elicopperman "When people see the famous portrait, they see a masterpiece by one of Austria's finest artists. But I see a picture of my aunt, a woman who talked to me about life while I brushed her hair in her bedroom." Truer and more earnest words could not have been spoken better than that of Austrian- Jewish holocaust survivor, Maria Altmann, known for successfully reclaiming some of her family paintings from the Austrian Government that were abducted by the Nazis. Today's film tackles that subject, and upon viewing it for the first time, it managed to speak above higher levels of sincerity and personal attachment that I don't see often in cinema.The first notable element that the film portrays beautifully is the character of Maria Altmann herself. Growing up as a child in the mid-20s, she saw her aunt Adele Bloch-Bauer being used to create the grim yet beauteous woman in the portrait known as Woman in Gold. Adele had a few portraits made of her by Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt at age 25 through negotiations by her husband. Considering how much the portrait of her aunt meant to Maria personally, it makes sense that she would feel disgusted to see how this painting was used in later years. In fact, throughout the film, we see flashbacks of Maria's childhood that perfectly immolates her lifespan from childhood to young adulthood. Given how close Maria felt to her aunt as elegantly displayed in these flashbacks, this makes the symbolism of the gold painting all the more powerful. Klimt's intention was to showcase a "swirling gown within a blaze of gold rectangles, spirals and Egyptian symbols", creating her aunt as the personification of Vienna's Golden Age. After her aunt died, the family would look upon the paintings through divineness, leaving Maria only with memories of the paintings, before they were taken away. This is what presents the "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" as a symbol of all that her family had lost.One aspect that the film never shies away from is the horrible treatment of European Jews. As mentioned before, the film often depicts flashbacks of Maria's struggles in Austria. Not just the treatment of "inferior" people, but by also demonstrating Nazis taking family possessions away from their original owners and would never have them restored. Maria's story compliments this unfortunate event, but the idea that it's best to let go of the past plays a notable contrast, despite how unjustified the act was. Sure, those who may not have been affected by it could still feel sorry for such a tragedy, but the ones who had a piece of them taken away by their foes just adds into how much of a double-edged sword the justice behind this act really is.Adding on to the well personified protagonist, the acting is also spot on. Helen Mirren is able to showcase the guilt hidden in Maria from how she abandoned her family to live a safer life, and is excellent at presenting her conflicted soul. She perfectly understood how Maria was tangled up between the past and the need to move on, elevated with tough emotions. Ryan Reynolds may be praised for Deadpool nowadays, but he is able to personify lawyer Randy Schoenburg (grandson of composer Arnold Schoeburg) as a young persistent lawyer extraordinarily. As a struggling family man with strong conviction for his roots, Reynolds leaps his persona to whole new heights as a determined lawyer in getting justice back to the right person.Similar to Big Eyes, the supporting cast either come off as obstacles or supporters in the protagonist's determination to gain their rightfully owned possessions back. Some like Hubertnus Czernin and Pam Schoenburg do support the duo in their court cases and battles against false copyright claims as well as giving some insight on their own pasts. Others, on the other hand, like Dr. Dreimann, Rudolph Wran, and those in favor of the Austrian government are highly intelligent and guarded civilians who have to deal with someone wanting back a possession which is also a legendary piece of their motherland. Not to mention, the court room scenes are at their most complex, especially in how Randy exercises in ownership loopholes and fighting against claims of the 1976 copyright act.Now the story itself does fall a little derivative with the two main leads conflicting with one another throughout before officially teaming up. Yet as overused as it seems, it actually helps give Randy a clear purpose to aid Maria given how much he cares about the identity of his own people as much as hers. Along with the gut-wrenching drama, the film occasionally sneaks in some subtle humor for good measure. Even if this was to keep the horrid trauma from what it truly was in real life, it gives off a more relatable vibe with the story and characters for the audience. Finally, the use of grim cinematography during the flashbacks fits perfectly with the time period to create the right sense of depression in contrast to the brighter cinematography of Altmann's court cases in '99.With sharp acting, well defined characters, and perfect contrast between the past and future, Woman in Gold is such remarkable insight on a fascinating woman who fought the law to gain her rightfully owned possessions back. The film actually ends with a quote that states, "It has been estimated that over 100'000 works of art taken by the Nazis have not been returned to their rightful owners". That quote only makes Maria's success all the more unique seeing as how much that piece meant to her, even if it meant taking a historic piece of art away from Austria. While some may not know of the actual history, this motion picture manages to stay true to the facts, and would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to see an underdog story about gaining one's memories back.

meeza The true-story based drama "Woman in Gold" did not deserve any gold medals, but was bronzely deserved as solid cinematic offering. Helen Mirren stars as Maria Altmann, an older woman who was a Jewish refugee in her homeland of Austria. Her aunt Adele Bloch-Bauer sang the original version of Adele's "Hello"; not even Lionel Richie sang it better! Hello! Hello! Are you still there? Please don't say goodbye yet to my review of "Woman in Gold". In all seriousness, Adele Bloch- Bauer was the subject of an infamous painting during the 1940's. However, that painting and much artwork of Maria's family was seized by the Nazis in Germany-occupied Austria. During the late 1990's after a few occurrences including a deep letter from her deceased aunt Adele, Maria decides that it's time to get what is rightfully hers; most notably the startling "Woman in Gold" painting, in that time displayed in an Austrian museum. So Maria hires a nice young Jewish lawyer named Randy Schoenberg, and their fight for art-recovery justice is in full plight as they tackle many obstacles, most notably the Austrian government, to recover to Maria what is rightfully hers. Director Simon Curtis does hold par in his orchestration of the picture, even though Simon says way too many times what is obvious. Alexi Kaye Campbell's screenplay was moderate at best, but shined brightly within Maria's charismatic dialogue. Helen Mirren did shine with a golden performance as Maria, and Ryan Reynolds deserved a silver-thespian medal with his work as Randy Schoenberg. "Woman in Gold" does paint a pretty picture on art justice, and though not perfect, still deserves a look. *** Average

l_rawjalaurence 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. They came in and stole many of the family's treasures, including valuable paintings by Gustav Klimt. Three years later the paintings were given to the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, where they are still on display.After burrowing through long-lost paperwork, Maria and her companion, hotshot lawyer Randy Schönberg (Ryan Reynolds), the grandson of another refugee, the Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg, decide to take on the museum in an attempt to restore the paintings - especially the eponymous "Woman in Gold" (a painting of Altmann's aunt) to their rightful owner. There follows a series of courtroom battles, following the familiar trope of the little person taking on the institution.While Mirren offers us a convincing Austro-English accent, she is manifestly too young for the role (the real Altmann was in her eighties when she began efforts to pursue the Belvedere through the courts). At times it seems as if Mirren is offering us a reprise of her role in THE QUEEN (2006), right down to the sliver of lip-gloss on her otherwise pale features. Reynolds doesn't have much to do except to put on a concerned expression, especially while trying to deal with his wife Pam (Katie Holmes), and stand up bravely in court against the apparently implacable attorney working for the Austrian government (Rolf Saxon).What redeems the film is its palpable seriousness of purpose. Production designer Jim Clay has worked hard to recreate the atmosphere in the immediate wake of the Anschluss, where cheering crowds of Hitler supporters are counterbalanced by antisemitic mobs keen to root out as many so-called "enemies of the state" as possible. Most of the sequences taking place in the past are photographed in washed-out colors (by Ross Emery), that serve the symbolic function of suggesting how the Nazi occupation deprived what had been a multicultural society of much of its life-blood.Based on historical fact, the outcome can be easily discerned from about halfway through the film. Nonetheless director Curtis prompts us to reflect on the ethics of the entire campaign - although Maria deserves to have her family property restored to her, is the persistent campaign conducted on her behalf really worth it? What good does it do to rake up the past, especially the series of traumatic events leading up to and including her enforced flight from her homeland?

snsh This movie is based on the ideal example of post-Nazi artwork recovery. The valuable piece of art was not just collected by the Jewish family, but was personally commissioned by them, and is a cherished painting of a family member.The movie goes on to tell a heartwarming non-linear story about the attempts to recover the painting and the tragic history of the family leading up to its seizure. The film does a great job of that. SPOILER ALERT Where the movie and the premise falls apart is the last line, right before the credits. The painting is taken from the country which has grown to love it and reunited with its rightful owner who... immediately sells it.That pretty much ruined the movie for me. The main characters claim to not be doing it for the money, but ultimately they take the money.This movie belongs on HGTV between show about international house flippers.