Like a fine wine, this drama is full-bodied and complex and provides a fascinating look at the matter of the transmission of knowledge, heritage and tradition in the world of wine.
Perfect for Christmas in the sense that you’ll look on your own family a little more warmly after this one.
A dyed-in-the-wool, easy-on-the-eye example of a genre that can usefully be shorthanded ‘classy French’: big, gorgeous compositions, a gilded palette, characterful faces and not a word wasted or a scene out of place.
Legrand’s rousing, full-bodied drama may be late in reaching the UK (it’s almost two years old now) but is still well worth savouring.
Legrand’s classy direction and refined cast ensures the unpleasant surprises the film has in store are something to savour.
Lustrous photography and a fine cast make this dark drama a compelling one.
It's all a bit absurd, but Legrand handles the absurdity with some style, and there is something clever in making an apparently minor character responsible for a major narrative flourish. An enjoyable spectacle.
It's well acted, slips easily and satisfactorily from the realistic into the melodramatic, and for the unviticultured like myself it is highly informative.
An acid drama which leaves a deliciously bitter aftertaste.
Edinburgh Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday December 7, 2012, until Thursday December 13, 2012. More info: www.filmhousecinema.com
Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow from Friday December 14, 2012, until Thursday December 20, 2012. More info: http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/