Following Philippe

Two documentaries

Over the weekend, I borrowed two documentaries about wine from the local library and watched them. My thoughts on both films follow.

John Cleese's Wine For The Confused
While wine can at times be a stuffy subject for aristocratic snobs, John Cleese attempted to bring it down to the level of the average person while still explaining some of the more intellectual levels of becoming a wine connoisseur. Unfortunately, poor camera work, poor editing and poor sound mar this otherwise educational and entertaining introduction to wine.

This short (under an hour in length) film discusses the most common varietals while also introducing the viewer to what goes on at a wine tasting. Cleese also visits several wineries in California, where he speaks with experts about some of the fundamentals of wine (tannins, for instance). He does all of this in a non-elitist manner, making for an entertaining film that offers a good introduction for people just starting to wrap their brains around the intellectual pursuits of wine.

Mondovino
Mondovino, on the other hand, takes a very different approach. It focuses on the differences between Old World (specifically, France and Italy) and New World (mostly the U.S., but also Argentina and Brazil) winemaking. The film has more to do with the industry and artistic nature of wine, and how differences between the Old World and the New World, as well as differences between those in each region, create much conflict between all involved.

For those not in the mood for subtitles, Mondovino should be left on the shelf, as the majority of the film is in French and Italian. Additionally, the documentary tends to drag after awhile (it does run for over two hours), as the edits continue to bounce back and forth between several major figures in the wine industry, some of which continue to say the same thing over and over again. In fact, you can almost see the chip on the shoulder of some of the Old World winemakers.

However, Mondovino offers an interesting glimpse into the highly chaotic world of wine and what many behind the labels see in the LCBO actually think about the past, present and future of the industry. Some poor camera work and shot framing spoils the film a little bit, but otherwise, the odd microphone creeping the frame and the several bouncy shots can be ignored.

posted by Chris @ 10:25 AM