Review: Woman in Gold

By Jake DiMarino

 In the world of rewriting history, it is important to look into the world of film, and how directors choose to portray the events of history. Woman In Gold is a biographical drama film directed by Simon Curtis. It depicts the true story of a woman from Austria, Maria Altmann, and her journey to reclaim ownership of a painting of her aunt that was stolen by the nazis. The painting was stolen after she and her husband were forced to flee Austria during the second world war. The painting moved from the hands of nazi officers to use as decorations, to its eventual home in a museum in Vienna. The museum claimed to be going over restitution cases, to return the art pieces to their rightful owners. The process of this however was nearly impossible, and it was made clear that the Museum really had no intention of returning any paintings. Maria’s uncle had asked a painter, Gustav Klimt, to make multiple paintings, but the crown jewel was a painting of her aunt, Adele, in a painting that came to be known as “Woman in Gold”. It was called this because it was painted using real gold flakes. It became the centerpiece of the museum, and was sometimes called “The Heart of Austria”. As imagined, none were too keen on her attempts to reclaim her family's treasure. In the film, there are citizens who witness her plea to the museum that tell her to let go of the past, and that “You never give up”, referring to the Jewish people in an antisemitic remark. Her lawyer, him being her mother’s friend’s son, who had quit his job at a large firm, continued to try and find way’s to get around the walls put up by the Museum. After much time he finds a legal loophole to sue the Republic of Austria in the United States. Through a long process of many trials that ends up going to the supreme court, they settled on having a final case in Austria, with three mediators, one biased towards each side, and one neutral party. In the end, she wins the rights to her painting back, and it has hung in the Neue Galerie in New York ever since. 

This movie feels incredibly relevant to the course because it highlights the fact that many moments in history that seem to have “ended” have in fact very much not ended. In this case, it is widely taught and thought that world war two has come and passed, and as long as a new nazi-like idealism does not sprout up and take power, we will all be okay. This film delineated the fact that there is still so much damage done by the nazis, some that will never be repaired. Whether it be family heirlooms that have been stolen, never to be returned or seen again, or even the dangerous idea that “the past is the past, and it’s time to move on”, the messages presented in this film allow for a new lens on how we view the events, crimes, and lasting impacts created by the nazis. While the terrible regime is long gone, Woman in Gold makes the important note that the damage done by it still likely remains all over the world, it is crucial to stop any new roots from growing, but the equally important thing to do is continue to try and fix it in any way possible.