Ben Meyers’ rating:
4.8|5.0 Stars
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Woman in Gold is an easy to miss
classic. While it has its own value as a historical piece, it also excels in
entertainment value due to the superb acting skills of Helen Mirren and Ryan
Reynolds and its outstanding script. There is one particularly memorable scene,
where character Randy Shoenberg’s (Ryan Reynolds) wife urges him to proceed
with his work even though she is about to give birth, that is particularly
poignant. Outstanding job by Director Simon Curtis.
Storyline
Austrian Nazis
imprison Frederick Altmann because his brother, Bernhard Altmann, who is safe
in England, will not give up the Altmann family textile company to Nazi ownership.
Consequently, to save his brother, Bernhard finally gives the company up and
Frederick Altmann and his wife, Maria, escape to America through a series of
hair splitting maneuvers. Years later, an aged and widowed Maria Altmann (Helen
Mirren) finds, in her deceased sister’s belongings, a letter that references a Gustav
Klimt (Moritz Bleibtreu) painting of their aunt Adele Bloch-Bauer (Antje Traue)
and her sister’s attempts to retrieve it as well as other artwork owned by
their family when they lived in Austria. Maria Altmann asks an inexperienced
lawyer, E. Randol Shoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), to take on the task of legally
reclaiming the family artwork from the Austrian government.
Additional Thanks
Thank you to Director Simon Curtis for directing effort. Thank you to Executive Producers Len
Blavatnik, Simon Curtis, Tim Jackson, Christine Langan, Ed Wethered, Robert
Walak, Ed Rubin, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Negeen Yazdi, and Alan Yentob for
making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Hubertus Czernin
(Daniel Brühl), Pam Shoenberg (Katie
Holmes), Young Maria Altmann (Tatiana Maslany), Fritz Altmann (Max Irons),
Sherman (Charles Dance), Judge Florence Cooper
(Elizabeth McGovern), Chief Justice Rehnquist (Jonathan Pryce), Barbara Shoenberg
(Frances Fisher), and Heinrich (Tom Schilling).
Buy a ticket? Yes?
No? Maybe?
Yes. It’s superb for the teen and adult
audience for both education and entertainment. It’s an excellent choice as an
addition to personal library film collections due to its historical value.
Video Critique available at:
Video Critique available at:
Ben Meyers
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