Drama in Cinema: Woman in Gold

Welcome back for Day 3 of Drama in Cinema. This time around our story is based at the late Maria Altmann, a mature Jewish refugee living in L.A. With her lawyer is is dealing with the Austrian government for over ten years to lay claim to the painting of her aunt which was stolen by the Nazis in World War II. This is Woman in Gold.

A lot weighing on that woman.

Our movie opens with a flashback of a woman getting her portrait done Adele Bloch-Bauer (Antje Traue of Pandorum, 5 Days of War, Man of Steel, Seventh Son and Woman in Gold), cut to 1998 in Los Angeles where a funeral is undertaking as Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren of Caligula, Excalibur, 2010, The Comfort of Strangers, The Madness of King George, Prime Suspect, Prime Suspect 2, Prime Suspect 3, The Snow Queen and REDS) is giving eulogy for his departed sister Louisa. After the funeral Maria connects with her old friend Barbara Schoenberg (Frances Fisher of Pink Cadillac, L.A. Story, Frame Up, Unforgiven, Strange Luck, The Big Tease, The Kingdom, Eureka, Torchwood and Resurrection) on legal matters concerning her sister's belongings and papers. She wonders if Barbara can ask her son Randy (Ryan Reynolds of The Outer Limits, Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, Blade: Trinity, Green Lantern, Safe House, and R.I.P.D.) a struggling lawyer if he can take more than a cursory glance at them and make some sense of it all. The letters consist of mention of Gustav Kilmt's Woman in Gold.

After a little legwork Randy finds the painting to be in worth of one hundred million dollars and hangs in the Vienna deemed the Mona Lisa of Vienna but it is said by Maria that it was stolen by the Nazis during the war. With the Austrian government opening borders on art restitution Randy and Maria feel they may have a case. On the flight, Maria has memories of her mother scrubbing the cobblestones on her hands and knees with Germans pointing and laughing, you see a young boy salute in Reich fashion and it just slices through your heart.

Oh for a high bell tower and some belt fed cannons.

Met with a young journalist Hubertus Czernin (Daniel Bruhl of 2 Days in Paris, Good Bye Lenin!, The Bourne Ultimatum, Inglourious Basterds, The Coming Days and Rush) he asks to be Randy and Maria's friend in this troublesome time and I am guessing to see some justice done to those pretisgous households that were wronged. Maria remembers her wedding day, surrounded by friends and family as her husband a train opera singer blesses their marriage with a beautiful song. They dance the Tora in celebration bringing joy in the home.

Maria and Randy are getting doors slammed in their face as the government wishes to whitewash their history of the shame of kneeling to the Nazi Reich and refuses to admit the sins of the past merely condemns the future in my realm of thinking. Returning to America empty-handed, Randy looks for any loophole now becoming obsessed with the Woman in Gold and determined to get Maria her legacy back challenges Austria through the means where he can. Taking his case all the way to the Supreme Court. There a nation will stand trial for ignoring a righteous claim and be held accountable.

Will Maria ever see The Woman in Gold again? Can Randy with his limited experience bring his "A" game?

A few comments on the film now.

The actual Maria Altmann passed away in 2011 at the age of 94. Helen Mirren and Katie Holmes reunite after 16 years since Teaching Mrs. Tingle. Maria's heritage of her aunt Adele's diamond necklace went to SS Gestapo Hermann Goering's wife. Andrew Garfield was originally cast as Randol Schoenberg but he dropped out and Ryan Reynolds took the role. Lucky for him.

Hey, isn't that Deadpool?

Nazi Week: The Train

Achtung!  Heh now that I have your attention kids, welcome to Day 2 of Ratzi Week er um I mean Nazi.   Today we will read up on the cinematic amazement that was director John Frankenheimer (The Young Savages, All Fall Down, Birdman of Alcatraz, The Machurian Candidate, The Horsemen and Black Sunday) and keeping up with our Nazi theme; let us suggest a heist has occurred and we need no Transporter of Jason Statham’s nature, we let Burt Lancaster smack some goose steppers about.  So have your papers and passport and make sure your luggage fits in the overhead compartment.  This is The Train.

Hey Fritz, why the long face? Ooo burn.

Spoiler sind unglaublich!!!

As the Allied Forces proceed into Paris liberating the German occupation, Colonel Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield of That Lady, Henry IV, A Man for All Seasons, Tell Me Lies, King Lear, Summer Lightning, When the Whales Came and The Crucible) feels the need to take his ill gotten gains of priceless impressionistic artwork back to Germany during all this chaos arranges a train to transport it.  He forcefully hires (that’s at gunpoint and death threats by the by) Labiche (Burt Lancaster of Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, The Devil’s Disciple, Elmer Gantry, Judgment at Nuremberg, Birdman of Alacatraz, From Here to Eternity and Airport) a jack of all trades handyman train engineer to make sure the train is secure and runs smoothly.  Unbeknownst to the Colonel, Labiche has connections with the French Resistance and a meager collection of them are planning to overrun the train, stop the jackboots and claim back their heritage that is this artwork.  Sounds easy don’t it?  Well it ain’t.  

Are you drinking my 50 year old scotch??!!!

Papa Boule (Michel Simon of Boudu Saved from Drowning, L’Atalante, Port of Shadows and The Two of Us), an elderly engineer tries to through his own literal monkey wrench into the works is promptly executed on the spot.  Time efficient this ratzis are.   After Boule’s pointless death Labiche reluctantly joins in the effort to take down the train.  A simple matter of rerouting the train to confuse Waldheim to thinking he is in route to Germany when in fact he is heading back to Paris but the plan goes pear shaped and the resistance cell is wiped out leaving Labiche shot in the leg but all the more determined to see Waldheim not get away. 

Now I have just a few comments about this film if you don’t mind.  Firstly, my copy is in glorious black and white which sends this critic’s heart strings all whimsy.   This film could be construed as a dramatic action film due to the impressive lot of gun and fist fights but what really give the film weight is the supporting story, in where Labiche argues against wasting lives on a few crates of paintings he has never seen in his lifetime and gradually it comes around that understands that the Nazis will get away with carving the heart and soul out of France if allowed to flee with these treasures.  In the same mindset imagine Da Vinci’s works stolen and no one was held accountable stabbing Italy in the back.   Oh a little FYI, Lancaster being the complete loopy he was did all his own stunts.  Bet the insurance people had lots of Pepto and paper bags to breathe in.  35 mm of course but in Spherical lens rather than anamorphic so again your characters are well zoomed in on but background gets a bit fuzzy.   This technical process was before Europe developed Eastman spherical in the later 60's.  

Burt! Come back! The movie is pretty good!

Honestly in my humble opinion the villain role for Scofield is where the juicy lines, the heart and soul of the movie is as he spirals into madness and obsession over the paintings you can actually watch him lose what little marbles this man had left after the occupation.  Solid writing, superb casting and phenomenal stunt work although there are some that felt it was a direct insult to the French Railroad battering that many trains.  Cannot say I fault them there.   This is a gem long forgotten and clearly needs dusting off and reappraisal.