Jack Clayton's name may not jump off the page like other directors who are more firmly ensconced in pop culture. But he was a giant in the film industry. And, he probably would never have called movies an industry. Like a winemaker who labors to ferment grapes for the love of doing so, Clayton was picky about his source material and notably difficult as a business partner. He might as well have been selling Syrah. His career suffered due to his uncompromising vision and was ultimately derailed by studio politics and illness. Drink to Jack Clayton. You know, he can't drink anymore.
Harold Pinter wrote the script for 1964's The Pumpkin Eater. He adapted it from the novel by Penelope Mortimer, one which echoes nearly word for word her own life story. Anne Bancroft and Peter Finch star as an unhappy couple with a gaggle of children. The title comes from the nursery rhyme about a guy who "had a wife and couldn't keep her." Yeah, she was pregnant, like, all the time. It's no wonder that the marriage hit the skids.
Clayton's direction was lauded, although somewhat overshadowed by the wealth of acting talent he had at his fingertips. James Mason and Maggie Smith were also in the cast, squeezed into supporting roles.
Am I the only one bothered by the fact that the movie's title references a rhyme involving the name Peter, but there is no character named Peter? But there is an actor named Peter? I read one synopsis of the movie that actually referred to Jake, the husband played by Finch, as Peter. No? Just me? Well, I get that a lot.
No, we're not having any pumpkin wine. We will, however, take a trip to Temecula, where Peltzer Winery is part of the fun zone known as the Peltzer Pumpkin Farm. How they managed to resist the temptation to make pumpkin wine, I don't know. But they mercifully did. The prices are a tad high, and the farm seems to be crawling with kids, but their $40 Roussanne looks like a deal. Their $40 rosé, not so much. And their Prosecco is a mind-blowing $50. If I pay $50 for bubbly… well, let's just say I'm not paying $50 for Prosecco.
In the 1967 thriller, Our Mother's House, Mom dies and her brood of kids keep it a secret to avoid being parceled off to foster homes. They bury the dear old matriarch in the backyard and cash her monthly checks to keep what's left of the family afloat.
Does it sound like a story arc from Shameless? It does, and it happened in real life, too. A San Diego woman decided to keep getting her dead mom's Social Security checks. Not to be a spoiler, but she is now celebrating Mother's Day in a federal penitentiary.
The kids in Our Mother's House also have a deadbeat dad to contend with, but I'll tell you right now, that absentee father is in way over his head with these brats. If you want a nice, happy ending to this movie, sorry. That ship sails early in the film. The children eventually do the only right thing left to them. Cheers!
Big House Wines gets its name from the nearby Soledad Correctional Facility. They are more attuned to bootlegging crimes, but you also might end up there if you bury mom in the backyard and keep cashing her checks.
The Innocents is a 1961 horror film based on Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. Clayton had a penchant for bringing literature to the silver screen. It was shot in black and white CinemaScope, a format which was required by the studio and despised by Clayton. He used CinemaScope to great effect in creating what is now considered a ghost story masterpiece.
He also brought forth the best performance of Deborah Kerr's career. Her portrayal of a governess being driven mad by two children is chilling. We don't know if her character is scared, ghost-crazy, or just in need of a glass of wine or six. Clayton steered the film clear of gory horror tropes, yet created a movie that pulls the viewer's nerves taut and plays them like a ukulele.
The easy pairing choice is for a ghost wine - a winery founded in the late 19th century and still operating in refurbished fashion. And no, they do not operate with a skeleton crew. That's reserved for Halloween.
Virginia's Gray Ghost Winery has a few white wines to uncork here, since faces are said to turn pale in the presence of ghosts. Or after consuming a little too much wine. The Innocents is an hour and a half long - pace yourself.
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