Dvd

The Vintner's Luck

The Vintner's Luck

2009

Kiwi director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) follows up her well-received Hollwood debut, North Country, with this adaptation of Elizabeth Knox's novel about a peasant winemaker in Napoleon-era, 19th Century France. Stars the great Vera Farmiga (The Departed) and Keisha Castle-Hughes as a foxy salt-of-the-earth peasant girl.

Sobran Jodeau (Jérémie Renier) is an ambitious young peasant winemaker with three loves – his beautiful and passionate wife Celeste (Keisha Castle-Hughes), the proudly intellectual baroness Aurora de Valday (Vera Farmiga) and Xas (Gaspard Ulliel), a fallen angel who strikes up an unlikely but enduring friendship. Under the angel's guidance, Sobran is forced to fathom the nature of love, belief and immortality – in pursuit of the perfect vintage.

Starring Jérémie Renier, Gaspard Ulliel, Vera Farmiga, Keisha Castle-Hughes

Directed by Niki Caro ('North Country, Whale Rider')

Written by Niki Caro, Joan Scheckel (based on the novel by Elizabeth Knox)

Romance, Fantasy, Drama, Adaptation | 2hr 7mins | Rated (M) | contains sex scenes | Origin: New Zealand, France

Flicks review

  • If it wasn’t for the white-winged, waxed-chested angel, The Vintner’s Luck might not have endured such a hellish reception following its debut at the Toronto Film Festival. Kiwi director Niki Caro took a massive risk adapting Elizabeth Knox’s complex, erotic novel, particularly when she decided to shift the focus from theology and the relationship with the angel to Sobran’s wine-making skills.

    Then again, the angel who befriends the protagonist in this ambitious epic of passion, toil and mortality is not the only distraction in this otherwise impressive-looking feature. Although the script mostly avoids sentimentality, so much of Sobran’s life is packed into the 127 minutes it’s difficult to get a sense of time passing, just as it’s hard to know if Caro meant for the gaps in narrative to be filled by intelligent guess work. Each time the angel arrives for his yearly visit, the context and setting are lost. That’s a shame because everything else – the cinematography, scenery and tone, is a work of beauty.

    Although Keisha Castle-Hughes as the vintner’s wife seems a little young to be spawning so many little angels of her own, French actor Jeremie Renier gives a hearty performance as Sobran and Vera Farmiga as the vulnerable yet strong-willed Baroness balances elegance with vulnerability. If you’ve been craving a heartfelt cinematic explanation of the wine-making process, you’ll find it in the grape-squelching, dirt-eating, bug-crawling earthiness of The Vintner’s Luck. Just ignore that heavenly creature.

    By Rebecca Barry, Flicks.co.nz

 Our Rating       3

The Peoples voice

  • Worst film of the year

    absolute rubbish

    By Pollyanna

  • My good this was

     1

    painful. The acting was terrible, story was slow, and it seemed to just go on and on. Hughes and Caro are quite possibly the worst to come out of New Zealand since David Bain and John Hawkebury. Honestly do not see this film it is complete crap, god its so boring! And the fact Hughes is pumping out kids and is married is a little bit silly as she appears far too young.

    And while in real life she may have a child, there is a name for that. If I could give no stars I would.

    By Sam

  • box wine

     2

    I haven't read the book, but from seeing this film I would say its dying for a gay relationship to make sense of much of the drama, or lack of it. It feels curiously empty of tasty ideas, trying hard to be profound and ending up watery. The physical encumbrance and pantomime feel of the angel wings are a major mistake, and a completely implausible first meeting taints the angel/Sobran relationship for the rest of the film. And the camera work is irritating and distracting. And I was bored. But I did like the overall look and feel, its earthy sensuousness, and the exploration of wine making, so a pity its flawed.

    By keesh

  • Horrible storytelling, did no justice to the book.

     1

    It's like the title was slapped onto an entirely different story.

    By jj

  • A Good Performance all round

     5

    A perfect balance of mystique, incredible scenery, fairy tale and a dash of authentic realism of how life may have been.
    This film requires concentration on all levels by the viewer.

    Bravo Keisha Bravo Niki

    By picnz

  • corked

    laughable. flat. cringe. pointless. vacuous. trite.

    By tyke1

  • A Remarkable Failure

     1

    This adaptation of a great New Zealand novel is the cinematic equivalent to a terminal illness; depressing, excruciating, perverse.
    Niki Caro finally proves conclusively she has little skill as a filmmaker. Beautiful as it may be, gorgeous imagery can't mask such stolid characterization and story arch. There is really nothing compelling here. What a waste.

    By Oliver

  • A DELIGHTFUL & SENSUALTALE

     4

    We ignored the critics - and often do and took off during the day to see this film yesterday. Whilst there are some scenes that we could see what some of the critics were saying, for the majority of the film we were completely swept away. One piece of advice is let this film wash over you with a good glass of red, it is stunning on screen and the international cast are a delight. The film is incredibly sensual and you will not be dissapointed

    By blackwhiteandcolour

  • wrong on so many levels

     1

    We almost walked out. Sex scences were, well, vulger and unnecessary. The chemistry between chracters was bizzare and confusing. Castle-Hughes doesn't age and isn't convincing. Too much unexplained. Only highlight would be the baroness who had some depth to her character. People shouldn't put up ratings until they have seen a movie.

    By kel

  • Unconvincing

     2

    I am really sorry to say this as I was really looking forward to this film. Saw a preview last night and was left feeling very unconvinced. Keisha's character was not aged at all even though her husband aged dramatically through the film. Having read the book previously, I also felt that with all the angst re: the relationship with the angel which was integral to the story missing,the film was quite flat.

    By Jo

  • Wonderful Vintners Luck

     5

    This film is simply stunning and we should be so proud its a NZ film. Great performance from Keisha and the other strong leads. Its looks wonderful and is a great emotional journey

    By Missy

  • A Mediocre Vintage.

     3

    It seems odd and perhaps misjudged to adapt a book and to alter the key themes. This film presents a very sanitized adaptation of a book that was originally concerned with a homo-erotic relationship and religion. An underwhelming follow up to Whale Rider.

    By Susan

  •  5

    The only thing wrong is I have to wait till Nov to see the film!

    By Suzie Jones

 Collective Voice    0000000000003.00

Your review has been posted, you have spoken, and for that we thank you. – Ed.

Tell us all that is right or wrong with this flick:

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Press Reviews

  • Christchurch Press (Graeme Tuckett)

    2 2 out of 5 stars

    The Vintner's Luck is good to look at, and a few scenes hint at the film I think the book, and we, deserved. But the rest is a baffling
    Click to read the full review

  • Hollywood Reporter

    Very silly and incoherent melodrama gets tangled up in the wings of an angel.
    Click to read the full review

  • NZ Herald (Peter Calder)

    2 2 out of 5 stars

    The dreary, rambling narrative, the trite theme, the unconscionably long running time combine to make a major disappointment.
    Click to read the full review

  • TV3 (Kate Rodger)

    3 3 out of 5 stars

    It was an ambitious project to adapt this tale, and while it’s in no way a failure, it’s certainly not a triumph.
    Click to read the full review

  • Variety (USA)

    New Zealand writer-director Niki Caro delivers her least impressive vintage with this drearily literal-minded adaptation of "The Vintner's Luck," Elizabeth Knox's novel about a 19th-century French peasant who receives celestial guidance in matters of love and winemaking. It's one of those ambitious grand-summation works -- rooted in the bittersweet truism that life, like wine, grows richer with age -- but not even Caro's earthy, sensuous filmmaking can overcome the tale's glib supernatural conceit, overstated moral lessons and overall dramatic torpor.
    Click to read the full review

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