As you might guess, they'll be no superheroes racing across your screen in this quiet and cerebral documentary. I can state that I know as little about gardening and horticulture as I do about nuclear physics, and that's not much. Yet I found this film offered me some peace and serenity away from this full speed ahead world we live in.
It centers on the wondrous gardens, named Les Quatre Vents. designed and maintained by Francis H. Cabot, its 20 acres located in La Malbaie, Quebec. The interviews with Cabot, an acclaimed horticulturalist, designer, and philanthropist were filmed in 2009 and he passed away in 2011 at the age of 86. It appears that the DVD version was released just last year, however, and I found my copy at the local library.
Cabot, who moved from Boston to La Malbaie with his wife Anne, in 1965. recounts how he slowly got into gardening in middle age after setbacks in the business world. He talks about how he wanted his gardens to offer a theatrical, sensual, and emotional experience to those that view them but also to offer fun and whimsy so that each individual can take out of their experience something special. They'll be surprises as well along the way which is exactly the way Cabot wanted it.
As time went on, Cabot and his family began to open up the gardens to public tours, mainly to help charities and conservation groups. His legacy continues on in preservation societies throughout the America and Canada.
Overall, obviously this doc is not for those viewers who are looking for an action flick. But for those who want to escape from the world for an hour and a half and enter a rather wondrous place, as well as get some idea of what goes into creating and preserving such a place, then you may find some real rewards here.
