Sunflowers & a Film Update

I arrived late this year & did not have the pleasure of watching the tournesols slowly opening their bight yellow faces toward the sun. The sunflowers were in full bloom by the time I got here & now have already started to droop. There are still fields of yellow that seem to go on forever but the colors are subtly changing. I find this stage of the sunflowers equally as lovely though. The patterns they make as they drop their heads are just as visually interesting to me.


Recently I went on a little outing to really take in the last bit of beauty of the sunflowers & happened to discover a sweet little village in the heart of the sunflower region. The only shop in the village was one that sold cold pressed extra virgin oils, sunflower, flax & canola which are all grown near by. I bought some of the oils & they are delicious, especially in salads.


While I was there I met a lovely young woman & her two adorable little daughters. It was just one of those special French moments that seem to happen so often over here. The charming proprietress in her tiny shop filled with these marvelous oils & other healthy products of the region as well as crisp baguettes & croissants to die for. Rosy checked & wiry white hair. Her beautiful little granddaughter behind the counter helping her. Insisted that her two costumers meet as they "speak the same language". And that is how I met this lovely Swedish woman & her children. This was before I knew anything about the film in St. Antonin. But one of the things this enchanting women told me was that she was in France with her husband, who was "shooting a feature".


Naturally I was curious & of course after learning about the coming film I realized that she most certainly must be a part of it. Later in the week while in St. Antonin I ran into her again. She is such a sweet person. She recognized me immediately & was so kind. She genuinely seemed pleased to see me again as I was to see her. She introduced me to her husband who was with her. I was able to learn a bit more about the film & their busy lives before they continued on their way.



What I did learn is that the title of the film is The Hundred-Foot Journey & that it is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Morais. The story explores the unlikely relationship of a young Indian cook & a renowned French chef, whose three star restaurant is just a mere hundred feet from his own.


Helen Mirren will play Madame Mallory, the cranky French chef while the up & coming new actor Manish Dayal will play her young protégé. He is best known for his performance as a terminally ill patient in the American television series '90210'.


Filming will begin within a few weeks & will continue into November. St. Antonin will be one of the first sites to be filmed but there are a number of other beautiful sites in the area that will be in the film. After the filming here the production will move on to India to finish the film.



That's all for now. But I will be keeping you posted as I am finding this film thing very interesting & exciting indeed.