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Mondovino

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Actors: Albiera Antinori, Lodovico Antinori, Michael Broadbent, Battista Columbu, Lina Columbu
Studio: Velocity / Thinkfilm
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~$7.99~~
Buy New: $4.14
You Save: $3.85 (48%)

New (25) Used (17) from $3.98

Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

33 reviews
Sales Rank: 10682

Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Italian (Original Language), Portuguese (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 135
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6

MPN: DTF53455D
UPC: 821575534550
EAN: 0821575534550
ASIN: B0009OL8E4

Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: July 12, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 31-33 of 33

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An extraordinary character study and expose July 23, 2005
11 out of 15 found this review helpful

It is hard to imagine that a documentary with such elemental production values, shot in jerky handycam style, could be such an incisive, touching, and powerful examination of the wine industry and its personae. But it is.

The story is of the nobility, the megapolists, the honest and stubborn traditionalists, and the tiny producers on the very margins of the industry. The culture of wine production, the interplay between producers, critics, and consultants is exposed in vivid detail. What emerges is the story of mega wine companies who, in loose alliance with some dominant American wine critics (who come across as alternately earnest and self-important fools), dominate the industry, not only in sales, but in practice--replacing traditional methods with newer Americanized ones, and in the dominance of a particular consultant, who spreads the same taste over the globe, homogenizing wines at the expense of uniqueness.

The heroes are the little guys: the small wine producers, the Mexican laborers, the tiny vineyards in Brazil and Argentina, and the traditionalists in Britain, France and Italy. The villains are the vapid and self-absorbed Staglins, the good cop-bad cop, bearded-clean shaven Mondavis, the MBA-speak infected French wine CEOs, the Quiet American naivete of Robert Parker and the Ugly American arrogance of Jonathan Suckling, and the oleaginous Michel Rolland, wine homogenizer to the stars. Micro-oxygenate!

This film has all the right values and will be loved and hated by all the right people. Coming from a background in a parallel industry, the portraits rang true. Enthusiastically recommended.

5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating ! June 25, 2005
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

Learn the inside of the Wine industry, meet the producers, see the deals and non-publicized trades ... My beloved part of this documentary was to travel to all those wineries, in Brazil, Chile, Sardinia, US, France ...

1 out of 5 stars

a tiresome, dull nightcap May 14, 2005
7 out of 30 found this review helpful

I was excited to see this film and was utterly let down. This is not a cute movie about lushes; it shows that the wine industry is as cut-throat and gossipy as any other market. You would think the rich would be guarded. Throughout the work, I wondered why the interviewees allowed themselves to be interviewed. (It reminded me of my surprise that so many fashion industry gurus allowed themselves to be in "Pret-a-Porter.") The fact that Ronald Reagan's photo comes up consistently throughout this documentary is a sign that things won't be easy to watch.

Yes, it was fascinating seeing individuals and businesses battle between art versus commerce, tradition versus innovation, and regionalism versus globalization. When they add issues of class, religion, ethnicity, and linguistics, it only enriches the mix. Still, this was an overall disappointing work.

This documentary lacks a narrator. It encourages viewers to reach their own conclusions and read between the lines. However, this is one of the reasons why the work moves so slowly. Then again, it was far too long a documentary anyway. The comments can be a bit dull, so the work depended upon random things like an expert spitting out wine, canine flatulence, a shot of Brazil that had nothing to do with nothing, and even a soccer-style, brief winemaker flashing to keep viewers awake. The main French wine consultant here looked a lot like one of France's adult film industry stars, an equivalent to Ron Jeremy.

The camera work is jumpy. It was like watching an episode of "Cops" without the exciting car chases. The subtitles were white and against the summery landscapes and pastel colors, I had to struggle to read them.

The audience at the theater cracked up throughout the documentary. They must have had a lot of "vino" in them before coming because this work was dull to the third degree. "The Corporation" is a much better, more compelling work.

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