[four-star-rating]Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Brühl, Max Irons[/four-star-rating]
One of author James Baldwin’s famous characters once said, “It is my burden to always see both the beauty and the pain.” He could’ve been talking about Maria Bauer Altmann.
There are millions of possible stories about the Holocaust – perhaps more than each of the 11 million people who died under Nazi rule. Woman in Gold is a fascinating and moving exploration of a wealthy Jewish family of Austria and the art of their heritage. It’s a story told with great emotion.
In 1907, the Bauer family paid Gustav Klimt for a portrait of their aunt Adele; the painting is the famous Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. It was stolen by the Nazis and ended up in an Austrian museum. Their government calls this art “the Austrian Mona Lisa.” Maria Bauer Altmann (Mirren) asserted her ownership of the painting in 1999. Even with Austria making a show of returning Nazi-pilfered art to its rightful owners, it was clear this was going to be a protracted and ugly fight.
Woman in Gold has so many levels. There’s the making and ownership of a stunning and legendary painting. The upper-class family – artists and musicians themselves – suffered as Austria gave way to Germany. Maria had to escape her homeland with her beautiful husband (played by Jeremy Irons’ son).
The young, awkward lawyer who helped Altmann claim her property was Randy Schoenberg (Reynolds), the grandson of the famous composer. After his own legal firm failed, he took on Altmann’s case for the money. Because of his own family history in Austria, he also got emotionally involved.
“Couldn’t you help me on the side,” Mirren’s Altmann asks.
“There is no ‘on the side.’” Reynolds’ Schoenberg replies, “This is a full-time job.”
That it definitely is!
Mirren and Reynolds at first may seem like an odd pairing – very reminiscent of Judi Dench and Steve Coogan in Philomena. It mostly works. Mirren is subtle and regal, with an indomitable spirit. Reynold has a few moments that show he’s a much better actor than his action films and comedies let on.
So, it’s sad that the story sometimes loses drive. Mirren’s character seems alternately determined and defeated. To show how nerdy he is, Reynolds is given cliché bumbling comic bits. This is mostly the fault of screenwriter Alexi K. Campbell, who also had trouble adapting A.S. Byant’s novel Possession without resorting to gimmick.
[rating-key]
Still, director Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn) finds a way to put the emotion in the forefront, which is a very smart move. Flashback tells us of Altmann’s life before the Nazis, her family’s fears, and her tragic escape. Schoenberg has his own journey – never completely connected to hers – with its own revelations.
The beauty and the pain – that strict balance is what Curtis, Mirren, and even Reynolds find in Woman in Gold, a flawed but heartfelt portrayal of a famous painting and the lives it touched.
You must be logged in to post a comment.