Woman in Gold

Plot synopsis:
In a series of flashbacks throughout the film, Maria Altmann recalls the arrival of Nazi forces in Vienna, and the subsequent suppression of the Jewish community and the looting and pillaging conducted by the Nazis against Jewish families. Seeking to escape before the country is completely shut off, Maria Altmann and members of her family attempt to flee to the United States. While Altmann and her husband are successful in their escape, she is forced to abandon her parents in Vienna.
In the present, living in Los Angeles, a now elderly and widowed Altmann attends the funeral for her sister. She discovers letters in her sister's possession dating to the late 1940s, which reveal an attempt to recover artwork owned by the Altmann family that was left behind during the family's flight for freedom and subsequently stolen by the Nazis. Of particular note is a painting of Altmann's aunt, Adele Bloch-Bauer, now known in Austria as the "Woman in Gold".
Altmann enlists the help of Randol Schoenberg, the grandson of her close friends, but a lawyer with little experience, to make a claim to the art restitution board in Austria. Reluctantly returning to her homeland, Altmann discovers that the country's minister and art director are unwilling to part with the painting, which they feel has become part of the national identity. Altmann is told that the painting was in fact legitimately willed to the gallery by her aunt. Upon further investigation by her lawyer and Austrian journalist Hubertus Czernin, this claim proves to be incorrect, as the alleged will is invalid due to the fact that her aunt did not own the painting in question, the artist's fee having been paid by her uncle. Schoenberg files a challenge with the art restitution board, but it is denied and Altmann does not have the money needed to challenge the ruling. Defeated, she and Schoenberg return to the United States.
Months thereafter, happening upon an art book with "Woman in Gold" on the cover, Schoenberg has an epiphany. Using a narrow rule of law and precedents in which an art restitution law was retroactively applied, Schoenberg files a claim in US court against the Austrian government contesting their claim to the painting. An appeal goes to the Supreme Court of the United States, where in the matter of Republic of Austria v. Altmann, the court rules in Altmann's favor, which results in the Austrian government attempting to persuade Altmann to retain the painting for the gallery, which she refuses. After a falling out over the issue of returning to Austria for a second time to argue the case, Altmann agrees for Schoenberg to go and argue the case in front of an arbitration panel of three arbiters in Vienna.
In Austria, the arbitration panel hears the case, during which time they are reminded of the Nazi Regime's war crimes by Schoenberg. Schoenberg implores the arbitration panel to think of the meaning of the word restitution and to look past the artwork hanging in art galleries to see the injustice to the families who once owned such great paintings and were forcibly separated from them by the Nazis. Unexpectedly, Altmann arrives during the session indicating to Czernin that she came to support her lawyer. After considering both sides of the dispute, the arbitration panel rules in favour of Altmann, returning her paintings. The Austrian government representative makes a last minute proposal begging Altmann to keep the paintings in the Belvedere against a generous compensation. Altmann refuses and elects to have the painting moved to the United States with her ("They will now travel to America like I once had to as well"), and takes up an offer made earlier by Ronald Lauder to acquire them for his New York gallery to display the painting on condition that it be a permanent exhibit.
from Wikipedia

Tags: murder, flashback

Review:
The Woman in Gold is based on the true story about a woman, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), and her lawyer, Randol Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), as they attempt to reclaim ownership of an extremely valuable painting (along with a few more) form the Austrian government nearly fifty years after it was stolen by the Nazis.
Add to those the quest of a remarkable woman whose family was ripped apart by Nazi insurgents, and more than a history lesson, it becomes a poignant personal story.Helen Mirren portrays Maria Altmann, the woman who emigrated to the United States by fleeing her Austrian homeland during World War II, and leaving behind her beloved family and all possessions.
See, Adele was Maria's aunt, and the stunning piece (with gold leaf accents) has become "the Mona Lisa of Austria", while hanging for decades in the state gallery.The story revolves around Maria's partnering with family friend and upstart attorney Randol Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds) to take on the nation of Austria and reclaim the (extremely valuable) artwork that was seized illegally so many years ago.
"Woman in Gold" (PG-13, 1:49) is such a film."Woman in Gold" is based on the true story of Maria Altmann, who, as a young woman (played by Tatiana Maslany of "Orphan Black" fame) fled her beloved Austria as the Nazi noose was tightening around the necks of her Jewish countrymen.
One of those possessions was a Gustav Klimt painting of her dear aunt Adele (Antje Traue), a painting which would soon be taken by the Nazis and, after World War II, end up in a Vienna art museum where it became so revered that one character calls it "the Mona Lisa of Austria".When Maria (played as an old woman by Dame Helen Mirren) loses her sister, she discovers some letters that, along with 1990s changes in Austrian law, make her think that she might reclaim what once belonged to her family.
Before seeing Woman in Gold, I read three to four reviews, ranging from "ordinary" to "extraordinary movie." I was more than curious, since I am an historian and secondary ed teacher, always looking for excellent historical films that remind us "why" we study history.
Woman in Gold is about a survivor of World War II, named Maria Altmann, a Viennese who wants a famous family painting by Gustav Klimt returned to her possession since it was stolen by the Nazis.
In Woman in Gold, Helen Mirren, chameleon-like, inhabits the body and personality of Maria Altmann, niece and heir of a prominent Jewish family in pre-WWII Vienna.
Formidable legal and bureaucratic hurdles stand in the way of Maria being reuniting with the painting—"When you look at this painting, you see a work of art," Marie tells a reunification commission, "I see my aunt." The story is another in a long line of mostly not happy stories of stolen art works in World War II, brought to renewed public awareness by movies and books like The Monuments Men and Pictures at an Exhibition.
What would attract audiences to WOMAN IN GOLD is its David Vs. Goliath story, everybody loves a story about an underdog taking on the impossible and that's what WOMAN IN GOLD essentially is.Directed by Simon Curtis who gave us "My Week With Marilyn" four years ago, Helen Mirren plays an elderly Jewish woman named Maria Altmann who sixty years after she fled Vienna, Austria to escape the Nazis, starts her uphill legal battles to retrieve a valuable painting that was seized by the Nazis, a painting that is now in the possession of a museum in Austria.
I think WOMAN IN GOLD is an important film, unfortunately I doubt that it would be remembered during award season mainly because we're still fresh from another Weinstein Company's drama, "Philomena" a couple of years ago which also showed an elderly woman accompanied by a young lad, both on a crusade for the truth.Read more at Ramascreen.Com. There Are All Kinds of People in the World and Some of Them Are Beautiful!.
Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds star in "Woman in Gold" from 2015, a true story about the quest of Maria Altmann to recover art stolen from her family by the Nazis in Vienna, the seat of anti-Semitism in Europe.I just want to point out, to answer some of the reviews, that this is not a documentary, it's a movie.
In flashbacks, Maria is played by the remarkable Tatiana Maslany, the star of "Orphan Black," who looks incredibly like a brunette Mirren.This is a touching, beautifully told story of one man's sacrifice and determination and a woman facing up to her past in order to seek justice.
You can see all of that in Mirren's multilayered performance.Reynolds is excellent as a young man who believes in taking a chance - - he started and failed in his own law practice - and in this case, going for the gold, despite the fact that he has a wife (Katie Holmes), a baby, and one on the way, and an intolerant boss.
She finds documentary proof in her late sister's belongings that several priceless paintings are stolen from her family, and are now in the possession of a state museum."Woman in Gold" is a beautiful film because it's a journey of three people working hard for a common goal for slightly different reasons.
Altmann's quest to reclaim the painting turned into a tug-of-war between the US and Austria in the late 1990s and early 2000s.Simon Curtis's "Woman in Gold" tells this story, starring Helen Mirren as Altmann and Ryan Reynolds as her lawyer.
We see presumably non-Jewish Viennese watching with pleasure the Nazis' humiliation of Jews, but we get no sense of whether this came as a surprise to Maria's family, whether they felt totally integrated, etc.2) Whether or not the real Austrian officials were officious and cold, it would have been more interesting if their representatives in the movie had been less stereotypical and given more chance to express the complexity of the issues they were defending.
Also how that very distinctive painting shaped Maria's memories of Adele.It's true: as I develop this review, I am coming to realize that while the script has some good scenes in it, it really could have been a lot better developed.Still and all, the movie held me, and sometimes moved me very much.
"Woman in Gold" is what happens when all of that is traded for what looks to be a "collect the check" job on all fronts, where everyone involved just seems more concerned with collecting their pay rather than telling a story with the significance and heart it not only bears but deserves.The film revolves around Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), a Jewish refugee living in Los Angeles, who seeks the help of a lawyer named Randol Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds) to recover Gustav Klimt's iconic painting of her aunt, known as Portrait of Adele Block-Bauer I.
Every way around the Austrian government is portrayed as a flash-in-the-pan, revolutionary moment that makes you wonder why these two bright individuals didn't think of that before they started (IE: the cost of suing the Austrian government being in the millions - shouldn't they have known that as a "worst case scenario" event?).It's also worth noting that it's impossible for a dynamic to be achieved between both Mirren and Reynolds because screenwriter Alexi Kaye Campbell doesn't write a line of dialog that's purpose is to paint both of these individuals as characters and not narrative vessels.
Its about a Jewish lady called Maria Altmann who hires her friends son Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), to get back a painting which was stolen by the Nazis during World War II.
On the plus side, it did make more than double its budget so there must have been audiences that were touched by the subject matter.Budget: $11million Worldwide Gross: $51millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their emotional dramas about a woman whose trying to retrieve a painting which was stolen by the Nazis during World War II.
"Something happened out there and I just can't let it go." (dialog, Reynolds) The negative reviews for Woman In Gold seem to be from reviewers expecting a cross between Witness for The Prosecution and Jurassic World.That is not what this movie is about.While based on a real story about a WW2 survivor who tried to reclaim a stolen painting from the Austrian government (a govt stuck in full-on "stonewall" mode) the producers clearly chose to use the tale as a metaphor for a much larger story about some of the worst aspects of human nature, to wit: doing nothing while everyone around you is committing the most evil acts and, later on, attempting to profit from your own inactivity.In this light, the alleged "flaws" of "sentimental flashbacks" and other criticisms melt like butter on a hot day.Reynolds is not bad, especially for a young actor who may be trying to put roles like "Green Lantern" behind him.
The story is about Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), a Viennese born resident of Los Angeles, who fought the Austrian government for ownership of various paintings (mainly the "Woman In Gold", which was her aunt's painting painted by Gustav Klimt), stolen from her family by the Nazi Party during the second world war.
Helen Mirren as Maria Altmann, an Austrian Jewish survivor who tries to recover her family's art works,and Ryan Reynolds who plays Randal Schoenberg, her lawyer, were the main actors and did a fine job with many moving moments.
But if life is a boxing match, I'm the last one standing."Based on true events, Woman in Gold is one of those films that ended up being far less interesting than the actual story it was trying to tell.
Randol Schönberg (finally an excellent acting role for Ryan Reynolds) who happens to be the grandson of the brilliant Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg to help her retrieve the painting 'Adele' (now simply known as 'Woman in Gold') – a Gustav Klimt painting belonging to her family and was stolen by the Nazis and is hanging in Austria's Belvedere.
It is, after all, a story which needs to remain in our psyche, especially in times like these when an incompetent president and his administration and lackeys seem intent on history repeating.THE WOMAN IN GOLD is the story of Maria Altmann, played by Helen Mirren.
The second, and more serious, objection was that the painting was not actually Adele's to dispose of- it was legally Ferdinand's property, not hers.The film is based on the true story of this legal battle, concentrating on the relationship between Maria and her young lawyer, Randy Schoenberg.
Intercut with the legal action are scenes showing Maria's early life and her flight from Vienna to escape from the Nazis in 1938.I watched this film when it was recently shown in television, partly because I am an art lover and partly because of my respect for Helen Mirren, but in many way it proved a disappointment.
Helen Mirren delivers a tour-de-force performance and the entire film mirrors high production standards, excellent continuity and obviously skillful direction from Simon Curtis along with a wonderful musical score.Those pundits here and on other sites panning this little gem because they are either anti-Semitic or think that money and lawyers getting rich was the only motive for this real-life story have missed the point entirely and should probably stick to watching mindless shlock like Jurassic World instead of something tender and lovingly crafted dealing with a difficult but nevertheless touching story told with a warmth, obvious love and pride of craftsmanship that is not often found in many films these days..
It tells the true story of a Jewish refugee, in her 80s, who battled the Austrian government for nearly a decade; to regain control of famous artwork (especially a painting of her aunt, known as the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I), which was taken from her family by the Nazis before the war.
I found the movie to be really slow going, at first, but quite captivating by it's conclusion.Maria Altmann (Mirren) was a young Jewish woman (played by Tatiana Maslany, in her earlier years) who fled Austria, with her husband Fritz (Irons), as the Nazis were taking it over, right before World War II.
She enlisted the help of a young, and very inexperienced, lawyer named Randol Schoenberg (Reynolds).The movie is powerfully acted (especially by it's two leads) and decently directed; but the story could have played out in a much more emotionally charged and engaging way.
Following the Anschuss of 1938 when Germany took over Austria, this painting was one of many, many artefacts seized by the Nazis from Jewish families in occupied Europe.The film tells the story - a little fictionalised - of Adele's niece Maria Altmann who escaped from Vienna to live in California and, during the 1980s as an octogenarian, pursued an audacious claim to take back this painting and other Klimt works from the Austrian Government.
Helen Mirren is brilliant as Altmann in another distinguished performance in a sparkling career during which she has played everything from "The Queen" to an assassin (RED"), while Ryan Reynolds is surprisingly good as her lawyer Randy Schoenberg in a role a million miles from "Green Lantern" or "Deadpool".There's a lot going on in this film: legal battles over the art work with some classic courtroom scenes, flashbacks (in sepia colours) to Altmann's earlier life in 1930s Vienna, and an evolving relationship between the irascible Altmann and the idealistic Schoenberg, both descendants of famous Austrians.
This movie brings together an unlikely cast of Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds and Daniel Bruhl in what I found to be a highly satisfying drama, based on a true story concerning a great work of art by painter Gustav Klimt from from early 20th century Venna.
We learn the background through a series of flashbacks that play through Mirren's memory as Maria Altmann, the child of a highly cultured family in Vienna, who were targeted by the Nazis during the occupation of Austria in World War II.
So the first thing we are presented with, is an old fashioned courtroom drama with Ryan Reynolds as the young lawyer Randol Schönberg, grandson of the famous Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg and also descendant of a family of war refugees.The fascinating and interesting part of the film focuses on the past and present of the widow Altmann.
WOMAN IN GOLD mines the apparently inexhaustible subject of Nazi atrocities during World War Two. This time it centers around Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), an Austrian refugee forced to leave her homeland after the Anschluss of 1938, when Hitler's troops invaded.
-The film is based on the true story of the late Maria Altmann, an elderly Jewish refugee living in Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles, who, together with her young lawyer, Randy Schoenberg, fought the government of Austria for almost a decade to reclaim Gustav Klimt's iconic painting of her aunt, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, which was stolen from her relatives by the Nazis in Vienna just prior to World War II.
"Woman in gold" is a film that I should not be overlooked , perhaps because of technical issues the film the movie does not reach the big prizes this year but undoubtedly is a beautiful film that grabs you and excited , if the movie would have been of foreign origin and not American undoubtedly would have had a place in the Oscar , Ryan Reynolds and Daniel Bruhl are two actors who are on track to great prizes , perhaps one of the best roles of Reynolds , Helen Mirren hope to see you in the big nominees this year , but this movie is good this time by the performance of the actors and the story that is expressed , Simon Curtis could have been better ..
The movie "Woman In Gold" is based on the remarkable story of the octogenarian Austrian- American woman, Maria Altmann (played by the always sensational Helen Mirren).
Woman in GoldThe worst thing about growing old is everyone starts to dispute that it's you in all of your portraits.Facial recognition, however, isn't imperative in this drama – proof of ownership is.Made aware of the fact that the portrait of her aunt that was stolen by the Nazis is now hanging in an Austrian gallery, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren) hires an inexperienced lawyer, Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), to repossess it for her.With assistance from a journalist (Daniel Brühl), they challenge Austria's ownership of Gustav Klimt's The Woman in Gold in court, but turn up short each time.It's not until they contest proprietorship on US soil do they see results.An intriguing and inspiring true account of retribution, Woman in Gold may lag with numerous wartime flashbacks but the outcome is still an edifying one.Unfortunately, the Nazis vandalized Woman in Gold by painting a Hitler moustache on her.
Woman in Gold is one woman's story and perseverance to reclaim the possessions stolen from her family by the Nazi regime nearly sixty years earlier.Elderly Maria Altmann, played by Helen Mirren, must return to her home city of Vienna and wage in battle against the Austrian government for one of its most prized national treasures, Gustave Klimt's "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I." Fighting for restitution in a battle that means near certain defeat, she and lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds) engage in a lengthy legal battle to recover the painting to its rightful owner.A film as much in the past as it is in the present, Woman in Gold perfectly conveys the open wounds left by living through such an atrocity as Nazi persecution.
Woman in Gold stars Helen Mirren as Maria Altmann a Jewish Austrian who fled to America.
While watching the new film, Woman in Gold, based upon the true life stories of Maria Altmann and Randol Schoenberg, I couldn't help, but think of caparisons and links between this film and last year's The Monuments Men. Both films deal with World War II and recovering art that was stolen by the Nazis during that time.