Watched it on DVD from my public library.
This is predominantly a true story with perhaps some events and dialog created for dramatic effect. In the 1930s when the Nazis were inhabiting Austria, and leading up to the atrocities of WW2, Jews in Vienna were being harassed and their valuable furnishings and art objects were being confiscated.
One particularly personal art object, and now (1998) valued at over $100 Million, is the Klimt painting called "Woman in Gold" because it used actual gold foil. The subject of the painting was the now deceased aunt of Helen Mirren (actually 69-ish) as 80-ish Maria Altmann living in Los Angeles since she was a young woman, having fled Austria.
By this time, the late 1990s, Austria had initiated a system of reparations for those crimes and now Maria wanted to see if she could recover some of her family's stolen treasure, particularly the golden portrait of her aunt. She approached the family friend and young lawyer, mid-30ish Ryan Reynolds as Randy Schoenberg, whose grandfather was a well-known Austrian composer.
Randy was reluctant to take it on, as he had failed to make his own law practice work and now had just taken a new job with a big firm. But his interest was piqued when a quick web search indicated it great value. His lawyer instincts (go after the big money) kicked in and his quest was on.
This all of course was not a smooth trip. They had to go to court, even up to the US Supreme Court, but eventually they arrived at a 3- person arbitration to hear their case. The Austrians over the years had adopted the Woman in Gold as their own Mona Lisa and had no desire to see it leave their country. Maria tried to make a deal with them, if they would admit that they had obtained it illegally and apologize, and compensate her reasonably, she would let it stay in the Austrian museum. But they flatly refused so she snubbed them after the arbitration decision and the work of art now resides in a USA museum.
All-in-all a very good story, well-told and well-acted, worthwhile for both its historical significance and the entertainment value of the movie itself.
This is predominantly a true story with perhaps some events and dialog created for dramatic effect. In the 1930s when the Nazis were inhabiting Austria, and leading up to the atrocities of WW2, Jews in Vienna were being harassed and their valuable furnishings and art objects were being confiscated.
One particularly personal art object, and now (1998) valued at over $100 Million, is the Klimt painting called "Woman in Gold" because it used actual gold foil. The subject of the painting was the now deceased aunt of Helen Mirren (actually 69-ish) as 80-ish Maria Altmann living in Los Angeles since she was a young woman, having fled Austria.
By this time, the late 1990s, Austria had initiated a system of reparations for those crimes and now Maria wanted to see if she could recover some of her family's stolen treasure, particularly the golden portrait of her aunt. She approached the family friend and young lawyer, mid-30ish Ryan Reynolds as Randy Schoenberg, whose grandfather was a well-known Austrian composer.
Randy was reluctant to take it on, as he had failed to make his own law practice work and now had just taken a new job with a big firm. But his interest was piqued when a quick web search indicated it great value. His lawyer instincts (go after the big money) kicked in and his quest was on.
This all of course was not a smooth trip. They had to go to court, even up to the US Supreme Court, but eventually they arrived at a 3- person arbitration to hear their case. The Austrians over the years had adopted the Woman in Gold as their own Mona Lisa and had no desire to see it leave their country. Maria tried to make a deal with them, if they would admit that they had obtained it illegally and apologize, and compensate her reasonably, she would let it stay in the Austrian museum. But they flatly refused so she snubbed them after the arbitration decision and the work of art now resides in a USA museum.
All-in-all a very good story, well-told and well-acted, worthwhile for both its historical significance and the entertainment value of the movie itself.