One Battle After Another

Pairing‌‌‌ ‌‌‌wine‌‌‌ ‌‌‌with‌‌‌ ‌‌‌movies!‌‌‌ ‌‌‌See‌‌‌ ‌‌‌the‌‌‌ ‌‌‌trailers‌‌‌ ‌‌‌and‌‌‌ ‌‌‌hear‌‌‌ ‌‌‌the‌‌‌ ‌‌‌fascinating‌‌‌ ‌‌‌commentary‌‌‌ ‌‌‌for‌‌‌ ‌‌‌these‌‌‌ movies‌,‌‌ ‌‌‌and‌‌‌ ‌‌‌many‌‌‌ ‌‌‌more‌,‌‌ ‌‌‌at‌‌‌ ‌‌‌Trailers‌‌‌ ‌‌‌From‌‌‌ ‌‌‌Hell.‌‌‌ ‌This week, our films center on battlefields of one type or another. After the fight, a wine pairing for each.

The Battle of Algiers is a 1966 Italian-Algerian film, co-written and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. It’s about the brutal two-year stretch in the Algerian War that pitted the rebels of the FLN, National Liberation Front, against French authorities. The film was shot in black and white, using hand-held cameras to simulate style of newsreel documentaries. The battle served as the outline for urban guerrilla warfare. Civilians were targeted regularly by both sides. Torture was commonplace as the French struggled to put down the fight for independence.

The film is so realistic, it’s easy to forget that it’s not real. It’s also not an easy picture to watch, as the depiction of inhuman cruelty takes its toll on the viewer. It is, however, considered one of the greatest films ever made. Italy lauded it as one of a hundred films that changed the nation’s collective memory. It is definitely not light entertainment.

Before the 1950s, Algeria was reportedly the largest exporter of wine in the world. I know, that had me scratching my head, too. The country’s exports went largely to France, as a blending agent. Those sales fell off drastically after Algeria won its independence. Many of the grapes used in Algerian wine are, not surprisingly, of French origin.

Koutoubia Red comes from the Mascara wine region, a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Alicante. It sounds like a great item to pick up if you’re ever in Algeria. Sorry, shipping to the U.S. is said to be unavailable or restricted. An easier to find option for Algerian wine is Cuvee du President Rouge, but the shipping is likely to cost more than the wine itself.

https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/cuvee+du+president+rouge+algeria/2000

The 2000 film Battle Royale may have inspired Squid Game. At least, that’s my thinking. Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, the film is about a group of Japanese school children who are sent away for a game of survivor. They are instructed to kill each other, the winner being the last kid standing. Battle Royale might be a trigger for anyone who has endured school violence.

The movie got Japan’s harshest rating and it has been banned in several countries. I’m not surprised to find out that Quentin Tarantino reportedly considers Battle Royale one of his favorite films of recent years. Director Fukasaku died of cancer after undertaking a sequel to this movie.

Michelle Kazumi Sakazaki makes wine in Napa Valley. To honor her heritage, her Kazumi Wines is the first American brand to grow and produce wine from the ancient Japanese grape, Koshu. The Kazumi Napa Valley Koshu sells for $65.
https://www.kazumiwines.com/

1962’s Battle Beyond the Sun is actually a Soviet sci-fi from a few years earlier. It was re-edited and re-dubbed by a young Francis Ford Coppola, who also shot some new footage. Roger Corman had acquired the film and hired film student Coppola to turn it into something suitable for American audiences.

The plot centers on two nations involved in a space race, each trying to be the first to reach Mars. The countries are given fictional names and all the characters’ names were Americanized. The two competing missions encounter all sorts of outer space trouble as they head for Mars, cosmic debris, fuel shortage, and landing on an asteroid for repairs among them. Who knew there were service stations on asteroids? Oh, and what unplanned landing on a rock in space would be complete without a couple of monsters slugging it out?

Who gets to Mars first? Who cares? It’s a fun ride for those who cut their movie teeth on terrible sci-fi movies of the 1950s. For those who didn’t, it’s probably a complete bore.

Space Age Rosé is a pink blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Carignane grapes created by Josh Phelps in California’s Central Coast.
https://www.groundedwineco.com/wines/#space-age

Randy Fuller

NowAnd Zin Wine – www.nowandzin.com
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