Overview

If you’re already familiar with Louis Feuillade, his little-known opus Vendémiaire may come as a surprise. Unlike the bulk of his work which was characterised as ‘Fantastic Realism’, Vendémiaire is wonderfully down-to-earth realism – or down-to-French-earth realism to be specific. The film itself is divided into four chapters, the titles of which suggest that this is a movie about the cultivation and consumption of wine. But as the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that the cultivation and consumption of wine is an allegory for French culture and French land as a whole, and the real purpose of the film is to persuade the director’s fellow citizens to defend that spirit and those lands at all costs. It’s September 1918 and the war is coming to an end, but here on the Castelviel estate in the south of France the news has not yet arrived and everyone is busy with the grape harvest....

Top Cast

René Cresté

Pierre Bertin

Édouard Mathé

Capitaine de Castelviel

Louis Leubas

Wilfrid

Mary Harald

Sara la bohémienne

Lugane

Marthe

F

Fabiola

Marie

Adeline de La Croix

Mme de Castelviel

Manuel Caméré

Fritz

Georges Biscot

Bernadou

Jeanne Rollette

É

Émile André

Violette Jyl