Thursday, February 02, 2006
Mondo Vino
Corporate mofos vs. small business, proponents of globalism vs. localists, suave fellow with cell phone in the back of a benz vs. the famer with weathered face and tweed cap. The latest Michael Moore film? Nope, Mondo Vino, a film chronicling some of issues facing the wine industry today. For a wine dork like me, it was a very entertaining and informative glance at some of the major players in the industry and what drives them. For the casual wine type, it is still a well produced documentary with colorful characters and somewhat universal themes of market driven industry versus traditional practices.
The central theme is how can local, traditional methods and styles compete against the "modern" style of wine as produced by (increasingly) larger corporate wineries. The film is basically a series of interviews with winemakers, winery owners, industry people and others who were involved in specific events that highlight this meme. The interviewer converses with them in their offices, in their vineyards, on the road with them while travelling to clients, or at their grandiose visitor centers. A simple hand-held camera captures the exchange and point of view of a bystander. The conversations are casual and the questions simple as we are first introduced to the scenarios and subjects. The filmmakers skillfully set up the conflict from boths sides by showing segments of interviews in a well edited progression. As the matters become more complicated, the questions become more pointed. Each side is given a chance to explain their side as the conflicts become more involved. As the dirty details are revealed, the answers to the questions become more guarded and at times, contradictory.
I suspect that the producers intentionally protrayed some elements of duplicity and common jackassery to liven up the film but it works well in portraying the nature of the theme. Unfortunately, the DVD I had crapped out on me 15 minutes before the film ended so I don't know what sort of resolution there is, if any. What I did see was a fairly even portrayal. The small producers are seen in a more sympathetic light but the unstoppable forces of the market which drive the other team are respected for their acumen and the inevitability of progress.
I laughed, I yelled at the screen, I sipped some wine...not a bad night in front of the tube given some of the other options out there. Anyone with a serious interest in wine, particularly French wine, should give it a viewing. You can at least relish the footage of centuries old cellars full of barrels, scenic vineyard vistas and the charm of the old farmers.
The central theme is how can local, traditional methods and styles compete against the "modern" style of wine as produced by (increasingly) larger corporate wineries. The film is basically a series of interviews with winemakers, winery owners, industry people and others who were involved in specific events that highlight this meme. The interviewer converses with them in their offices, in their vineyards, on the road with them while travelling to clients, or at their grandiose visitor centers. A simple hand-held camera captures the exchange and point of view of a bystander. The conversations are casual and the questions simple as we are first introduced to the scenarios and subjects. The filmmakers skillfully set up the conflict from boths sides by showing segments of interviews in a well edited progression. As the matters become more complicated, the questions become more pointed. Each side is given a chance to explain their side as the conflicts become more involved. As the dirty details are revealed, the answers to the questions become more guarded and at times, contradictory.
I suspect that the producers intentionally protrayed some elements of duplicity and common jackassery to liven up the film but it works well in portraying the nature of the theme. Unfortunately, the DVD I had crapped out on me 15 minutes before the film ended so I don't know what sort of resolution there is, if any. What I did see was a fairly even portrayal. The small producers are seen in a more sympathetic light but the unstoppable forces of the market which drive the other team are respected for their acumen and the inevitability of progress.
I laughed, I yelled at the screen, I sipped some wine...not a bad night in front of the tube given some of the other options out there. Anyone with a serious interest in wine, particularly French wine, should give it a viewing. You can at least relish the footage of centuries old cellars full of barrels, scenic vineyard vistas and the charm of the old farmers.
# posted by Yossie @ 10:01 AM 
