‘A Good Year’ (original title: A good year) is a 2006 British film directed by Ridley Scott.
The film is adapted from the novel by author Peter Mayle, taking viewers to Château La Canorgue – a castle and long-standing wine cellar in Bonnieux, France.
“A Good Year” begins when an orphan boy named Max Skinner is taken in by his uncle Henry to the vineyard of La Siroque in Provence, France. Henry has no wife or children, so the two are very close.
He spent a lot of time teaching Max every detail of the business, tending each vine, observing each bunch of fruit, and carefully picking the recipe to make fine wine.
When Max was 10 years old, Mr. Henry trusted Max with the bookkeeping, calculating all income and expenses, and employee salaries. In their free time, the two of them went for walks around the area, swam in the river, fished, and played tennis.
Max Skinner spent most of his childhood at Château La Canorgue with many happy memories. Time passed and now, he has become a famous investment broker, always putting profit first. And he wants to sell the castle to continue pursuing his billion-dollar investment path.
Max set about renovating the castle so he could sell it for a higher price. As he did so, every corner of the castle reminded him of his beloved uncle. Everything was marked by Max’s happy upbringing. He changed his mind.
The film is adapted from the novel by author Peter Mayle, taking viewers to Château La Canorgue – a castle and long-standing wine cellar in Bonnieux, France.
He decided to leave the La Siroque estate to Miss Christie, whom he had recently learned was his uncle’s illegitimate daughter. He sought to create evidence that she was Henry’s biological daughter.
He used old ink and old paper left on his uncle’s desk to forge a fake letter, with the exact same handwriting and signature as Uncle Henry, stating that at the end of his life, he wanted to entrust to his nephew his biological daughter named Christie, whom he admitted to having and abandoning in America.
Christie had only wanted to visit the castle to see where her father, who she had never met, had lived. Little did she know that the trip would change her life forever.
She became the owner of a castle and a famous winery. Eventually, Max teamed up with her cousin Christie to take care of the farm and operate a winery in Province, France.
A movie with a strong summer atmosphere, with brilliant yellow sunshine, warm clouds, and green trees.
The humorous and gentle details of “A Good Year” contain meaningful messages about the value of family and loved ones in life.
In addition to the acting of the cast, the music and setting also contribute to helping the film leave a beautiful impression on the audience.
But the French music is inserted reasonably and gracefully in each scene, especially the scene where Max Skinner’s family gathers around the dining table under the green trees in the warm late afternoon sun of a summer afternoon in Bonnieux, making everything more poetic than ever.
In that scene, there is only love and peace. It makes my heart calm down in these desolate sunny days.
A movie filled with the atmosphere of summer, with splendid golden sunshine, warm clouds, and green trees. All wrapped up in an atmosphere filled with vibrant love. A beautiful summer, worthy for us to enjoy and immerse ourselves in.