MONDOVINO

A filmmaker who doubles as a sommelier, Jonathan Nossiter undoubtedly knows his wines. In Mondovino, he looks beyond mere wine appreciation to examine the world winemaking industry as a reflection of cultural change, disappearing tradition, and the marginalization of independent thought. Both intimate and epic, the sprawling docu feature is perhaps a little drunkenly structured. But while not all the many arguments laid out are fully developed, the consistently fascinating material provides an uncommonly eloquent, provocative statement against globalization thats sure to stimulate thinking audiences. While Mondovino seems at times to be about American imperialism or the cultural clash between France and the U.S., its more pointedly about the might of marketing over manufacture, corporate muscle and greed over artisanal enterprise, uniformity over individuality. As such, the film mines a fertile vein of universal themes and other commercial areas not least among them the film industry that serve to make it more compelling. (David Rooney)