It Fell Short Of Becoming A Great Film

Rating: 9/10 (12 July 2015)

The long legal process of art restitution and Maria Altmann's confrontation of her part are the main elements of this film.It has two parts.
One consists of Maria and her lawyer,Randy Schoenberg battling the Austrian government in the courts - Los Angeles court and the Supreme Court Of The United States - and arbitration at Vienna in order to claim the paintings that was stolen from her family by the Nazis during World War II.
The other consists of flashback scenes of events in Maria's life at Vienna which includes her marriage,the Nazis stealing their family properties particularly the paintings and her escape from Austria.
This could have been a great film but it fell short as it lacks the drama in telling the story.While the cast did well on their portrayal,the legal story involved in recovering the painting lacks energy and tension while the story of young Maria in Austria simply was too sentimental and melodramatic for its own good.