A Good Year

• Russell Crowe: Max Skinner
• Albert Finney: Uncle Henry Skinner
• Marion Cotillard: Fanny Chenal
• Freddie Highmore: Young Max
• Didier Bourdon: Francis Duflot
• Isabelle Candelier: Ludivine Duflot
• Jacques Herlin: Papa Duflot
• Abbie Cornish: Christie Roberts
• Archie Panjabi: Gemma ( Jasminda )
• Kenneth Cranham: Sir Nigel
• Rafe Spall: Kenny
• Richard Coyle: Amis
• Valeria Bruni Tedeschi: notary Nathalie Auzet

A Good Year ( A Good Year ) is an American film directed by Ridley Scott from the year 2006. The screenplay was written by Marc Klein based on the novel " A Good Year " by Peter Mayle.

Action

The London stockbroker Max Skinner learns after a great business success of the death of his uncle Henry, who spent his life as a winemaker at his vineyard in Provence. There, Max experienced as an orphan always during the holidays happy times, but had in the last 10 years no contact with his uncle more. Max was going to a very ambitious and cold-hearted securities dealer who makes no vacation for profit maximization hard on the boundaries of what is legally permissible and not feel bound to gentlemen's agreement. That Uncle Henry, who likes to philosophize with the wine of the life and the truth was, but also taught him to succeed and deal with it.

Since his uncle left no legally valid Will, Max inherits the only relative of the Chateau La Siroque. Meanwhile, Max has no intention to keep the property, but wants to make money fast with its sale. Reluctantly, he leaves the hectic - rainy London and travels to the South of France to the inheritance and to direct the sale of all in the way. After Max had to move the notary required for this because of its delay by one day, he went to La Siroque where catch him great memories of the carefree summer of his youth. He meets the Vigneron Francis Duflot, he already knows from childhood and still makes the wine. The executed him in the evening presented by Duflot welcome house wine La Siroque however turns out to be inedible. The next day, Max wants to keep the appointment with the mysterious notary Nathalie Auzet to then fly back quickly to London. On the way, he urged unnoticed from the young restaurant owner Fanny Chenal of the road because he is looking for while sailing to its inevitable smartphone. Once again, briefly returned to La Siroque, Max crashes when trying to make before leaving hastily for selling photos of the property, in the empty swimming pool, from which he can not get out without help. Fanny, who recognizes accidentally parked in front of the Chateau rental car again and is looking for its owner, saves him reluctantly, by flooding the pool with water. Max misses his flight back to London, and thus an important business meeting with his boss Sir Nigel, who wants to speak to him urgently because of the risky stock market business.

Shortly after Max learns by telephone from his assistant Gemma that he has been is a week-long suspension due to ruptured visa interview and his risky securities business. These unusual for Max free time he wants to use on the advice of his best friend and lawyer Charlie to prepare the sale of the Chateau as possible. Max must get the house for renovation on its feet, with him despite initial refusal of the Vigneron Duflot - after wrung pledge " to be allowed to remain in the vine " after the sale - helps. Curiously, however, the vines and the wine be represented by a summoned on Charlie 's advice oenologist as a hopeless case; the oenologist advises him to consider the cultivation of potatoes and pumpkins because of the bad terroir. Only later learns Max that the expert was paid by Duflot miserable for review because he hoped Max would thus refrain from selling the good, wherewith his life's work and the Uncle Henry's would be saved. Because actually produced Uncle Henry and Vigneron Duflot together for years illegal to by wine connoisseurs highly coveted Vin de Garage CP, which is an abbreviation for Le Coin Perdu ( a remote place ).

Meanwhile bathes the young American woman Christie Roberts on out of nowhere and declares that he is the illegitimate daughter of Uncle Henry. After the attractive woman learned the news of death of Max, she remains at his invitation first on La Siroque. Although it seems their lineage no longer be able to prove, after Max had her only photo of Uncle Henry and her mother the same stolen secretly by a sleight on their arrival. Nevertheless, fears Max to lose his inheritance because they - like his friend Charlie and the notary reveal him - according to French inheritance law claim it would. The later arriving for insolvency Charlie Christie makes advances, but which it does not answer in the same way.

On the way from the notary Max looks by Fanny chance to work in their restaurant. After he spoke because of his unconventional rescue from the pool, she made the accusation to have worn a result of the accident caused by him bruises on her thigh it. Max recognizes his fault, wants to make it up and jumps abruptly as an assistant in her hopelessly overcrowded and understaffed restaurant one. His later invitation to a dinner Fanny rejects from first, then agrees but one. Both meet at the rendezvous and spend a passionate night together. Nevertheless, Max continues to adhere to its plan to sell the estate and return to London - now like with Fanny, but sees her life in Provence. Moreover, he seems Christie - despite a certain similarity, the Madame et Monsieur Duflot her repeatedly certify and he does not deny - Henry's daughter still does not want to accept it as. The American, who originally wanted to meet only their father and no claims on the estate collects, then leaves offended La Siroque. Max - on the way to the airport - runs after her and gives her a book that she'd left lying. In it she finds in addition to their previously stolen Photography and the pedant found by Max in Uncle Henry's papers a letter addressed to Max his uncle Henry, who seems to deliver a proof of his paternity. Only in the further course of the film is revealed that Max had written this letter after the signing of the purchase agreement itself, especially since he already learned to imitate Henry's writing as a boy in the summer holidays, Uncle.

After Max had signed the agreements negotiated by Charlie purchase contract, earned him a last encounter with Francis Duflot to which it already repeatedly intruding with his memories knowledge, that they have done precisely what his uncle had always feared: the beloved Chateau and as its origin and family " to betray ." Due to the forged letter, with the Max ultimately his repeatedly by shimmering during the event sincerity towards Christie proves and their inheritance recognizes it is to contest the sale in all our interests of the protagonists in a position to what Max friend Charlie over the shortly arriving American buyers declared " un petit dilema " and interspersed.

Max still flies back to London, where have brought him his last risk business apparent to the brink of Rauswurfs from the company. Surprisingly promising of his boss a wealth partnership for life is offered to him, but he may refuse to pay a considerable sum. Max refuses, because he has already decided on a life with Fanny in Provence. He returns to Fanny and confesses his love. Christie is also returned to La Siroque because of the letter and took over with Vigneron Duflot wine production, while Max and Fanny also live on La Siroque. Indirectly, they are Max to understand on one occasion that they know who wrote the letter saving.

Reviews

Kirk Honeycutt wrote in the Hollywood Reporter on 11 September 2006 that the film, despite the apparent efforts of the movie makers " awkward " is. The scenes in London were filmed and edited in a " jerky " type. The character played by Russell Crowe character was " confused ". Honeycutt only praised the portrayal of Archie Panjabi.

The German movie magazine CINEMA other hand, wrote: " The modern tale of someone who set out to learn what love is, hearty and smooth finish. Best suited to autumn depression. "

" Ridley Scott tries his hand at the genre of romantic comedy. He sends Russell Crowe as nasty stockbroker on a life-changing trip to Provence, but it gets lost in cliché landscapes and does not find the right tone. "

" [ ... ] Lightweight comedy about the clash of two attitudes to life and styles, which owes its charm to the consistent application of familiar clichés and stereotypes, as well as a knowledgeable use of various movie quotes. "

" Everyone knows that the French are moody and dirty, wearing espadrilles and drive a R4 ', stirs the film editor of the newspaper Le Parisien ' on the image of the French in, A Good Year 'on. , Luckily they can enjoy life and a good wine! ' "

Background

The film was (all Provence) rotated among others in London and in Gordes, Bonnieux and cucuron in the immediate vicinity of the residence of Ridley Scott.

The world premiere took place on 9 September 2006 at the Toronto Film Festival. In the cinema of the United Kingdom, the film since October 27, 2006 is shown. In Germany he started on 9 November 2006. On its opening weekend, the film saw a little more than 100,000 visitors.

The central scene of the film, Chateau La Siroque, was removed to the Chateau la Canorgue, about 1.5 km from Bonnieux (France, Vaucluse), furnished. The "old farmhouse" as she refers to the character of Max Skinner at the beginning of the film, is privately owned by the Margan family and can not generally be viewed up close. However, in the immediate vicinity is a manor house in which, among other things, there actually produced in relatively small quantities of wine CP (Coin Perdu ) can be tasted and purchased, the particular vintage is still available. From there, the road leading past as well as from the adjacent wine - fields can be seen from the "old farmhouse". Some of the produced at the Chateau la Canorgue and bottled wines have won awards in recent years, such as the Gold Medal of the " Concours Général Agricole de Paris " and " Concours des Grands Vins à Macon " in Blaye, Avignon and Orange. They are particularly recommended in the wine guides by Hachette, Gault Millau and Dusser Gerber. The "father" of the Chateau, Jean -Pierre Margan, was named the " Vigneron de l' Année " in issue " Spécial Vin " the magazine Gault Millau. The scenes with Duflot 's farmhouse were filmed at Chateau Les Eydins which about 2 km from Chateau la Canorque is located and is produced also on the award-winning wine.

There is a reference to the movie "Gladiator ," the first collaboration between Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe. It is that scene where Max a handful receives sand on Weinfeld, rubs between his hands and the scent inhales - only to find out that this is to the smell of fertilizer - the deeply serious gesture of touching the soil of his homeland of protagonist Maximus from "Gladiator " is here tilted genre properly in Humorous.

The actress Giannina Facio, who starred in "Gladiator " Maximus wife has, in " A Good Year " a cameo appearance as a restaurant employee at the beginning of the film. Facio was seen since "Gladiator " in each film by Ridley Scott in cameos. As a nod to "Gladiator " can further the name of the protagonist read: Max ( - imilian ) as Max ( - imus ).

In allusion to the antagonism Business / country life and the most important person of the character Max, the late uncle, the film plot accompany references to Jacques Tati's film comedy Mon Oncle. That's the name of the dog of the wine growers Duflot " Tati " and the first rendezvous between Max and Fanny takes place in an open-air cinema, on whose screen scenes from the aforementioned Oscar-winning comedy can be seen.

At the end of the film will be shown shortly, the London home of Max Skinner to be sold. This apartment is also a scene in Woody Allen's film " Match Point " from the year 2005.