Peter Mayle Movies
- 1978
Based on the memoirs of Peter Mayle, the British comedy-drama series A Year in Provence starred John Thaw as Peter Mayle and Lindsay Duncan as his wife Annie. Voluntarily chucking their comfortable lifestyle in their native England, Peter and Annie packed up and moved to the south of France, there to take charge of a quaint farmhouse. Besieged by bad weather, eccentric neighbors, and obnoxious tourists, and surviving such local rituals as truffle season and amateur theatricals, the Mayleses managed to readjust their outlooks on life with high good humor. Filmed on location, the 12-episode A Year in Provence aired in the U.K. from February 28 to May 16, 1978. Though the series was a ratings failure in Britain, it proved an enormous success when it was rebroadcast in Europe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Nearly every parent dreads having to give their children "the talk" about how babies are made; this animated video, based on the book by Peter Mayle, is designed to help take the embarrassment out of early sex education. Narrated by comedian Howie Mandel, Where Did I Come From?: A Facts of Life Teaching Aid explains in clear but simple terms (and using the proper terminology) the human reproductive process, as a young couple's new arrival is followed from conception to birth, using humor, a gentle approach, and anatomically correct drawings. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
British retiree John Thaw and his wife Lindsay Duncan spend a Year in Provence in this TV miniseries. Each episode covers a single season of the couple's experiences in their new home in the south of France. Purchasing a 200-year-old farmhouse, Thaw and Duncan must undergo the usual rigors of restorations and adjustment. They also come to understand the fancies and foibles of their new neighbors, many of whom seem to be refugees from a Rene Clair musical. Most pleasurable of all, the couple is permitted to partake of eating and drinking experiences that they'd never dreamed of in their staid previous existence. A Year in Provence is based on two autobiographical novels by former London businessman Peter Mayle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Thaw, Lindsay Duncan, (more)
Gladiator duo Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe re-team for this adaptation of author Peter Mayle's best-selling novel about a London-based investment banker who relocates to Provence in hopes of selling a small vineyard he has inherited from his recently deceased uncle. As a child, Max Skinner (Freddie Highmore) was taught to appreciate the finer things in life while wandering the vineyard estate of his sophisticated uncle Henry (Albert Finney). Life has a strange way or turning out how you least expect it to though, and 25 years later, Max (Russell Crowe) is now a prosperous moneyman wheeling and dealing in the cutthroat world of London business. When Max learns that Henry has recently passed away and that he has been named the sole beneficiary of his late uncle's modest estate, the keen businessman hastily arranges a flight to France in order to assess the value of the old property and get it prepped for sale. After Max arrives to find the vineyard in a crumbling state of disrepair, his troubles are further compounded by the stubbornness of gruff estate winemaker M. Duflot (Didier Bourdon) and the unexpected arrival of a determined California beauty named Christie (Abbie Cornish), who presents herself as a long-lost cousin while making a dubious claim to Henry's estate. Meanwhile, the overstressed Max reluctantly finds himself falling for local café owner and town siren Fanny (Marion Cotillard), whose formidable guard is quickly worn down by the smitten beneficiary. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Albert Finney, (more)
