Film Review – Widow Clicquot

Director Thomas Napper has a special creative challenge with his work on “Widow Clicquot.” The feature tells the story of Barbe-Nicole, a woman who, against all calls for her dismissal, worked to save the champagne business she once shared with her husband. It’s a tale of a vineyard and growing resentments, which doesn’t automatically translate to riveting cinema. The film is an adaptation of a 2008 “business biography” by Tilar J. Mazzeo, and the screenplay (by Erin Dignam) manages to make something vital with the story, which touches on the struggles of commerce, the reality of relationships, and the strength of a woman trying to stand alone in a world run by men. It’s elegantly made by Napper and gracefully acted by lead Haley Bennett, who offers a complex understanding of stress, adding some emotional sophistication to an interesting picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com