The next time you pick up a flute of champagne, you may think about how it was crafted after seeing this film. Haley Bennett’s characterization of a young French woman who took over her late husband’s wine operation in Napoleon Era France is a story for now. Bennett is known for roles in Cyrano, Till, Hillbilly Elegy, The Girl on the Train).
British Director Thomas Napper follows Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin’s life as the 20-year-old wife of frenetic, erratic genius winemaker François Clicquot played by Tom Sturridge. He was a tormented soul who turned to opium to alleviate depression. Napper uses frequent flashbacks to juxtapose their loving relationship interspersed with his violent episodes.
It’s based on Tilar J. Mazzeo’s 2008 book “The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It.” The film shows the love and devotion of the couple until François goes off the deep end in his frantic search for the perfect champagne. Sturridge makes mood swings change from 0 to 60 in a flash while Napper shows how his frightened wife tries to handle him and protect their daughter from his violent outbursts. She was only 27 when he died and had to fight with his family to continue his research. She succeeded and even devised a new technique using a riddling table, turning the bottles to remove sediment and clarify the champagne.
With the help of Louis Bohne (Sam Riley), a wine merchant and close friend of her husband, the Widow Cliquot is able to sell the wine beyond Napoleon’s barriers and embargoes, with success reaching even to Russia. There is still much resistance to her owning the business at a time when women with such power was unheard of. And she had to assuage rumors of she and Louis having an affair.
Bennett’s performance is subtle, subdued, loving and caring for her husband who taught her all about making wine. When he dies, apparently of an overdose, she becomes driven and persistent as a chemist looking for what will become a treasured vintage. She invented the sparkling rosé, joining the line that became known as Veuve Clicquot (Widow Cliquot). It’s still in production now. Her coveted champagne was the first bubbly to sell in Russia and the United States.
This fascinating story was beautifully shot by Caroline Charpentier in Chablis and Reims, France with a screenplay by Erin Dignam and Christopher Monger. Napper has worked extensively with Joe Wright who is also a producer on this film. The rich score that accentuates the love story along in the lush Cliquot vineyards is by award winning Bryce Dessner. Almost all of the action takes place on the Cliquot Estate except for the climactic act when the Widow stands trial before a court of disapproving men.
Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Cliquot came to understand that for a vine to produce outstanding grapes it must be put under intense stresses. This film exquisitely shows the same to be true for the woman who made the wine.
Vertical. 90 minutes. R
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