FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
MONDOVINO
A trained sommelier, filmmaker Jonathan Nossiter offers a fascinating global look at
the people behind the Burgundies and Bordeaux we drink. From
77-year-old French winemaker Yvonne Hegoburu, who tends her 6.5
hectares of vineyards herself, to migrant grape pickers in California
and slick French wine consultant Michel Rolland, Nossiter introduces
viewers to the world of wine.
He pits traditional wine producers in southern France and Italy
against giants such as Robert Mondavi, owner of California’s
Robert Mondavi Winery, a half-a-billion dollar a year business.
Nossiter lingers in lush French vineyards, reclines in the
back seat of Rolland’s Mercedes, and
explores the international effects of wine critiques with critic
Robert Parker. Some experts accuse
Parker, whose nose is insured for $1 million, of spurring wine fraud
across the world - allegedly winemakers eager to find their way into his reviews
will alter the color and concentration of their wines.
If Sideways stimulated your interest in the drink, Mondovino’s
multilingual worldwide tour will expand your understanding of the
industry, opening your eyes to unknown issues and little known facts
about the production and sale of wine. But it is also a documentary
about its craft and future. Nossiter makes wine personal through the details he captures.
Close-ups reveal wrinkles in winemakers’ worn faces, and panning
shots of the subjects at home and at work perhaps divulge more
than words. In almost every scene, Nossiter films his subjects’ dogs; there’s a
plethora of close-ups of boxers, bulldogs, and basset hounds
who play, gnaw on stolen chunks of fine cheese, and gaze quizzically
at the camera. At times funny and always informative, Mondovino
offers both sides of the story, but moves viewers to root for the
underdog. In one of the most touching moments,
Antonio Cabezas, a self-professed uneducated Argentinean winemaker who
earns only $60 a month, offers Nossiter a bottle of wine. He is the
only one to do so in the entire film. Deborah Lynn Blumberg
DVD Extras: The director's commentary is simple, yet very informative as Nossiter begins by stating he will
not speak
much; he hopes his film "can stand on its own." Usually, he is correct in this assumption;
his commentary adds facts or background knowledge only when needed. The
bonus footage will be enjoyed by any viewer that appreciated Mondovino, as it is filmed
in the same style and has the same strong emotional pull. Many of the characters
return, and the most touching moment is where independent winemaker Michel Lafarge
reappears with his wife, children and grandchildren. The family is seen embracing their struggles
together
while still being able to smile and laugh. For those who enjoy both the film and the bonus
footage, the entire 10-part series will be available on DVD soon. (Mondovino is only the
beginning.) Emily Genzlinger
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