A toast to a brilliant woman

Based on a true story, “Widow Clicquot,” at the MV Film Center, is a sensuous film that transports us to another century.

Set in the 1800s, the film opens in a French vineyard where husband François (Tom Sturridge) is introducing his beautiful, magnetic wife, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (Haley Bennett,) to the grapes that will be their life’s work. With this scene we are grounded in the couple’s spiritual connection to the beautiful land and to one another.

Cut to a 27-year-old Barbe-Nicole being dressed in widow’s clothing and attending François’ funeral with her distraught daughter in tow.

Told in flashback and present time, what unfolds is the story of how this remarkable woman persevered to create Veuve Clicquot champagne, one of the finest in the world.

Despite being an arranged marriage, the couple was deeply in love and equal partners in their endeavor until his death.

François was a passionate visionary whose romantic soul was anything but stable. He wills the vineyard to Barbe-Nicole, who, according to the Napoleonic Code, can only retain the property if she remains a widow. From the outset, she faces opposition from her father-in-law (Ben Miles) and others who pressure her to sell the property. The field foreman is set against her because she is a woman.

As she tries to take the reins of the family business, Barbe-Nicole wants to create a metaphorical wheel where others can sit with her at the table and trade ideas. She is told by Louis, her dedicated wine distributor and friend of François, that listening and collaborating is not a sign of strength. “Without strict hierarchy, there is chaos,” he explains. “You need to dictate without hesitation, or you may lose the respect of those working under you. You undermine the system. If unforgiving, they may idolize you.” She asks, “I must give up my idea of the wheel because it makes men uncomfortable?”

In addition to discrimination, Barbe-Nicole must deal with the Napoleonic War and a blockade that makes it illegal to sell abroad. She must devise an ingenious way to distribute her product.

The obstacles persist. Barbe-Nicole must carry on François’ legacy of experimentation, pushing against wine-making traditions and capricious seasons threatening the grapes. To top it off, Monsieur Moët is a fierce competitor.

Time and again she is tenacious and persists. She wants to be in the vineyard with her workers to whom she is devoted. “I want to live, and work, and learn.”

Filmed in Burgundy at Château de Béru, “Widow Clicquot”, is superbly directed by Thomas Napper (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, The Darkest Hour), and Caroline Champetier, moody and evocative cinematography transports to early 1800s into the story of a remarkable woman.

For tickets and information to “Widow Cliquot,” which is followed by a Q&A with producer Christina Weiss Lurie, visit https://mvfilmsociety.com/2024/07/widow-clicquot/.