and get out the Hardware 🏆 Picture Actress Supporting Actor Director all Likely nominated for many Awards !! Especially Haley Bennett.
In Theatres NOW, Plan on stopping by the Store on way home to get some Champagne. 🍾
- Intermissionman_
- Jul 19, 2024
- Permalink
British actors for the story of a french lady...
I didn't like this movie,
Not because the story is not interesting, but why putting british actors for a french movie ?
I will be a bit provocative, but it's like to do a movie about Bill gates but with Japonese actors... I have nothing against Japonese but that does reflect the reality.
They should have done this movie with french actors with english subtitles... So at the end this movie looks and sounds completely fake and weird, and a bit offensive against the reality of this woman...
However the story of this woman is very interesting and a french movie about it should for sure be done.
I will be a bit provocative, but it's like to do a movie about Bill gates but with Japonese actors... I have nothing against Japonese but that does reflect the reality.
They should have done this movie with french actors with english subtitles... So at the end this movie looks and sounds completely fake and weird, and a bit offensive against the reality of this woman...
However the story of this woman is very interesting and a french movie about it should for sure be done.
- victorbuzy
- Jul 21, 2024
- Permalink
Engaging and inspiring
I love champagne so I may have started out very optimistic
This film delivers on many levels . The actors are thrilling
Each one of them relished in their parts and brought a different 'flavor'( I couldn't resist) to this film. The on screen chemistry between Mme Cliquot and her husband
Is seductive and thought provoking
The production design is captivating as well as cinematography. I was also moved by the script and the obvious themes , but the words of the widow made me contemplate as I sat in my seat. Ofcourse the movie is very interesting to a champagne lover or Francophile but a movie so well done will bring enjoyment to any viewer
Cheers to director Napper🥂
Cheers to director Napper🥂
- rcfkqsbp-25162
- Aug 5, 2024
- Permalink