Woman in Gold
Published 2015-08-09
Film info
- Title Woman in Gold
- Director Simon Curtis
- Year 2015
- Run time 1hr 49m
- Genre Drama
- Tagline Justice is priceless
- Cast Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Katie Holmes, Charles Dance, Daniel Brühl, Jonathan Pryce
Woman in Gold is the remarkable true story of a woman who overcame great odds with the help of an improbably young lawyer, and righted a wrong that had stood for decades. Sixty years after fleeing Vienna during World War II, Maria Altmann, an elderly Jewish woman, begins a journey to reclaim family possessions seized by the Nazis. Woman in Gold is the moving and powerful real-life story of someone coming to terms with their past and seeking restitution for what was taken from her.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:13 | Gold leaf always seems like such a faff! |
| 4:59 | "Working for yourself isn't all it's hyped up to be." Depends on the work, I bet. |
| 6:45 | You only have to smile once a year. |
| 9:35 | The boy who gets swept away by the wind? No no, that's an actual fear of mine! |
| 17:05 | "She's complicated." |
| 20:14 | I hate going to where I grew up, so I can't imagine how hard it is for her. |
| 21:32 | So love Daniel Bruhl. |
| 29:07 | Not really a fan of the painting, if I'm honest. |
| 34:13 | Beautiful cars, even if they are driven by the bad guys. |
| 36:32 | Yay, James Bond reference. |
| 39:48 | "You had to be eradicated from history." Harsh. |
| 50:41 | She has no sense of direction like I don't. |
| 51:45 | I'm staggered at the amount of people trying to stop them getting away. |
| 59:14 | They announce it as a victory but they got to make the decision. Hardly a victory. |
| 1:06:37 | "You can't just go charging ahead like a mad steamroller." |
| 1:11:36 | She's awesome. |
| 1:18:22 | Like his can of worms and tweezers analogy. |
| 1:27:16 | Awww, she turned up! |
Thoughts
I didn't know much about this one before watching, only that it appeared to have a great cast and told a real-life story. It's always hard watching the sufferings that went on at the hands of the Nazis, and although it's easy to say this is just about 'art', it has a much more important message than that.
The cast were great, it was rewarding to finally see Ryan Reynolds in a good role and a good film, but the star of the show was Helen Mirren. At first I thought it was odd that she was cast as an Austrian, but I quite soon forgot to ponder the accent and found her completely believable. In pain, having to open up old wounds that she desperately tried to put behind her, in the interests of doing what's right - for the principle.
Tough to watch, incredibly moving in places, and an important story well-told, I can't recommend this film enough. Bonus Katie Holmes being a brilliant non-needy and supportive wife too!
Rating: 5 / 5
