Widow Clicquot (2023) Movie Script
1
[birds chirping]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] Looking back
on that first day with you,
I think I understood
immediately
why human beings
are compelled to create.
Why we must find some way
to lay down our lives,
however best we can.
[Franois]
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot,
welcome to the vineyards
of Verzy.
The most beautiful
in all of Champagne.
[birds chirping]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] It is so
that we might uncover
the secrets of ourselves,
better understand
the ones we love.
The time and place
in which we live.
And that with any luck,
100 years from now,
someone will know
that we were here.
[dramatic music playing]
[water drips]
[Franois] [VO]
Can we be a secret?
I mean,
can we live in a hideaway?
Our whole lives,
just the two of us.
Kept safe from
the rest of the world.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
We can try...
-Not hidden from each other
though.
So, do you agree to be
my Emilie?
-Who is Emilie?
[Franois] [VO] The woman
Voltaire was
a true partner to...
The love of his life.
[dramatic music playing]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
It seems impossible
that anything will ever
grow here again.
A great hush has settled
across the vines.
Your absence
clings to everything.
-[indistinct prayer
by the priest]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] I fear your
father blames me, privately,
for all that has happened.
And I fear that I might too.
[thunder roaring]
[door opens, slams]
-Where is Clem?
-You didn't find her?
[horse neighing]
-Madame.
-Madame.
-My heartfelt condolences,
Madame.
As neighbors, we feel your loss
alongside you.
-Thank you.
-Madame,
I wonder if I might
walk the vineyards,
to remember Franois.
-Of course, Monsieur Mot.
It's very kind.
-[retreating footsteps]
-[distant barking]
-Those beautiful slopes will
always remind me of him.
-Yes.
-I am going to walk the terraces
on my way home.
[door opens]
[distant bird squawking]
-There you are.
Oh, Clem.
[emotional music playing]
[pounding footsteps receding]
Clem?
[emotional music continues]
It will be
just the two of us now.
But we have each other.
We have each other, my darling.
[Franois] [VO]
And what do you smell?
-Floral. Like our rose garden...
in June, after a rain shower.
And burning leaves.
-Mm-hm.
-And twigs.
-An apple orchard when the trees
are at their tallest...
-[Barbe-Nicole chuckles]
-What do you think
about blending these two?
It could be quite...
-No... not together.
Or do you want more acidity?
-[Franois groans]
-You did want me to
speak my mind.
-Yes. Foolishly.
Please do not learn
as quickly as your mother,
because I want to be able
to teach you something.
[VO] One little something.
[thunder rumbling]
[footsteps approaching]
[knocks on door]
-Madame?
There will be a meeting
downstairs
that Phillipe
would like you to attend.
-A meeting?
-Evidently, Paquet has
drawn up a contract
for the sale of the hectares.
[door opens]
-Is it true?
[Phillipe] Barbe-Nicole,
let me put your mind at ease.
I want you and Clementine
to live comfortably,
without any worry at all.
-Thank you.
-Monsieur Paquet here has
secured a very handsome offer
for the property from Mot.
-Afternoon.
-I appreciate your... kindness.
But out of concern
for Franois' vines,
I will be continuing
to care for them myself.
-Wine is a very difficult
vocation, my dear.
You underestimate what
it will require of you.
-I know what it requires.
I've been in the fields
for years.
-As a partner with Franois,
Madame.
Not alone.
-It is not your place, Madame.
-I cannot allow you
to go to your ruin.
Come back to Reims with me.
-Could you and I
speak alone, Phillipe?
-Yes, of course.
[retreating footsteps]
[door closes]
-Have you seen those beautiful
purples and reds
this year, Phillipe?
Is their climb not the best
we have had yet?
Those are
Franois Clicquot grapes,
and his dream
is living in them.
-You risk losing everything
by staying here.
Do you think that is what
Franois would have wanted?
[Barbe-Nicole]
Franois willed the vines to me
because he knew
I would never sell.
I will be using my own savings
to cover
the vineyard's expenses.
-You have not heard me, my dear.
-Have you not heard me?
Those are Franois' vines,
and you want to sell them.
[tense music playing]
-Paquet? Droite?
[door opens]
Gentlemen, we will not sell.
Barbe-Nicole will continue here
for the time being.
[Paquet] [clears throat]
If I may, sir... I think...
[Phillipe]
No, Paquet. You may not.
That is all.
[footsteps]
-[Franois humming]
I have come to sing to them
since I was a boy.
It's supposed to
make them strong.
You try.
-No.
-[Franois] Go on!
-I can't!
[Franois]
They need it.
They need you.
-[Barbe-Nicole humming]
-[Franois chuckles]
They like you.
-They do?
-They think you're perfect.
[romantic music playing]
[Jeanne Marie] We'll take Clem
with us today,
out of this sad house.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
It's our home.
Clem wants to stay with me.
-Barbe, you must think of her.
No sense in keeping her
out of the abbey
to help you
with your grief, my dear.
She should be with friends
to help her with hers.
-Thank you, Mother.
You didn't know him, Mother.
He was not just
someone's first love.
[footsteps receding]
[emotional music playing]
[Barbe-Nicole crying]
[Franois] [VO]
My darling Emilie,
I felt compelled
to write to you
this glorious summer morning
to let you know that I think
we might have found it.
The secret
to perfect happiness.
With each day, my love for you
grows stronger, fiercer.
It drenches me the way
the sun drenches the vines.
I am certain
of nothing in this life
but the fact of your strength.
I am hopelessly,
unequivocally yours.
[knocks on door]
[door opens]
-Madame, Mr. Edouard Werler.
He has come from the offices of
Mr. Phillipe Clicquot in Reims.
-Good day, Mr. Werler.
[Edouard]
Good day, Madame.
Your father-in-law has sent me
with the financial record
of the vineyard.
He wants you to be apprised
of your situation.
I apologize for coming
without warning.
[Barbe-Nicole]
Please.
-I am to take them back with me.
-Are you a clerk at his office?
[Edouard]
I am, Madame.
In accounts.
-Will you assist me?
[Edouard]
If you'd like.
[pages flipping]
The first column
is expenditures,
the second is profits,
the third losses,
and the fourth
projected earnings.
Because of the loss
of the last harvest,
there were expenditures
but no profit.
The next harvest
will only recoup that loss.
And the truth is,
your competition will monopolize
the market in France, Madame...
if no one can sell abroad
due to Napoleon's embargoes
against his enemies.
So you will not sell
next year either.
-[chuckles]
Thank you.
Will you thank Phillipe for me?
And tell him that I insisted
upon keeping the ledgers.
-Uh...
Madame.
[door opens]
[receding footsteps]
[Phillipe] You said there
would be a profit by this year.
The new planting
has not yielded.
-Yes, sir,
I apologize for overstating.
[Phillipe]
Many of your experiments...
-[Franois] Innovations...
-[Phillipe] have floundered!
-How do we know?!
How do we know?
It's too soon...
It's too soon to know, Father...
these are radical ideas.
And there is decent improvement
this year,
even with the excessive heat.
[Phillipe]
You can't just keep endlessly
experimenting without results.
Perhaps it's time
to admit defeat now.
Franois!
[door opens]
[]
-[Barbe-Nicole chuckles]
[Barbe-Nicole gasps]
-Droite never walks the fields.
He doesn't know the vines.
He doesn't know what they need.
He doesn't want to nurture them.
[Barbe-Nicole] He doesn't
understand how complex they are.
-He doesn't love them.
This is the transfor... What?
-Transformative?
-[chuckles]
-Moment for them?
[Franois] Yes.
-I am afraid for the vineyard
if anyone else manages it.
They have no right,
interrupting...
-Well...
he is the estate manager;
therefore, he thinks
he has the right.
-But you, you are the one
with the vision,
and the talent,
to change things.
You will change things.
[birds chirping]
[distant bell ringing]
[Clementine]
You're always in the vineyard.
-And I like having you
in the vineyard with me.
-And I like having you
in the house with me, Mother.
-Will you cut flowers
with me then?
-I like the pink ones,
and the white ones,
and the yellow ones!
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
As ever, the quiet prevails.
A new loneliness presses in,
but I will continue
the work you started.
Louis Boone
will arrive at noon.
I welcome
a friendly face at last.
[lively chatter]
Tomorrow
I face the workers alone,
for the first time.
Give me strength, my love.
Give me strength.
First, the new vines
will be planted
in a north-south configuration.
The upper slope will be
pulled up and turned.
[Droite] Uhm...
[Barbe-Nicole] Droite...
do you have an opinion?
-Yes I do, Madame.
These fields do not need
replanting,
reconfiguring,
or starting over again.
-I disagree.
Water is collecting
at the roots.
-The rain is good for
the vines, Madame.
-They need to struggle.
-Struggle?
-When they struggle to survive,
they become more deeply reliant
on their own strength.
They become more of
what they are meant to be.
Mr. Muller, where do we think
we could find premium glass?
-We have glass in stock, Madame.
-I want quality glass
without defects.
We can't afford to lose
another vintage.
-We were meant to buy
premium glass, Madame.
But your husband
decided to save money.
Monsieur Bohne will attest
to the dangers in that.
And if Muller is out searching
for glass, which is my job,
who is going to run the fields,
which is his?
Because you have not
done this before,
I cannot blame you
for not understanding
how a vineyard is run.
Without a strict adherence
to hierarchy,
there is chaos,
anarchy.
-I don't see it as a hierarchy.
[Droite]
What do you see it as?
-A wheel. A circle.
We are sitting together
at the table.
We will trade ideas, including
everyone in the decision.
-You make it sound like
a dinner party.
-These are mine
and my husband's ideas.
He thinks I'm inept.
-Are you seeking his approval?
-If Phillipe listens to him,
I might need to have it.
-But I was asking you:
Are you seeking his approval,
regardless of Phillipe?
It appears he plans to
undermine you with the workers.
But I could see
they are loyal to you.
-What do you think?
Am I inept?
-Well, he's right
about some things.
The wheel
is a beautiful notion,
but it's destined to fail.
If you are not willing
to dictate without hesitation,
you may lose the respect
of the men working under you.
You make them uncomfortable.
You undermine a system
that they have confidence in.
If you are unforgiving
of their mistakes,
they might even idolize you.
I do admire you,
trying to
run things as you want,
as a woman would.
-So the ability to listen
to others, to collaborate,
is not a sign of strength?
-[chuckles] No.
It might not ever be.
-Franois would not agree.
-Maybe not, but he was
an enlightened soul,
and we have been living
under monarchs for too long.
And Napoleon is even worse.
-Do you respect tyrants?
-Do I respect tyrants?
[Louis laughs]
Well, I have been known to
fancy a brute or two,
and it has been said
I could use a little discipline.
[Barbe-Nicole]
So hierarchy comforts you.
And I must give up
my idea of the wheel
because it makes men
uncomfortable.
-Because it doesn't
project power.
-There is something
I want to show you.
[drawer opens]
[Louis] Amsterdam,
St Petersburg, Moscow...
[Barbe-Nicole] If Napoleon's
embargoes are still a problem,
I want to stay ahead of him.
-Of Napoleon?
-Mm-hm.
-So, you're a criminal at heart?
-These borders are arbitrary,
and they could keep changing.
Why not begin a trade
that ignores unrest, wars,
that exists on its own?
Stateless, around the globe?
If you choose
not to distribute for me...
-My dear, if I choose not to
distribute for you,
you won't find anyone who will.
And if I decline your offer,
you must never tell anyone
of this plan.
Not a soul.
[tense, exciting music playing]
[Louis] It's dark.
It's very hard to tell
who anyone is
in a bed that large,
so I investigate it.
The hair is soft...
the body hard!
-No, please...
[both laughing]
Emilie! Come, please.
May I introduce Louis Bohne,
perhaps the greatest
wine salesman in all the world.
-Madame.
-Welcome.
-I read her Voltaire,
but these are...
-Please, please, darling!
-her love letters to me.
The sunnier the climate,
the more aromatic the berries,
but there is a limit.
Actually,
there is nothing more
loving someone
could write to me.
My true equal,
my partner in everything.
[both giggling]
-And what of Voltaire
is your favorite, Franois?
-God is a comedian
who plays to an audience...
[both]
that is too afraid to laugh!
[laughter]
-And you, Emilie,
what is your favorite?
-I should like to lie
at your feet
and die in your arms.
[Franois]
I love you.
-It is
too soon for you to leave!
[Louis] I know.
But I must go.
[Franois]
Happy hunting!
[Franois humming]
[glass clinks]
-Franois's last effort.
It's from one of the bottles
that survived the loss.
This mix is mine alone.
It's something
I have been developing.
[door opens]
[Droite] Sir.
-Droite.
What did you use?
-The pinot noir,
and I left the skin on.
-And the red?
-I would sell it to
a maker of inferior wine.
[Droite] But Madame...
we thought the red
must be our first offering.
It's what the buyers have
come to expect of this region.
-And what grape
do you favor, Madame?
-I favor a more powerful,
intense, and precise grape
than most of the makers
in the region.
-Why?
-I want the drinker
to feel as if
they stand
in the vineyard in Verzy,
as if they are tasting
the place itself.
The more intense,
the more precise the grape,
the more they can...
experience Franois'
unique contribution.
-You have done well, deciding
to sell off the red.
And I would continue developing
the pink champagne
with the skin on.
[Droite] The pink is weak,
Monsieur. It is too dry.
-Yes, well,
your job is to count the vines.
It most certainly is not to
judge the quality of the mix,
nor is it to sell the champagne,
which would be my job,
would it not?
In the hierarchy?
-Yes, Monsieur.
-I will sell
the widow's champagne,
provided the final tasting
goes well.
In say, a year.
I will see you and your
criminal enterprise then.
[horse galloping]
[Barbe-Nicole]
[VO] There is hope.
A way forward,
however unpredictable.
We can dance around the
petulant games of powerful men,
but... as ever, we are
at the mercy of the seasons.
[Franois]
[VO] At last, my love, spring.
The first...
[Barbe-Nicole and Franois]
[VO] ...buds break.
[Barbe-Nicole]
[VO] A hot, dry, July.
[Franois] [VO] As the land
holds its breath
for the harvest ahead.
[Barbe-Nicole]
[VO] We wait in anticipation.
Franois, your last song has
sung the grapes to good health.
All senses feel heightened.
[Franois]
[VO] Every moment matters.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] The time
of day the grapes are picked.
The way they're handled.
The first press.
Wish I could bottle this time.
[Franois] [VO] It is
a haphazard sort of alchemy.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
I want our champagne to have
structure, depth.
[Franois] [VO] It must
reflect your elegance.
[liquid pours]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
Your boldness.
[Franois] [VO]
Your light.
[Clementine] [VO] But I don't
want to go to the
abbey, Mother.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] I don't
want you to go either.
[sighs] The vineyard
is no place for a little girl.
-The vineyard
is no place for you.
-I know.
This will always be your home.
We belong to it.
[Barbe-Nicole sobs]
[fly buzzing]
-Morning, Barbe.
-Morning.
Will you leave it?
I'd like to do it.
It's ready for Louis.
-So what is it, Barbe?
[fly buzzing]
-Franois should have
been here today.
[clanking]
Thank you.
[Franois] [VO]
Happy birthday, my love.
-[Barbe-Nicole giggling]
Thank you.
-They are to keep a record
of your... discoveries.
-They are beautiful.
-Louis helped me choose them.
-You like him.
-Hm?
Yes. I do.
-I see the way you are
with one another.
-Are you jealous?
-No.
-Why not?
-Because I know you love me.
And because I believe
we must be free to feel
whatever we feel,
so that we never mistake
rebellion for reality.
Because I like his company too.
-You like his company?
-I do.
-It was too warm this summer.
And if the rain this winter
is anything like last year...
-So we adapt.
I was thinking,
perhaps we could help the vines
better this year.
[floor creaking]
[footsteps receding]
[bell ringing]
[wine pouring]
-[Louis sips, swishes]
-It's an improvement.
There's character there.
-[Barbe-Nicole spits]
It's not ready.
I'm going to continue mixing.
-Bottle it.
It's time for
the second fermentation.
And leave it a few months,
unless you prefer
the frog-eyed bigger bubbles.
-No,
I prefer the smaller bubbles.
[approaching footsteps]
-Madame,
George Christian von Kessler.
-Are you married, George?
-I will be interviewing you;
pay him no mind.
I really just want to
know one thing.
How many women
are in your family?
-My mother and my sister,
Madame.
-What do your mother
and sister think of me?
[George] They worry a woman
might not be a capable manager.
-What did you say to that?
-I said, "Aren't you able?
Here in your home.
Why shouldn't she be in hers?"
I know you are
in your fields every day.
You work hard, Madame.
-Do you want the position
of a field foreman?
-Foreman?
-Yes.
-Will the older staff
listen to me?
-If you prove yourself.
I have to prove myself
every day.
-Madame.
-He'll need new clothes
if they're to respect him.
Anne is an excellent tailor.
[George] Thank you.
[footsteps receding]
-[Barbe-Nicole chuckles]
[knocks on door]
Edouard! Come in.
Louis Bohne, the famous.
-Hello. Pleasure.
Truly a pleasure.
-Louis, this is Edouard Werler.
He is a gifted accountant.
-Mm.
Yes.
Well, I will leave you to it.
I can see you know exactly what
sort of man you are looking for.
I am to town.
-Happy hunting!
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
Finally, after too many months
of bottling,
no more frog-eyed bubbles.
The trade route
has been finalized.
The delivery negotiated.
So many obstacles ahead.
So much at stake.
Mustn't dwell on
what we cannot control.
Though, it seems a shame
not to dress you.
Something must announce you.
Something subtle, but smart.
Confident.
There.
That will keep you safe
across the seas.
Go well, my loves, go well.
[indistinct chatter]
-All dressed up
and ready to travel.
We will take a few days
to circumvent the front lines
and arrive in Amsterdam.
I'll be gone a while.
If I don't come back,
don't alert the authorities.
-For you, for the journey.
-Thank you.
-Let's go!
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
And now the wait.
For the first time in
as long as I can remember,
I am permitting myself
excitement.
Pure, unbridled excitement.
Good morning, Phillipe.
I hope you are well.
-Barbe,
I came to view the product
but it is nowhere to be found.
-Why do you need to see it?
-Where is it?
-[Barbe-Nicole chuckles softly]
We moved the sparkling.
-Come with me.
Are you selling abroad?
[scoffs] Barbe,
whether you tell me or not,
if you break this embargo
and you are found out,
I will be implicated.
Everything must be reported
to Droite and to myself.
We are partners.
-When I have proceeds,
I will send them to you.
-You understand our arrangement
can be terminated.
You have one last chance.
One.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
There is a comet
burning a passage
through the sky,
day and night.
The world watches as one.
Whispers around Champagne
say it is portent of change.
A good omen perhaps,
for the coming harvest.
[Muller]Madame! Come quick!
First press!
-[Barbe-Nicole] I'm coming!
It's perfect!
-[Muller laughing]
[bell ringing]
[George] Whoa.
-Where is Louis?
-Louis stayed to sell the glass.
I'm sorry, Madame.
We made it to Amsterdam but...
the heat and the journey...
the champagne spoiled.
We lost everything...
Sorry, Madame.
-[Barbe-Nicole sobs]
[distant scream]
[flame crackles]
[Edouard] We could offer
to sell some of the hectares.
[Barbe-Nicole]
The Mots inquiring again?
-They made it clear
there is a standing offer.
For all of it,
or some of the fields, if...
-When. When I fail.
I understand.
Perhaps in the event
that I should be so foolish,
so arrogant, to send
the sparkling around a blockade
and lose it all to the heat.
-To bad luck, certainly.
-To bad judgement on my part.
-I'm not sure
all the responsibility
lies on your should--
-It was my decision.
-And you will be the reason
we succeed in the end!
-We have no money.
I cannot pay any of you.
Do you think Louis
intends to continue on with us?
You, Edouard?
We need to get to the bottling
stage of this vintage.
-We cannot wait too long
to tell Phillipe.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
Selling off objects
to make up for the
lost shipment
in Amsterdam.
But I have kept
Clem's room untouched.
Try again. Think differently.
Work on what's in front of us.
[soft, sad music playing]
[wind whistling]
[huge door opens]
-This is for you...
It's not very good, is it?
But I did make it myself.
It's an owl, weeping
in a cathedral on the moon...
Beautiful.
You were disappointed when...
you first saw me, I know.
When your parents told you
that you were to marry.
I will try to make it up to you.
[Muller]
Come on lads, let's go!
Get more wood.
-Thank you!
[George] If we lose these
first shoots to a late frost,
we lose the harvest.
[Barbe-Nicole] I know.
-I'll keep these fires lit
till morning.
-I'll stay.
No one can fall asleep.
-Of course, Madame.
-Thank you, George.
-All right, lads, let's go!
[Droite]
Muller! Muller! Here!
[George] Come on, boys!
[indistinct]
up the hill as well, lads.
[Droite]
Here. Follow me.
Come on! Follow me there!
[chatter continues]
[fires crackling]
[Phillipe] [VO] Pick these up.
Pick these up now!
[Franois] [VO] Why?
Time does not bend, Father.
She's slow!
-Go and clean yourself up.
-It must clear!
-Meet me in the study.
Come and speak to me
when you are ready
to discuss things civilly.
I am afraid there is nothing
to be done about Franois.
[door opens]
[footsteps]
-Hello, Phillipe.
Thank you for coming.
-Of course.
-Edouard, would you like to...
to begin?
[Edouard] Yes.
Phillipe,
regarding the missing product,
we wanted to assure you
there will be no legal issues
for the vineyard.
There will be no evidence
of the shipment
having been sold anywhere.
-But how can you guarantee that?
There must be records.
-It was ruined in the heat.
-It's lost?!
The entire vintage?
-Yes.
-Edouard, you may go.
[receding footsteps]
[door opens, closes]
-God!
I am very disappointed in you.
-I understand.
-[Phillipe] You've confirmed
all my worst fears.
-I understand,
but I want you to consider
not removing me
until after this next bottling.
-And why would I do that?
-And if we can recoup...
-No. It is finished.
-Franois needed help,
and we failed to recognize it.
We failed him.
That is why he is dead.
-I could never allow myself
to think...
-Please, Phillipe.
While the vineyard
still bears his name.
-[sobs]
If Louis Bohne distributes,
agreed.
[door opens]
[thunder roaring]
[water dripping]
[liquid pouring]
-The damp will get
into your bones, Barbe.
You'll catch your death.
-Sit with me.
-That's very good.
-Just isn't good enough.
-You need to sleep.
[glass shatters]
-It's not right. It's not good.
This isn't right.
It's not good.
This is not good!
That is too loud!
It's too loud, it's too loud!
We are not safe here!
-Clem? Clem!
-[Franois] This is our home!
-Inside! Go!
Go inside!
[glass shatters]
[dramatic music]
-It's loud, it's too loud.
Taste it!
-[glass shatters]
-[Franois spits]
Would they have their own homes
suffer such harm?
Why is no one coming to help?
[dramatic music]
[glass shatters]
Barbe!
-[Barbe-Nicole groans]
[dramatic music]
[Barbe-Nicole breathing heavily]
[Franois]
Where were you?
Hiding...
You're hiding from me...
-I was waiting for you to calm.
-I can't.
-Will Clem be safe?
If you can't calm.
-If I can't, will that keep you
from loving me?
[tense, romantic music playing]
-[Franois moaning]
[tense, romantic music
continues]
[footsteps approaching]
-Monsieur Louis Bohne.
-Louis Bohne, after months
on a horse.
-Charles has told me
you are maintaining
the vineyards yourself.
You must be the only woman
I know who loves mud.
-Yes, well,
we keep moving forward.
-And what criminal activities
do you have in mind for us next?
-They are not so much criminal
as they are masking the extent
to which we are truly solvent.
-Excellent.
-You've been gone a long while.
-Yes.
-It's good to have you
back with us safe, Louis.
And I have control
of the vineyard
until the next bottling,
if you decide
to distribute for us.
After that...
-I know.
Phillipe told me.
After the disaster in Amsterdam,
I managed to salvage
eight bottles.
I then rode on horseback
to St. Petersburg.
A friend,
who has exquisite taste,
and is the sort who likes
the boast of his new
discoveries,
he sampled your champagne.
I gave him the bottles,
and he gave me this.
In advance of the next shipment.
You have sold, Madame.
Congratulations.
Provided the next tasting
goes well, of course;
we have to match
the same standard of
what we have already pre-sold.
-Of course.
For Phillipe.
And for you.
-No.
I will give this to Phillipe.
It did occur to me
that I might sell the red wine
to the nobles that I know
in Austria.
They hate the French,
but not me personally, I hope.
-To dislike you
would be against nature.
We sold the red.
Not at the price
you would have sold it for,
but I needed to pay the workers
for the harvest.
Louis, could you...?
Would one of your royals buy it?
It's the only possession
of worth I have left.
-[sighs]
If I had anything of my own
to sell, I would.
-[overlap]
I know, but you don't.
-No.
-We won't be solvent until
after the next vintage.
-I know.
But you have sold, Barbe.
And Phillipe will soon see that.
Don't sell it quite yet.
[mellow music]
[knocks on door]
[door opens]
-All right, that's enough.
-Louis.
[mellow music]
[floorboard creaks]
-Is that you, Barbe-Nicole?
What do you want, Barbe?
Your instincts
have always been so good.
You know what I am.
Why won't you
listen to yourself now?
-I don't want to.
-Why?
-I don't want to.
-Will you ask the workers
if they would accept these
in trade?
-I will, Barbe.
[]
[indistinct whispering]
-[Franois whispering]
-What would Voltaire say?
-He would not be happy with me.
-What are you praying for?
-To... stop...
loving you this much.
It... it's...
you are the only.
You are life...
for me.
And...
I...
I'm not...
I'm not.
I'm not.
[birds chirping]
No, no.
For my calm, for my sleep.
-Don't hide from me, love.
-[Franois groaning]
-[Barbe-Nicole gasps]
-[Clementine thuds, cries]
-Oh. Oh... darling. Clemy...
Silly Daddy. Silly Daddy.
I've got you. I've got you.
[Clementine] I want Mummy!
-Oh, I've got you. I've got you.
I've got you.
Darling.
-Stop.
Stop!
It's all right.
-[Clementine crying]
[soulful music playing]
-[Franois chuckling]
-[Clementine chuckling]
-[Franois mock growling]
[mellow music]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[footsteps]
[scratch of pen on paper]
-Napoleon's new regulations
on planting.
When does he find the time?
-He understands the value
of peace.
-He is not interested in peace.
[chair slides]
[glasses clank]
-I'm working.
-It's late. Everyone's asleep.
[kissing]
-Now get out of my office.
[]
[clattering]
[glass clanks]
[door opens and closes]
[Barbe-Nicole]
[VO] I shall name you
the Comet Vintage of 1811.
[bell blaring]
[maid] Monsieur Muller,
Monsieur Muller.
Quick. It's time!
-[Louis] Gather everyone!
-Sir, I'll ready the horses.
[Muller] Right! I need
all the carts loaded.
All the horses!
We need everyone.
Everyone to the caves!
Now!
-[woman speaking indistinctly]
-[horse neighing]
At least another dozen
bottles over there.
-[clattering and clanking]
-[indistinct chatter]
-You need to hide here
until the soldiers have gone.
They won't find you
in the caves.
Muller, go and get your family
once you're finished loading,
and any of the other men.
-Sir.
-No, no.
I need Muller to bring Clem.
-She'll be safer at your
parents' house in Reims, Madame.
-I must go to the house
to get Anne.
-Wait.
Go quickly, the Russians
could be here before sunset.
God knows what will happen.
-Leave the shipment
if anything happens.
-Go. Don't worry, go!
[bottles clanking]
Go. Keep to the woods.
Come on, keep loading!
[birds screeching]
[intense music playing]
[door opens]
-[Barbe-Nicole] It's here!
-[Anne] I know, I know!
[doors close]
-[Barbe-Nicole] Clem!
-[Anne] We have to hurry.
[Barbe-Nicole]
I need Clem. Oh god!
Oh my god, oh my god!
[intense music playing]
[doors bang shut]
[distant boom of canon-fire]
[horse neighing]
[Anne] Barbe, Barbe!
[suspenseful music playing]
[suspenseful music stops]
[birds chirping]
[Barbe-Nicole]
[VO] The war is over,
leaving such devastation
in its wake.
And yet no damage done
to the vineyards of France.
A miracle.
[Louis] [VO] My dear,
now that Napoleon has been
brought to his knees,
all of Russia wishes to
celebrate the end of this war
by drinking the Comet.
Your champagne is all sold.
I wish I had more to sell.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] I've been
turning the vessels each day
over the last few weeks.
And as I thought, sediment
has solidified in the base,
ready to be released.
[Louis] [VO] The Czar himself
said he would drink none other.
We must seize the moment.
[cork pops]
[glasses clinking]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] This is
most definitely the future.
Our shipments will be months
ahead of the competition.
[tense, exciting music playing]
-I can pay the workers now.
-Robert!
How are you?
Thank you, thank you
for taking care of the vines.
-Hello. Thank you very much!
-Thank you, Matthieu!
-Madame.
-So you're an inventor now.
And you would have me
return to Russia so soon.
-No, I would not.
Now that he has abdicated
and there is peace,
George can go.
-Oh.
I can go and join you
in the vineyards today.
-You're going to get
your hands dirty?
-Mm-hm.
-[bell ringing]
-Mud on your shoes?
-[Louis chuckles]
[bell ringing]
[Charles] Summons!
-[raven cawing]
-[horseman whistling]
-It's a summons for
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot.
[Edouard]
A claim has been submitted
that Madame Clicquot
is running a business
in violation of
the Napoleonic code of 1804
and further, that her vineyard
should be placed
in the hands of
an experienced executor.
We don't have much time.
We have to read
the entirety of the Code.
-Was this the plan all along?
[Edouard]
No, Madame.
It never occurred to them
you would succeed.
That you would fight
so very hard for every bottle.
[corks popping,
glass shattering]
[Muller]
Get out! Get out!
-No! No!
-It's too dangerous, Madame!
-[Muller] Come with me!
-[Barbe-Nicole] No!
-[Droite] Come with me!
-[Barbe-Nicole] Stop! Stop!
-[Droite] It's over!
-[Barbe-Nicole] Get off me!
Get off!
[corks popping,
glass shattering]
[emotional music]
-Where were you?
-[Franois] Where were you?
[Barbe-Nicole]
What are you doing?
-There are things written here
that you've never
shared with me.
You're hiding.
-They are things to remind me
of--of--of--
of what we have shared,
said to each other, decided!
-You were worried
about the glass.
-And I told you!
-[Franois] No, you didn't.
-Yes!
-No, you didn't.
-Calm, Franois. Calm, calm.
-[overlap] Calm? I am calm.
This is what you do,
you trick me!
-You were the one who said
we would never hide
from each other,
and now you are the one.
You hide.
You hide in these moods,
you rave and you disappear.
Is this what you want?
-How could this possibly be
what I...
[Franois groans]
-Did you send Clem to the abbey
because you didn't want her
to see me like this?
-Yeah. Yes.
I sent her to the abbey
because I didn't want her
to be ashamed of you.
Or afraid of you.
Or take care of you.
And she will remain there
until you are different.
-And you hid that from me?
-It was all I could do.
[receding footsteps]
[glass clanks]
-Go to sleep, my love.
[receding footsteps]
[sad, emotional music]
[Franois]
I love you, my darling.
[Barbe-Nicole]
I love you.
[sad music playing]
-[Barbe-Nicole sniffles]
[water dripping]
[bottle clanking]
[bell ringing]
[Anne] Madame,
the carriage is here.
[Jean Remy Mot]
[VO] It is with great concern
for the well-being of not only
the Champagne district,
but for
Madame Clicquot herself,
that we bring this claim.
I regret to say it,
but her champagne falls
well short of the high
standards of our district.
If she continues to sell first,
our vintage
will be judged as she is.
Perhaps a situation
such as this
is precisely what
Napoleon foresaw
when he insisted on a law
forbidding female management
of companies.
Monsieur Droite, who works
with Madame as estate manager,
has been observing her
for many years.
She has been seen
knee-deep in mud,
singing to the vines.
[crowd murmurs]
[Magistrate 2] Could you
tell me, Monsieur Droite,
why she was given
the vineyard to manage?
-Well, she was in a very fragile
and emotional state
when she pleaded
with Phillipe Clicquot
to run the business alone.
He had just lost his son,
she, her husband.
There were many substantial
financial offers for the estate
but she refused them all,
and now we are in a position
where,
due to constant borrowing,
we may have to default the bank.
I fear that she, a woman,
is not capable of
running this vineyard.
-And yet the reason
we are all here
is because
she is doing just that!
[Magistrate 1]
And you are?
-I am Edouard Werler, sir.
Madame Clicquot's accountant.
Forgive my interruption,
but this is the will
of Franois Clicquot
that states the land belongs
to Barbe-Nicole Clicquot
until such a time as
she wills the property
to someone of her choosing.
[Droite] Yes,
if she is in her right mind.
[Edouard]
Regarding the accusation
that she is forbidden to run
a business under the law,
I would cite a major point
of the Napoleonic code of 1804,
which states that a woman can
carry on her husband's business
after his death.
Monsieur Mot wants control
of her vineyard.
He doesn't care
to protect Champagne
or Madame Clicquot
from herself.
[Magistrate 1]
Monsieur Werler,
this court will hear testimony,
not opinion.
[Droite] May I speak on
the subject of her...
her private life.
Her deceit.
[crowd murmurs]
[Magistrate 1]
You may, but keep it clean;
there are women present.
[Droite] Madame Clicquot
is not what she seems.
She is in an intimate,
romantic relationship
with her wine merchant.
She is a widow
only in the eyes of the law,
to evade the law.
-[Franois humming]
Shhh... Do you hear them?
-Of course. Always.
-I don't. Not anymore.
-[Barbe-Nicole humming]
[Franois] [VO] I think...
all I ever wanted really
was to be happy.
Build a paradise here with you.
-Perhaps men were not
made for paradise.
-I want to die in your arms.
Do you still want to
die in mine?
-I do, but first,
I want to live,
and work, and learn.
-Do you remember when you said
that I was the one
who was
going to change things?
It wasn't me.
-Shh- shh.
-Oh, my darling.
It was never me.
[VO] It was always you.
[Magistrate 1]
Would you stand, please?
Are you remaining a widow
for the sole purpose
of running a business?
-I don't know.
[Magistrate 1]
Did you say you don't know?
-I don't know.
It's odd to listen to
how others define you
as if you are somehow fixed,
unchanging, one person,
instead of the many
that we all are.
I love my husband still.
And I love Louis Bohne.
I am not just one self.
[Magistrate 1]
Your husband is dead, Madame.
-My husband is not dead.
He lives in the vines.
[Magistrate 1]
Perhaps it is not best
to have you speak for yourself.
-Why would I not be
the authority
on the subject of myself?
I am telling the truth
as I know it,
even though I see
that telling the truth means
I might not be
readily understood... by men,
as it may not be what it is.
Familiar, expected.
But the truth is,
as I listened to you,
I was glad to be a woman,
even if I lose
the rights of men.
Men are so certain,
but does that mean
they know the truth?
Or does it just mean
they are certain of themselves?
[Magistrate 1]
Yes, we-- we see your point.
And yet, we need a clear answer
to settle this claim.
Are you remaining a widow
to evade the law?
-I am Louis Bohne, magistrate,
the wine distributor
in question.
Can I offer my assistance
in obtaining an answer
to your question?
[Magistrate 1]
You may, thank you.
-Understanding that I would run
the vineyard as I see fit,
with you by my side,
given everything you know of me,
and that we've never hidden
anything from one another...
Barbe-Nicole,
will you marry me?
-No.
[crowd murmurs]
[Louis]
Widow Clicquot...
[]
[]
[music fades out]
[birds chirping]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] Looking back
on that first day with you,
I think I understood
immediately
why human beings
are compelled to create.
Why we must find some way
to lay down our lives,
however best we can.
[Franois]
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot,
welcome to the vineyards
of Verzy.
The most beautiful
in all of Champagne.
[birds chirping]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] It is so
that we might uncover
the secrets of ourselves,
better understand
the ones we love.
The time and place
in which we live.
And that with any luck,
100 years from now,
someone will know
that we were here.
[dramatic music playing]
[water drips]
[Franois] [VO]
Can we be a secret?
I mean,
can we live in a hideaway?
Our whole lives,
just the two of us.
Kept safe from
the rest of the world.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
We can try...
-Not hidden from each other
though.
So, do you agree to be
my Emilie?
-Who is Emilie?
[Franois] [VO] The woman
Voltaire was
a true partner to...
The love of his life.
[dramatic music playing]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
It seems impossible
that anything will ever
grow here again.
A great hush has settled
across the vines.
Your absence
clings to everything.
-[indistinct prayer
by the priest]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] I fear your
father blames me, privately,
for all that has happened.
And I fear that I might too.
[thunder roaring]
[door opens, slams]
-Where is Clem?
-You didn't find her?
[horse neighing]
-Madame.
-Madame.
-My heartfelt condolences,
Madame.
As neighbors, we feel your loss
alongside you.
-Thank you.
-Madame,
I wonder if I might
walk the vineyards,
to remember Franois.
-Of course, Monsieur Mot.
It's very kind.
-[retreating footsteps]
-[distant barking]
-Those beautiful slopes will
always remind me of him.
-Yes.
-I am going to walk the terraces
on my way home.
[door opens]
[distant bird squawking]
-There you are.
Oh, Clem.
[emotional music playing]
[pounding footsteps receding]
Clem?
[emotional music continues]
It will be
just the two of us now.
But we have each other.
We have each other, my darling.
[Franois] [VO]
And what do you smell?
-Floral. Like our rose garden...
in June, after a rain shower.
And burning leaves.
-Mm-hm.
-And twigs.
-An apple orchard when the trees
are at their tallest...
-[Barbe-Nicole chuckles]
-What do you think
about blending these two?
It could be quite...
-No... not together.
Or do you want more acidity?
-[Franois groans]
-You did want me to
speak my mind.
-Yes. Foolishly.
Please do not learn
as quickly as your mother,
because I want to be able
to teach you something.
[VO] One little something.
[thunder rumbling]
[footsteps approaching]
[knocks on door]
-Madame?
There will be a meeting
downstairs
that Phillipe
would like you to attend.
-A meeting?
-Evidently, Paquet has
drawn up a contract
for the sale of the hectares.
[door opens]
-Is it true?
[Phillipe] Barbe-Nicole,
let me put your mind at ease.
I want you and Clementine
to live comfortably,
without any worry at all.
-Thank you.
-Monsieur Paquet here has
secured a very handsome offer
for the property from Mot.
-Afternoon.
-I appreciate your... kindness.
But out of concern
for Franois' vines,
I will be continuing
to care for them myself.
-Wine is a very difficult
vocation, my dear.
You underestimate what
it will require of you.
-I know what it requires.
I've been in the fields
for years.
-As a partner with Franois,
Madame.
Not alone.
-It is not your place, Madame.
-I cannot allow you
to go to your ruin.
Come back to Reims with me.
-Could you and I
speak alone, Phillipe?
-Yes, of course.
[retreating footsteps]
[door closes]
-Have you seen those beautiful
purples and reds
this year, Phillipe?
Is their climb not the best
we have had yet?
Those are
Franois Clicquot grapes,
and his dream
is living in them.
-You risk losing everything
by staying here.
Do you think that is what
Franois would have wanted?
[Barbe-Nicole]
Franois willed the vines to me
because he knew
I would never sell.
I will be using my own savings
to cover
the vineyard's expenses.
-You have not heard me, my dear.
-Have you not heard me?
Those are Franois' vines,
and you want to sell them.
[tense music playing]
-Paquet? Droite?
[door opens]
Gentlemen, we will not sell.
Barbe-Nicole will continue here
for the time being.
[Paquet] [clears throat]
If I may, sir... I think...
[Phillipe]
No, Paquet. You may not.
That is all.
[footsteps]
-[Franois humming]
I have come to sing to them
since I was a boy.
It's supposed to
make them strong.
You try.
-No.
-[Franois] Go on!
-I can't!
[Franois]
They need it.
They need you.
-[Barbe-Nicole humming]
-[Franois chuckles]
They like you.
-They do?
-They think you're perfect.
[romantic music playing]
[Jeanne Marie] We'll take Clem
with us today,
out of this sad house.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
It's our home.
Clem wants to stay with me.
-Barbe, you must think of her.
No sense in keeping her
out of the abbey
to help you
with your grief, my dear.
She should be with friends
to help her with hers.
-Thank you, Mother.
You didn't know him, Mother.
He was not just
someone's first love.
[footsteps receding]
[emotional music playing]
[Barbe-Nicole crying]
[Franois] [VO]
My darling Emilie,
I felt compelled
to write to you
this glorious summer morning
to let you know that I think
we might have found it.
The secret
to perfect happiness.
With each day, my love for you
grows stronger, fiercer.
It drenches me the way
the sun drenches the vines.
I am certain
of nothing in this life
but the fact of your strength.
I am hopelessly,
unequivocally yours.
[knocks on door]
[door opens]
-Madame, Mr. Edouard Werler.
He has come from the offices of
Mr. Phillipe Clicquot in Reims.
-Good day, Mr. Werler.
[Edouard]
Good day, Madame.
Your father-in-law has sent me
with the financial record
of the vineyard.
He wants you to be apprised
of your situation.
I apologize for coming
without warning.
[Barbe-Nicole]
Please.
-I am to take them back with me.
-Are you a clerk at his office?
[Edouard]
I am, Madame.
In accounts.
-Will you assist me?
[Edouard]
If you'd like.
[pages flipping]
The first column
is expenditures,
the second is profits,
the third losses,
and the fourth
projected earnings.
Because of the loss
of the last harvest,
there were expenditures
but no profit.
The next harvest
will only recoup that loss.
And the truth is,
your competition will monopolize
the market in France, Madame...
if no one can sell abroad
due to Napoleon's embargoes
against his enemies.
So you will not sell
next year either.
-[chuckles]
Thank you.
Will you thank Phillipe for me?
And tell him that I insisted
upon keeping the ledgers.
-Uh...
Madame.
[door opens]
[receding footsteps]
[Phillipe] You said there
would be a profit by this year.
The new planting
has not yielded.
-Yes, sir,
I apologize for overstating.
[Phillipe]
Many of your experiments...
-[Franois] Innovations...
-[Phillipe] have floundered!
-How do we know?!
How do we know?
It's too soon...
It's too soon to know, Father...
these are radical ideas.
And there is decent improvement
this year,
even with the excessive heat.
[Phillipe]
You can't just keep endlessly
experimenting without results.
Perhaps it's time
to admit defeat now.
Franois!
[door opens]
[]
-[Barbe-Nicole chuckles]
[Barbe-Nicole gasps]
-Droite never walks the fields.
He doesn't know the vines.
He doesn't know what they need.
He doesn't want to nurture them.
[Barbe-Nicole] He doesn't
understand how complex they are.
-He doesn't love them.
This is the transfor... What?
-Transformative?
-[chuckles]
-Moment for them?
[Franois] Yes.
-I am afraid for the vineyard
if anyone else manages it.
They have no right,
interrupting...
-Well...
he is the estate manager;
therefore, he thinks
he has the right.
-But you, you are the one
with the vision,
and the talent,
to change things.
You will change things.
[birds chirping]
[distant bell ringing]
[Clementine]
You're always in the vineyard.
-And I like having you
in the vineyard with me.
-And I like having you
in the house with me, Mother.
-Will you cut flowers
with me then?
-I like the pink ones,
and the white ones,
and the yellow ones!
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
As ever, the quiet prevails.
A new loneliness presses in,
but I will continue
the work you started.
Louis Boone
will arrive at noon.
I welcome
a friendly face at last.
[lively chatter]
Tomorrow
I face the workers alone,
for the first time.
Give me strength, my love.
Give me strength.
First, the new vines
will be planted
in a north-south configuration.
The upper slope will be
pulled up and turned.
[Droite] Uhm...
[Barbe-Nicole] Droite...
do you have an opinion?
-Yes I do, Madame.
These fields do not need
replanting,
reconfiguring,
or starting over again.
-I disagree.
Water is collecting
at the roots.
-The rain is good for
the vines, Madame.
-They need to struggle.
-Struggle?
-When they struggle to survive,
they become more deeply reliant
on their own strength.
They become more of
what they are meant to be.
Mr. Muller, where do we think
we could find premium glass?
-We have glass in stock, Madame.
-I want quality glass
without defects.
We can't afford to lose
another vintage.
-We were meant to buy
premium glass, Madame.
But your husband
decided to save money.
Monsieur Bohne will attest
to the dangers in that.
And if Muller is out searching
for glass, which is my job,
who is going to run the fields,
which is his?
Because you have not
done this before,
I cannot blame you
for not understanding
how a vineyard is run.
Without a strict adherence
to hierarchy,
there is chaos,
anarchy.
-I don't see it as a hierarchy.
[Droite]
What do you see it as?
-A wheel. A circle.
We are sitting together
at the table.
We will trade ideas, including
everyone in the decision.
-You make it sound like
a dinner party.
-These are mine
and my husband's ideas.
He thinks I'm inept.
-Are you seeking his approval?
-If Phillipe listens to him,
I might need to have it.
-But I was asking you:
Are you seeking his approval,
regardless of Phillipe?
It appears he plans to
undermine you with the workers.
But I could see
they are loyal to you.
-What do you think?
Am I inept?
-Well, he's right
about some things.
The wheel
is a beautiful notion,
but it's destined to fail.
If you are not willing
to dictate without hesitation,
you may lose the respect
of the men working under you.
You make them uncomfortable.
You undermine a system
that they have confidence in.
If you are unforgiving
of their mistakes,
they might even idolize you.
I do admire you,
trying to
run things as you want,
as a woman would.
-So the ability to listen
to others, to collaborate,
is not a sign of strength?
-[chuckles] No.
It might not ever be.
-Franois would not agree.
-Maybe not, but he was
an enlightened soul,
and we have been living
under monarchs for too long.
And Napoleon is even worse.
-Do you respect tyrants?
-Do I respect tyrants?
[Louis laughs]
Well, I have been known to
fancy a brute or two,
and it has been said
I could use a little discipline.
[Barbe-Nicole]
So hierarchy comforts you.
And I must give up
my idea of the wheel
because it makes men
uncomfortable.
-Because it doesn't
project power.
-There is something
I want to show you.
[drawer opens]
[Louis] Amsterdam,
St Petersburg, Moscow...
[Barbe-Nicole] If Napoleon's
embargoes are still a problem,
I want to stay ahead of him.
-Of Napoleon?
-Mm-hm.
-So, you're a criminal at heart?
-These borders are arbitrary,
and they could keep changing.
Why not begin a trade
that ignores unrest, wars,
that exists on its own?
Stateless, around the globe?
If you choose
not to distribute for me...
-My dear, if I choose not to
distribute for you,
you won't find anyone who will.
And if I decline your offer,
you must never tell anyone
of this plan.
Not a soul.
[tense, exciting music playing]
[Louis] It's dark.
It's very hard to tell
who anyone is
in a bed that large,
so I investigate it.
The hair is soft...
the body hard!
-No, please...
[both laughing]
Emilie! Come, please.
May I introduce Louis Bohne,
perhaps the greatest
wine salesman in all the world.
-Madame.
-Welcome.
-I read her Voltaire,
but these are...
-Please, please, darling!
-her love letters to me.
The sunnier the climate,
the more aromatic the berries,
but there is a limit.
Actually,
there is nothing more
loving someone
could write to me.
My true equal,
my partner in everything.
[both giggling]
-And what of Voltaire
is your favorite, Franois?
-God is a comedian
who plays to an audience...
[both]
that is too afraid to laugh!
[laughter]
-And you, Emilie,
what is your favorite?
-I should like to lie
at your feet
and die in your arms.
[Franois]
I love you.
-It is
too soon for you to leave!
[Louis] I know.
But I must go.
[Franois]
Happy hunting!
[Franois humming]
[glass clinks]
-Franois's last effort.
It's from one of the bottles
that survived the loss.
This mix is mine alone.
It's something
I have been developing.
[door opens]
[Droite] Sir.
-Droite.
What did you use?
-The pinot noir,
and I left the skin on.
-And the red?
-I would sell it to
a maker of inferior wine.
[Droite] But Madame...
we thought the red
must be our first offering.
It's what the buyers have
come to expect of this region.
-And what grape
do you favor, Madame?
-I favor a more powerful,
intense, and precise grape
than most of the makers
in the region.
-Why?
-I want the drinker
to feel as if
they stand
in the vineyard in Verzy,
as if they are tasting
the place itself.
The more intense,
the more precise the grape,
the more they can...
experience Franois'
unique contribution.
-You have done well, deciding
to sell off the red.
And I would continue developing
the pink champagne
with the skin on.
[Droite] The pink is weak,
Monsieur. It is too dry.
-Yes, well,
your job is to count the vines.
It most certainly is not to
judge the quality of the mix,
nor is it to sell the champagne,
which would be my job,
would it not?
In the hierarchy?
-Yes, Monsieur.
-I will sell
the widow's champagne,
provided the final tasting
goes well.
In say, a year.
I will see you and your
criminal enterprise then.
[horse galloping]
[Barbe-Nicole]
[VO] There is hope.
A way forward,
however unpredictable.
We can dance around the
petulant games of powerful men,
but... as ever, we are
at the mercy of the seasons.
[Franois]
[VO] At last, my love, spring.
The first...
[Barbe-Nicole and Franois]
[VO] ...buds break.
[Barbe-Nicole]
[VO] A hot, dry, July.
[Franois] [VO] As the land
holds its breath
for the harvest ahead.
[Barbe-Nicole]
[VO] We wait in anticipation.
Franois, your last song has
sung the grapes to good health.
All senses feel heightened.
[Franois]
[VO] Every moment matters.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] The time
of day the grapes are picked.
The way they're handled.
The first press.
Wish I could bottle this time.
[Franois] [VO] It is
a haphazard sort of alchemy.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
I want our champagne to have
structure, depth.
[Franois] [VO] It must
reflect your elegance.
[liquid pours]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
Your boldness.
[Franois] [VO]
Your light.
[Clementine] [VO] But I don't
want to go to the
abbey, Mother.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] I don't
want you to go either.
[sighs] The vineyard
is no place for a little girl.
-The vineyard
is no place for you.
-I know.
This will always be your home.
We belong to it.
[Barbe-Nicole sobs]
[fly buzzing]
-Morning, Barbe.
-Morning.
Will you leave it?
I'd like to do it.
It's ready for Louis.
-So what is it, Barbe?
[fly buzzing]
-Franois should have
been here today.
[clanking]
Thank you.
[Franois] [VO]
Happy birthday, my love.
-[Barbe-Nicole giggling]
Thank you.
-They are to keep a record
of your... discoveries.
-They are beautiful.
-Louis helped me choose them.
-You like him.
-Hm?
Yes. I do.
-I see the way you are
with one another.
-Are you jealous?
-No.
-Why not?
-Because I know you love me.
And because I believe
we must be free to feel
whatever we feel,
so that we never mistake
rebellion for reality.
Because I like his company too.
-You like his company?
-I do.
-It was too warm this summer.
And if the rain this winter
is anything like last year...
-So we adapt.
I was thinking,
perhaps we could help the vines
better this year.
[floor creaking]
[footsteps receding]
[bell ringing]
[wine pouring]
-[Louis sips, swishes]
-It's an improvement.
There's character there.
-[Barbe-Nicole spits]
It's not ready.
I'm going to continue mixing.
-Bottle it.
It's time for
the second fermentation.
And leave it a few months,
unless you prefer
the frog-eyed bigger bubbles.
-No,
I prefer the smaller bubbles.
[approaching footsteps]
-Madame,
George Christian von Kessler.
-Are you married, George?
-I will be interviewing you;
pay him no mind.
I really just want to
know one thing.
How many women
are in your family?
-My mother and my sister,
Madame.
-What do your mother
and sister think of me?
[George] They worry a woman
might not be a capable manager.
-What did you say to that?
-I said, "Aren't you able?
Here in your home.
Why shouldn't she be in hers?"
I know you are
in your fields every day.
You work hard, Madame.
-Do you want the position
of a field foreman?
-Foreman?
-Yes.
-Will the older staff
listen to me?
-If you prove yourself.
I have to prove myself
every day.
-Madame.
-He'll need new clothes
if they're to respect him.
Anne is an excellent tailor.
[George] Thank you.
[footsteps receding]
-[Barbe-Nicole chuckles]
[knocks on door]
Edouard! Come in.
Louis Bohne, the famous.
-Hello. Pleasure.
Truly a pleasure.
-Louis, this is Edouard Werler.
He is a gifted accountant.
-Mm.
Yes.
Well, I will leave you to it.
I can see you know exactly what
sort of man you are looking for.
I am to town.
-Happy hunting!
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
Finally, after too many months
of bottling,
no more frog-eyed bubbles.
The trade route
has been finalized.
The delivery negotiated.
So many obstacles ahead.
So much at stake.
Mustn't dwell on
what we cannot control.
Though, it seems a shame
not to dress you.
Something must announce you.
Something subtle, but smart.
Confident.
There.
That will keep you safe
across the seas.
Go well, my loves, go well.
[indistinct chatter]
-All dressed up
and ready to travel.
We will take a few days
to circumvent the front lines
and arrive in Amsterdam.
I'll be gone a while.
If I don't come back,
don't alert the authorities.
-For you, for the journey.
-Thank you.
-Let's go!
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
And now the wait.
For the first time in
as long as I can remember,
I am permitting myself
excitement.
Pure, unbridled excitement.
Good morning, Phillipe.
I hope you are well.
-Barbe,
I came to view the product
but it is nowhere to be found.
-Why do you need to see it?
-Where is it?
-[Barbe-Nicole chuckles softly]
We moved the sparkling.
-Come with me.
Are you selling abroad?
[scoffs] Barbe,
whether you tell me or not,
if you break this embargo
and you are found out,
I will be implicated.
Everything must be reported
to Droite and to myself.
We are partners.
-When I have proceeds,
I will send them to you.
-You understand our arrangement
can be terminated.
You have one last chance.
One.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
There is a comet
burning a passage
through the sky,
day and night.
The world watches as one.
Whispers around Champagne
say it is portent of change.
A good omen perhaps,
for the coming harvest.
[Muller]Madame! Come quick!
First press!
-[Barbe-Nicole] I'm coming!
It's perfect!
-[Muller laughing]
[bell ringing]
[George] Whoa.
-Where is Louis?
-Louis stayed to sell the glass.
I'm sorry, Madame.
We made it to Amsterdam but...
the heat and the journey...
the champagne spoiled.
We lost everything...
Sorry, Madame.
-[Barbe-Nicole sobs]
[distant scream]
[flame crackles]
[Edouard] We could offer
to sell some of the hectares.
[Barbe-Nicole]
The Mots inquiring again?
-They made it clear
there is a standing offer.
For all of it,
or some of the fields, if...
-When. When I fail.
I understand.
Perhaps in the event
that I should be so foolish,
so arrogant, to send
the sparkling around a blockade
and lose it all to the heat.
-To bad luck, certainly.
-To bad judgement on my part.
-I'm not sure
all the responsibility
lies on your should--
-It was my decision.
-And you will be the reason
we succeed in the end!
-We have no money.
I cannot pay any of you.
Do you think Louis
intends to continue on with us?
You, Edouard?
We need to get to the bottling
stage of this vintage.
-We cannot wait too long
to tell Phillipe.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO]
Selling off objects
to make up for the
lost shipment
in Amsterdam.
But I have kept
Clem's room untouched.
Try again. Think differently.
Work on what's in front of us.
[soft, sad music playing]
[wind whistling]
[huge door opens]
-This is for you...
It's not very good, is it?
But I did make it myself.
It's an owl, weeping
in a cathedral on the moon...
Beautiful.
You were disappointed when...
you first saw me, I know.
When your parents told you
that you were to marry.
I will try to make it up to you.
[Muller]
Come on lads, let's go!
Get more wood.
-Thank you!
[George] If we lose these
first shoots to a late frost,
we lose the harvest.
[Barbe-Nicole] I know.
-I'll keep these fires lit
till morning.
-I'll stay.
No one can fall asleep.
-Of course, Madame.
-Thank you, George.
-All right, lads, let's go!
[Droite]
Muller! Muller! Here!
[George] Come on, boys!
[indistinct]
up the hill as well, lads.
[Droite]
Here. Follow me.
Come on! Follow me there!
[chatter continues]
[fires crackling]
[Phillipe] [VO] Pick these up.
Pick these up now!
[Franois] [VO] Why?
Time does not bend, Father.
She's slow!
-Go and clean yourself up.
-It must clear!
-Meet me in the study.
Come and speak to me
when you are ready
to discuss things civilly.
I am afraid there is nothing
to be done about Franois.
[door opens]
[footsteps]
-Hello, Phillipe.
Thank you for coming.
-Of course.
-Edouard, would you like to...
to begin?
[Edouard] Yes.
Phillipe,
regarding the missing product,
we wanted to assure you
there will be no legal issues
for the vineyard.
There will be no evidence
of the shipment
having been sold anywhere.
-But how can you guarantee that?
There must be records.
-It was ruined in the heat.
-It's lost?!
The entire vintage?
-Yes.
-Edouard, you may go.
[receding footsteps]
[door opens, closes]
-God!
I am very disappointed in you.
-I understand.
-[Phillipe] You've confirmed
all my worst fears.
-I understand,
but I want you to consider
not removing me
until after this next bottling.
-And why would I do that?
-And if we can recoup...
-No. It is finished.
-Franois needed help,
and we failed to recognize it.
We failed him.
That is why he is dead.
-I could never allow myself
to think...
-Please, Phillipe.
While the vineyard
still bears his name.
-[sobs]
If Louis Bohne distributes,
agreed.
[door opens]
[thunder roaring]
[water dripping]
[liquid pouring]
-The damp will get
into your bones, Barbe.
You'll catch your death.
-Sit with me.
-That's very good.
-Just isn't good enough.
-You need to sleep.
[glass shatters]
-It's not right. It's not good.
This isn't right.
It's not good.
This is not good!
That is too loud!
It's too loud, it's too loud!
We are not safe here!
-Clem? Clem!
-[Franois] This is our home!
-Inside! Go!
Go inside!
[glass shatters]
[dramatic music]
-It's loud, it's too loud.
Taste it!
-[glass shatters]
-[Franois spits]
Would they have their own homes
suffer such harm?
Why is no one coming to help?
[dramatic music]
[glass shatters]
Barbe!
-[Barbe-Nicole groans]
[dramatic music]
[Barbe-Nicole breathing heavily]
[Franois]
Where were you?
Hiding...
You're hiding from me...
-I was waiting for you to calm.
-I can't.
-Will Clem be safe?
If you can't calm.
-If I can't, will that keep you
from loving me?
[tense, romantic music playing]
-[Franois moaning]
[tense, romantic music
continues]
[footsteps approaching]
-Monsieur Louis Bohne.
-Louis Bohne, after months
on a horse.
-Charles has told me
you are maintaining
the vineyards yourself.
You must be the only woman
I know who loves mud.
-Yes, well,
we keep moving forward.
-And what criminal activities
do you have in mind for us next?
-They are not so much criminal
as they are masking the extent
to which we are truly solvent.
-Excellent.
-You've been gone a long while.
-Yes.
-It's good to have you
back with us safe, Louis.
And I have control
of the vineyard
until the next bottling,
if you decide
to distribute for us.
After that...
-I know.
Phillipe told me.
After the disaster in Amsterdam,
I managed to salvage
eight bottles.
I then rode on horseback
to St. Petersburg.
A friend,
who has exquisite taste,
and is the sort who likes
the boast of his new
discoveries,
he sampled your champagne.
I gave him the bottles,
and he gave me this.
In advance of the next shipment.
You have sold, Madame.
Congratulations.
Provided the next tasting
goes well, of course;
we have to match
the same standard of
what we have already pre-sold.
-Of course.
For Phillipe.
And for you.
-No.
I will give this to Phillipe.
It did occur to me
that I might sell the red wine
to the nobles that I know
in Austria.
They hate the French,
but not me personally, I hope.
-To dislike you
would be against nature.
We sold the red.
Not at the price
you would have sold it for,
but I needed to pay the workers
for the harvest.
Louis, could you...?
Would one of your royals buy it?
It's the only possession
of worth I have left.
-[sighs]
If I had anything of my own
to sell, I would.
-[overlap]
I know, but you don't.
-No.
-We won't be solvent until
after the next vintage.
-I know.
But you have sold, Barbe.
And Phillipe will soon see that.
Don't sell it quite yet.
[mellow music]
[knocks on door]
[door opens]
-All right, that's enough.
-Louis.
[mellow music]
[floorboard creaks]
-Is that you, Barbe-Nicole?
What do you want, Barbe?
Your instincts
have always been so good.
You know what I am.
Why won't you
listen to yourself now?
-I don't want to.
-Why?
-I don't want to.
-Will you ask the workers
if they would accept these
in trade?
-I will, Barbe.
[]
[indistinct whispering]
-[Franois whispering]
-What would Voltaire say?
-He would not be happy with me.
-What are you praying for?
-To... stop...
loving you this much.
It... it's...
you are the only.
You are life...
for me.
And...
I...
I'm not...
I'm not.
I'm not.
[birds chirping]
No, no.
For my calm, for my sleep.
-Don't hide from me, love.
-[Franois groaning]
-[Barbe-Nicole gasps]
-[Clementine thuds, cries]
-Oh. Oh... darling. Clemy...
Silly Daddy. Silly Daddy.
I've got you. I've got you.
[Clementine] I want Mummy!
-Oh, I've got you. I've got you.
I've got you.
Darling.
-Stop.
Stop!
It's all right.
-[Clementine crying]
[soulful music playing]
-[Franois chuckling]
-[Clementine chuckling]
-[Franois mock growling]
[mellow music]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[footsteps]
[scratch of pen on paper]
-Napoleon's new regulations
on planting.
When does he find the time?
-He understands the value
of peace.
-He is not interested in peace.
[chair slides]
[glasses clank]
-I'm working.
-It's late. Everyone's asleep.
[kissing]
-Now get out of my office.
[]
[clattering]
[glass clanks]
[door opens and closes]
[Barbe-Nicole]
[VO] I shall name you
the Comet Vintage of 1811.
[bell blaring]
[maid] Monsieur Muller,
Monsieur Muller.
Quick. It's time!
-[Louis] Gather everyone!
-Sir, I'll ready the horses.
[Muller] Right! I need
all the carts loaded.
All the horses!
We need everyone.
Everyone to the caves!
Now!
-[woman speaking indistinctly]
-[horse neighing]
At least another dozen
bottles over there.
-[clattering and clanking]
-[indistinct chatter]
-You need to hide here
until the soldiers have gone.
They won't find you
in the caves.
Muller, go and get your family
once you're finished loading,
and any of the other men.
-Sir.
-No, no.
I need Muller to bring Clem.
-She'll be safer at your
parents' house in Reims, Madame.
-I must go to the house
to get Anne.
-Wait.
Go quickly, the Russians
could be here before sunset.
God knows what will happen.
-Leave the shipment
if anything happens.
-Go. Don't worry, go!
[bottles clanking]
Go. Keep to the woods.
Come on, keep loading!
[birds screeching]
[intense music playing]
[door opens]
-[Barbe-Nicole] It's here!
-[Anne] I know, I know!
[doors close]
-[Barbe-Nicole] Clem!
-[Anne] We have to hurry.
[Barbe-Nicole]
I need Clem. Oh god!
Oh my god, oh my god!
[intense music playing]
[doors bang shut]
[distant boom of canon-fire]
[horse neighing]
[Anne] Barbe, Barbe!
[suspenseful music playing]
[suspenseful music stops]
[birds chirping]
[Barbe-Nicole]
[VO] The war is over,
leaving such devastation
in its wake.
And yet no damage done
to the vineyards of France.
A miracle.
[Louis] [VO] My dear,
now that Napoleon has been
brought to his knees,
all of Russia wishes to
celebrate the end of this war
by drinking the Comet.
Your champagne is all sold.
I wish I had more to sell.
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] I've been
turning the vessels each day
over the last few weeks.
And as I thought, sediment
has solidified in the base,
ready to be released.
[Louis] [VO] The Czar himself
said he would drink none other.
We must seize the moment.
[cork pops]
[glasses clinking]
[Barbe-Nicole] [VO] This is
most definitely the future.
Our shipments will be months
ahead of the competition.
[tense, exciting music playing]
-I can pay the workers now.
-Robert!
How are you?
Thank you, thank you
for taking care of the vines.
-Hello. Thank you very much!
-Thank you, Matthieu!
-Madame.
-So you're an inventor now.
And you would have me
return to Russia so soon.
-No, I would not.
Now that he has abdicated
and there is peace,
George can go.
-Oh.
I can go and join you
in the vineyards today.
-You're going to get
your hands dirty?
-Mm-hm.
-[bell ringing]
-Mud on your shoes?
-[Louis chuckles]
[bell ringing]
[Charles] Summons!
-[raven cawing]
-[horseman whistling]
-It's a summons for
Barbe-Nicole Clicquot.
[Edouard]
A claim has been submitted
that Madame Clicquot
is running a business
in violation of
the Napoleonic code of 1804
and further, that her vineyard
should be placed
in the hands of
an experienced executor.
We don't have much time.
We have to read
the entirety of the Code.
-Was this the plan all along?
[Edouard]
No, Madame.
It never occurred to them
you would succeed.
That you would fight
so very hard for every bottle.
[corks popping,
glass shattering]
[Muller]
Get out! Get out!
-No! No!
-It's too dangerous, Madame!
-[Muller] Come with me!
-[Barbe-Nicole] No!
-[Droite] Come with me!
-[Barbe-Nicole] Stop! Stop!
-[Droite] It's over!
-[Barbe-Nicole] Get off me!
Get off!
[corks popping,
glass shattering]
[emotional music]
-Where were you?
-[Franois] Where were you?
[Barbe-Nicole]
What are you doing?
-There are things written here
that you've never
shared with me.
You're hiding.
-They are things to remind me
of--of--of--
of what we have shared,
said to each other, decided!
-You were worried
about the glass.
-And I told you!
-[Franois] No, you didn't.
-Yes!
-No, you didn't.
-Calm, Franois. Calm, calm.
-[overlap] Calm? I am calm.
This is what you do,
you trick me!
-You were the one who said
we would never hide
from each other,
and now you are the one.
You hide.
You hide in these moods,
you rave and you disappear.
Is this what you want?
-How could this possibly be
what I...
[Franois groans]
-Did you send Clem to the abbey
because you didn't want her
to see me like this?
-Yeah. Yes.
I sent her to the abbey
because I didn't want her
to be ashamed of you.
Or afraid of you.
Or take care of you.
And she will remain there
until you are different.
-And you hid that from me?
-It was all I could do.
[receding footsteps]
[glass clanks]
-Go to sleep, my love.
[receding footsteps]
[sad, emotional music]
[Franois]
I love you, my darling.
[Barbe-Nicole]
I love you.
[sad music playing]
-[Barbe-Nicole sniffles]
[water dripping]
[bottle clanking]
[bell ringing]
[Anne] Madame,
the carriage is here.
[Jean Remy Mot]
[VO] It is with great concern
for the well-being of not only
the Champagne district,
but for
Madame Clicquot herself,
that we bring this claim.
I regret to say it,
but her champagne falls
well short of the high
standards of our district.
If she continues to sell first,
our vintage
will be judged as she is.
Perhaps a situation
such as this
is precisely what
Napoleon foresaw
when he insisted on a law
forbidding female management
of companies.
Monsieur Droite, who works
with Madame as estate manager,
has been observing her
for many years.
She has been seen
knee-deep in mud,
singing to the vines.
[crowd murmurs]
[Magistrate 2] Could you
tell me, Monsieur Droite,
why she was given
the vineyard to manage?
-Well, she was in a very fragile
and emotional state
when she pleaded
with Phillipe Clicquot
to run the business alone.
He had just lost his son,
she, her husband.
There were many substantial
financial offers for the estate
but she refused them all,
and now we are in a position
where,
due to constant borrowing,
we may have to default the bank.
I fear that she, a woman,
is not capable of
running this vineyard.
-And yet the reason
we are all here
is because
she is doing just that!
[Magistrate 1]
And you are?
-I am Edouard Werler, sir.
Madame Clicquot's accountant.
Forgive my interruption,
but this is the will
of Franois Clicquot
that states the land belongs
to Barbe-Nicole Clicquot
until such a time as
she wills the property
to someone of her choosing.
[Droite] Yes,
if she is in her right mind.
[Edouard]
Regarding the accusation
that she is forbidden to run
a business under the law,
I would cite a major point
of the Napoleonic code of 1804,
which states that a woman can
carry on her husband's business
after his death.
Monsieur Mot wants control
of her vineyard.
He doesn't care
to protect Champagne
or Madame Clicquot
from herself.
[Magistrate 1]
Monsieur Werler,
this court will hear testimony,
not opinion.
[Droite] May I speak on
the subject of her...
her private life.
Her deceit.
[crowd murmurs]
[Magistrate 1]
You may, but keep it clean;
there are women present.
[Droite] Madame Clicquot
is not what she seems.
She is in an intimate,
romantic relationship
with her wine merchant.
She is a widow
only in the eyes of the law,
to evade the law.
-[Franois humming]
Shhh... Do you hear them?
-Of course. Always.
-I don't. Not anymore.
-[Barbe-Nicole humming]
[Franois] [VO] I think...
all I ever wanted really
was to be happy.
Build a paradise here with you.
-Perhaps men were not
made for paradise.
-I want to die in your arms.
Do you still want to
die in mine?
-I do, but first,
I want to live,
and work, and learn.
-Do you remember when you said
that I was the one
who was
going to change things?
It wasn't me.
-Shh- shh.
-Oh, my darling.
It was never me.
[VO] It was always you.
[Magistrate 1]
Would you stand, please?
Are you remaining a widow
for the sole purpose
of running a business?
-I don't know.
[Magistrate 1]
Did you say you don't know?
-I don't know.
It's odd to listen to
how others define you
as if you are somehow fixed,
unchanging, one person,
instead of the many
that we all are.
I love my husband still.
And I love Louis Bohne.
I am not just one self.
[Magistrate 1]
Your husband is dead, Madame.
-My husband is not dead.
He lives in the vines.
[Magistrate 1]
Perhaps it is not best
to have you speak for yourself.
-Why would I not be
the authority
on the subject of myself?
I am telling the truth
as I know it,
even though I see
that telling the truth means
I might not be
readily understood... by men,
as it may not be what it is.
Familiar, expected.
But the truth is,
as I listened to you,
I was glad to be a woman,
even if I lose
the rights of men.
Men are so certain,
but does that mean
they know the truth?
Or does it just mean
they are certain of themselves?
[Magistrate 1]
Yes, we-- we see your point.
And yet, we need a clear answer
to settle this claim.
Are you remaining a widow
to evade the law?
-I am Louis Bohne, magistrate,
the wine distributor
in question.
Can I offer my assistance
in obtaining an answer
to your question?
[Magistrate 1]
You may, thank you.
-Understanding that I would run
the vineyard as I see fit,
with you by my side,
given everything you know of me,
and that we've never hidden
anything from one another...
Barbe-Nicole,
will you marry me?
-No.
[crowd murmurs]
[Louis]
Widow Clicquot...
[]
[]
[music fades out]