Maria Altmann, an octogenarian Jewish refugee, takes on the Austrian government to recover artwork she believes rightfully belongs to her family.Maria Altmann, an octogenarian Jewish refugee, takes on the Austrian government to recover artwork she believes rightfully belongs to her family.Maria Altmann, an octogenarian Jewish refugee, takes on the Austrian government to recover artwork she believes rightfully belongs to her family.
- Awards
- 6 nominations
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOprah Winfrey was, for ten years, the owner of Gustav Klimt's second-most-famous portrait of the subject of the painting unofficially known as "Woman in Gold." The second most famous Klimt portrait of Bloch-Bauer was officially titled "Adele Bloch-Bauer ll." Winfrey reportedly bought the painting anonymously in 2006, when Christie's sold it at auction for $87.9 million, during the same auction session when the subject of this film was sold, along with four other Klimt paintings owned by Maria Altmann's family. In 2016, Winfrey sold the 54"x54" painting, "Adele Bloch-Bauer II," to a Chinese collector for $150 million.
- GoofsWhen Randy Schoenberg is before the Supreme Court, he is shown being asked a convoluted question by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, whereupon Schoenberg admits he doesn't understand it. That question was actually posed by Justice David Souter. The reaction from the other justices, who also didn't understand the question, was accurately depicted.
- Quotes
Randol Schoenberg: It's hard to believe Hitler once applied to be an art student here.
Maria Altmann: I wish they'd have accepted him.
Featured review
A beautiful,serene movie with outstanding acting by Helen Mirren.
"Mrs. Altmann, it would seem that if your case goes forward, world diplomacy will collapse, and you will be solely responsible."
"Woman in Gold" is a wonderful and sometimes touching film. Not because of the topic as this was already highlighted in "The Monuments Men", but because of the brilliant rendition Helen Mirren is showing here. A role that suits her perfectly. A distinguished elderly lady who's a descendant of a wealthy Jewish family and who was forced to flee to the United States during Austria's annexation with Germany. She left behind everything: family, personal things and valuable belongings that were owned by the family Altmann. The resentment towards the German ruler obviously is still as lively now as it was in the past. And despite her intention never to set foot on Austrian soil again, she still makes the overseas trip to reclaim the famous painting "Portrait of Adèle Bloch-Bauer" by Gustav Klimt, since she's the rightful heir. That this invaluable piece of art was worth a fortune, is swept aside by her as irrelevant. In the end the painting has been sold to a renowned New York art gallery for a mere 135 million dollars. I'm sure at that moment it wasn't irrelevant anymore.
The film is actually twofold. Obviously there's a less successful part and an exciting second part. The first part, and least successful, is about the court case Maria Altmann starts against the Austrian state, who consider the previous mentioned painting as a national treasure. The fact that it was stolen by the Nazis and actually ended up in their hands unlawfully, was a side issue apparently. 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. A metered mixture of images of this zestful character these days and the painful memories weighing on her shoulders. These memories are displayed in old-fashioned-looking sepia-colored flashbacks. A sketch full of contrasts of the still traumatized Maria and the conditions in which she lived during the occupation. The humiliations and fear. When she gets back in Vienna after so many years, Mary's facial expression proves that this past still weighs heavily on her.
Helen Mirren is a kind of mixture of P. L. Travers and Queen Elizabeth. A lady behaving according to the etiquette from the upper middle class who keeps certain values and norms still alive. A stiff Victorian granny who suffers from a trauma and is seeking for justice. A kind of Miss Marple, but then still in possession of an elegant well-preserved beauty. Without any effort Mirren surpasses the young Reynold on screen. Despite his immense importance in the complex legal procedure, the character pales in comparison with the engaging, witty and sometimes tragic person performed by Mirren. Despite the fact that now and then she brings forward corny sounding quotes, she remains a credible and worthy character.
Of course you can cite that the Austrian people are portrayed in a one-sided and caricatural way and look like an anti-Semitic nation that supports the Nazi-regime. Personally, I'm convinced that it's pretty close to being true and that it's more an instinctual survival tactic than that they were supporting that ideology. But that's another discussion. Maybe the relationship between Maria Altmann and her aunt Adèle could have been worked out a bit deeper. But the acting of Mirren and the tragic images of the past create an unparalleled film filled with tragedy and justice.
More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT
"Woman in Gold" is a wonderful and sometimes touching film. Not because of the topic as this was already highlighted in "The Monuments Men", but because of the brilliant rendition Helen Mirren is showing here. A role that suits her perfectly. A distinguished elderly lady who's a descendant of a wealthy Jewish family and who was forced to flee to the United States during Austria's annexation with Germany. She left behind everything: family, personal things and valuable belongings that were owned by the family Altmann. The resentment towards the German ruler obviously is still as lively now as it was in the past. And despite her intention never to set foot on Austrian soil again, she still makes the overseas trip to reclaim the famous painting "Portrait of Adèle Bloch-Bauer" by Gustav Klimt, since she's the rightful heir. That this invaluable piece of art was worth a fortune, is swept aside by her as irrelevant. In the end the painting has been sold to a renowned New York art gallery for a mere 135 million dollars. I'm sure at that moment it wasn't irrelevant anymore.
The film is actually twofold. Obviously there's a less successful part and an exciting second part. The first part, and least successful, is about the court case Maria Altmann starts against the Austrian state, who consider the previous mentioned painting as a national treasure. The fact that it was stolen by the Nazis and actually ended up in their hands unlawfully, was a side issue apparently. 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. A metered mixture of images of this zestful character these days and the painful memories weighing on her shoulders. These memories are displayed in old-fashioned-looking sepia-colored flashbacks. A sketch full of contrasts of the still traumatized Maria and the conditions in which she lived during the occupation. The humiliations and fear. When she gets back in Vienna after so many years, Mary's facial expression proves that this past still weighs heavily on her.
Helen Mirren is a kind of mixture of P. L. Travers and Queen Elizabeth. A lady behaving according to the etiquette from the upper middle class who keeps certain values and norms still alive. A stiff Victorian granny who suffers from a trauma and is seeking for justice. A kind of Miss Marple, but then still in possession of an elegant well-preserved beauty. Without any effort Mirren surpasses the young Reynold on screen. Despite his immense importance in the complex legal procedure, the character pales in comparison with the engaging, witty and sometimes tragic person performed by Mirren. Despite the fact that now and then she brings forward corny sounding quotes, she remains a credible and worthy character.
Of course you can cite that the Austrian people are portrayed in a one-sided and caricatural way and look like an anti-Semitic nation that supports the Nazi-regime. Personally, I'm convinced that it's pretty close to being true and that it's more an instinctual survival tactic than that they were supporting that ideology. But that's another discussion. Maybe the relationship between Maria Altmann and her aunt Adèle could have been worked out a bit deeper. But the acting of Mirren and the tragic images of the past create an unparalleled film filled with tragedy and justice.
More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Cuộc Chiến Đòi Tranh Quý
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $11,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $33,307,793
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,091,551
- Apr 5, 2015
- Gross worldwide
- $61,619,773
- Runtime1 hour 49 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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