Did you know that Patreon subscribers at the $10/month level can suggest frock flicks for us to review? If the movie or series is available on common U.S. streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, we’ll consider it! That’s why I checked out Widow Clicquot (2024), on reader Julia’s request.
Given that it’s a biopic of the Grande Dame of Champagne, who essentially founded this delicious brand, I was intrigued. But I was first thrown off by this quintessentially French story not being in subtitled French, but instead the actors all speak English with British accents. Hm, OK, that’s easier on me but surprising. It was at least filmed in Reims, France, and in fact the entire movie takes place in one location. This is nominally because the titular character supposedly didn’t leave her vineyards out of fear they’d be taken from her. But actually, the film’s budget was hugely cut, so the script was rewritten for all events to take place entirely at the vineyard. That both tightens the story and limits it.
The widow — “veuve” in French, hence the champagne “Veuve Clicquot” — is Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (Haley Bennett) who’s husband François (Tom Sturridge) dies in 1805 after 6 years of marriage. He maybe died from of a fever but it could have been opium addiction and suicide, that’s never made clear. Heck, the date is never made clear, I found that on Wikipedia! This isn’t a title card situation, which is probably fine for the average non-Frock Flicker, but if you’re making a movie based on actual historical people, I need to know the dates.
Historical accuracy isn’t the primary focus of this movie, and yes, we are aware that it’s not the focus of most any movie. But this story really pumps up some Great Passionate Love between Barbe-Nicole and François instead of Barbe-Nicole’s own passion, drive, and determination to create new wines and build a successful business. This wouldn’t be an anachronistic feminism tale here, she was an actual woman trying to be equal in a man’s world.
Show more of that instead of her mooning over some dead guy — especially because hers was an arranged marriage. They probably liked each other, and François did dream of turning his family’s small wine business into something bigger and shared that idea with Barbe-Nicole. But the biography this movie’s supposedly based on The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It by Tilar J. Mazzeo spells it out:
“At its heart, this was a match arranged by their respective fathers, calculated to extend the complicated web of social and entrepreneurial ties that connected the prominent merchant families of Rheims.”
I could use a lot less of the soft-focus, wispy recollections of lost love and more of the hardcore businesswoman Barbe-Nicole became. Ditto on the ending, which puts her on trial for a supposed affair instead of telling the story of how her champagne actually became successful — that’s just summed up on end cards.
Alas, the costumes don’t have much going on to distract from this mushy plot. Designed by Marie Frémont, who also did the TV series Marie Antoinette (2022), the few costumes reflect the same limited budget and tight focus that the filming does.
Barbe-Nicole’s dresses are appropriate, if stripped-down, and everything looks exceedingly plain. She wears black mourning in the “present day” storyline and white in the flashbacks for contrast. There is a brief scene when she wears a bright red dressing gown, and in a Forbes interview, Haley Bennett suggests that director Thomas Napper used several Edvard Munch paintings as inspiration for the Widow Clicquot.
Yeah, OK, so a painting from 100 years later is his inspo? sigh Here’s her white dresses from when she’s married (not that the film is told chronologically).
Those are basically 1800s-1810s white gowns, but the fit and construction are modernized with a pointed-up waistline, tighter bodice, and totally sheer sleeves. Compare with this extant gown from the same period:
The only color comes from one tiny glimpse of Barbe-Nicole’s in a red dressing gown as she’s slipping it off. The scene is super dark and I lightened this screencap so you could actually see that her gown is red.
The rest of her costumes are black — here’s her in mourning through the end of the movie:
Again, the black dresses follow the general lines of the period, but modernized. Compare with this extant mourning gown, which is far more covered up and less closely fitted.
I don’t know if I’d recommend the movie — it’s not bad per se or totally boring. But it does feel like a missed opportunity to tell more about this woman’s life. Have a glass of champagne and decide!
Have you seen Widow Clicquot?
Find this frock flick at:
Extents from the recent auction catalog (Kerry Taylor) of the private Napoleonic dress collection?
For the first few paragraphs I kept thinking, “Didn’t Juliette Binoche already make this movie many years ago?” Then I realized that I was thinking of a different movie altogether, The Widow of St. Pierre (I think). Anyway, I never heard of this movie until now. It seems pretty meh, but it might be worth a watch on a calm night. I definitely like the namesake’s champagne, though!
No, haven’t seen the Widow; she came and went very quickly. It looks like one of those recent Quiet European Films Set in the Past that are pleasant, but don’t stay with you. Nice costumes, despite the modern interpretation, especially the dress embroidered with leaves.
I was in the cinema to watch the movie. I didn’t know why the widow always had this poor and boring costume. You just can’t see the evolution of fashion and not period beards are all around. There were many oportunities forgotten in the story. You never see the invention which made the Cliquot widow famous – maybe because it’s obvious that it was not her invention but of one of her experts. It was boring to see a women two hours staring at bottles and we see nothing what we would expect. Why there were no French officers or soldiers in the film? (It could not me too expensive to just ask 3 or 4 reenactors for the period.) Why everything is located at the hamlet? Why we never see clients drinking the Champagne and saying that it’s fine? We never see a reason for her success or anybody happy about the product.
On the frock flicks perspective so many questions… Why we don’t see the widow Cliquot in the dress from her painting from her later life although she must be older in the last scenes of the film? That could not be too expensive.
It was not the worst period movie I saw in the last years, but it was not good either.
Is it just me or does Ms. Haley Bennett – excellent surname for Frock Flicks, by the way – look rather like Ms. Olivia Hussey in some of those screenshots?
From the evidence of the screengrabs, it looks as though the actress playing the lead only has one facial expression, and that’s one I’d call “impassive”. Ugh.
Saw the movie. It definitely was definitely Meh.
Yes, I was quite disappointed in the overwrought love and madness scenes with the ‘dead’ husband. A missed opportunity indeed