Underground cinema

Stephen Ashton -- Glen Ellen vintner, filmmaker and founder of the Wine Country Film Festival -- likes to talk about "the terroir of cinema."

"Terroir, of course, is a wine term that we lifted for a cultural parallel: the roots will pick up the atmosphere that the grapes are grown in," said Ashton.

A documentary cinematographer in the '60s, he started his Ashton Vineyards 30 years ago.

"The terroir of cinema," he explained, "is about how humans relate to their roots, their identity and their background."

For his 22nd annual film festival, opening Wednesday, Ashton has harvested some 100 films -- some fiction, some factual -- from Europe, the Mideast and around the world. Most will be shown with subtitles in 70 two-hour programs.

The festival runs through July 27 in Kenwood, then moves to Rutherford and Napa for the second leg of its schedule, July 31 through Aug. 3. Many of the movies will be shown on the festival's theater-sized outdoor screen.

Most of the films are new and have not been widely released yet. Other movies by top foreign filmmakers will be new to festival-goers. Almost none of this work is likely to show up at a multiplex near you.

Here's a taste of this summer's fare, with a bit of Ashton's gourmet commentary:

'Field of Stars'

(Drama, 119 min., Spain, 2008)

What Ashton says: "This film is directed by an old master, Mario Camus, and it's visually stunning. It's set in Cantabria in northern Spain. A young guy is being cultivated to become a champion bicyclist. In the same small town, there is a former champion and he agrees to coach this kid."

When: 8:45 p.m. Saturday. Kenwood Depot.

'Caravaggio'

(Biographical drama, 120 min., Spain, 2007)

What Ashton says: "Shot by the Vittorio Storato, who is probably the most famous cinematographer alive today. He shot 'The Last Emperor.' He worked for Francis Ford Coppola on 'Apocalypse Now.' He's just like a painter with light. He's perfect for a film about the painter Caravaggio, who's also famous for his use of light. Caravaggio was a great swordsman and loved to get into swordfights. He also was a great lover, and he was courted by 16th- and 17th-century royalty."

When: 4:30 p.m. July 27. Deerfield Winery Cave, Kenwood. (Open only to Wine Country Film Club members; $10 to join.)

'Maiden and the Wolves'

(Historical drama, 110 min., France, 2008)

What Ashton says: "Hunters in France at the turn of the 20th century virtually eliminated all the wolves around Mount Blanc. This true story is about how one girl goes to save the remaining wolves. As she grows up, she becomes the first woman veterinarian in France. The cinematography is fabulous. It reminds you of 'Jean de Florette' or 'Manon of the Spring.' "

Stars French actress and supermodel Laetitia Casta, directed by Gilles Legrand ("Malabar Princess").

When: 8:45 p.m. July 27. Kenwood Depot.

'Where Have All the Flowers Gone'

(Documentary, 72 min. United States, 2007)

What Ashton says: "It's about some young people nowadays that are inspired by what they've heard about the '60s. And they say, 'Where are the people who are politically active now? Where's the counterculture?' So they travel from Texas all the way to San Francisco. This is part road trip, and mostly what they find when they are in San Francisco, tracking down the young people that are active now and the people (who) have things to say about the '60s."

When: 4 p.m. Aug. 2. Copia, Napa.

'Red Like the Sky'

(Biographical drama, 96 min., Italy, 2006)

What Ashton says: "This is a story of a young boy who loses his sight and he has to learn to 'see' with his ears. He starts to record sounds and he goes on in life and becomes the greatest sound editor in Italy." (Based on the true story of Mirco Mencacci.)

When: 8:45 p.m. Aug. 2. Alpha Omega Winery, Rutherford.

'Jump! The Phillipe Halsman Story'

(Biographical drama, 118 min., Austria, 2008)

What Ashton says: "Phillipe Halsman was the photographer for Life magazine, who photographed a series of Marilyn Monroe and other celebrities, all jumping. This is the story of him as a boy in Austria at the beginning of the Nazi movement. He was arrested and prosecuted for a murder that it was impossible for him to have committed. It has come out that it was really because of him being a Jew. The lawyer who fights for him at the trial and loses then goes to Life magazine, and they get him out of jail. Patrick Swayze plays the lawyer."

When: 8 p.m. Aug 2. Hatt Hall, Napa River Inn, Napa.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com.