In Review: "Woman in Gold"

A movie about the power of art and its connection to the past.

The Story

It's the true story about a woman who wants to get back a painting of her aunt that was stolen from her. The painting is one of Gustav Klimt's most famous paintings-- "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" otherwise known as "Woman in Gold", Oh, and the people who stole it from her-- the Nazis. Years later, when she is an old woman, she wants to get it back but by then, the painting has become the prized possession of Austria, nearly impossible for her to retrieve. But with the help from a out-of-luck lawyer, she travels back to Austria and back to the shadows of her past to get back what is rightfully hers.

The Stars

Helen Mirren plays the main character Maria Altman, a woman of unpredictable gumption and spunk. As expected, Mirren is comical and lovable while being the sassy grandma you wish you had. Ryan Reynolds has a complicated character to play. Randoul Schoenberg, great-grandson of the famous composer Arnold Schoenberg, is kind of a pathetic character who seems to be way over his head with this case. From the beginning, the only thing the audience sees is his failures and the fact that he is related to this semi-famous person. We can't possibly understand why this old lady asked this inexperienced kid to help her win this lifelong case. But then we see him grow, just a glimpse. It's not a full blown character transformation, but we get a glimpse of why this case means so much to him. And it's enough to tolerate his character and crack a smile at him every once and a while.

The Message

Art is a living breathing piece of the past that stretches across generations, across centuries to remind us to move forward. Art was all the freedom these people had. They could not speak up but they could sing. They could not hold protests but they could hold a cello in their arms and play. They could not look upon their loved ones anymore but they had the objects they left behind. She had the painting. Now I pray that there will never come a day when a single man can seize the world in a crippling fear. But the only way to do that is to remember that it did happen and millions paid for the fear and hatred of others with their lives. And to this day, there are still wrongs to be righted, possessions that have not been returned and scars that have never healed. But for this woman this painting this canvas of color and shine healed a piece of her broken heart by reminding her that our home is not where we live or where we were born. But the people we share our lives with. They mean everything.

Overall

This case is not what you watch CSI for, or SVU or even the West Wing. There are no dead bodies. No murder weapons. No scandals. It's a paper case driven by hard facts and started by people who are already buried in the ground. You shouldn't watch this movie for the thrill of the case. And most people won't understand this woman's connection to a piece of art, and why, when she is so old, does she still need to get it back.

The people who should watch this movie is someone who is fascinated by art. Not just thinks walking through an art museum is a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. But someone who really gets it. Really feels for the artist who slaved over the a canvas for months, sometimes years, to create something out of nothing. Doesn't have to be someone who is artistically gifted. Just someone who understands why artists paint, draw, sing, play, dance, write and whatever else they feel like doing. Someone who is appalled by the injustice of art being destroyed, outlawed, art programs in schools being ended, and art being hidden from sight. That's what this movie is about. It's about a terrible injustice that was done many years ago-- their art, their lives, their souls were stolen from them.

3 out of 4 Paintings

(This is the real life Maria Altman with the famous painting of her aunt)

If this is a subject you are passionate about, here are more movies and documentaries about the art of WWII:
"Monuments Men" (2014)
"The Rape of Europa" (2006)
"Adele's Wish" (2008)
"Stealing Klimt" (2007)
"The Train" (1964)